6 reasons for a wiki-based management system

Let's be honest: In most companies, the documentation of the management system serves only to achieve a certification - for example, according to ISO 9001 or IATF 16949. However, such a system is largely useless for the everyday work of the employees. The process descriptions, procedures and work instructions maintained centrally are too far away from reality and the information is often outdated and too superficial. The solution: a management system basd on wiki technology that does justice its name. 

 

Let's start with the theory: what is a wiki? 

In simple terms, a wiki is a website whose visitors can both read and edit the content. In a wiki-based management system, all employees collect their knowledge and continuously update it with new experiences. This can be done directly via a web browser - just as we know it from the web encyclopedia Wikipedia. 

Suitable corporate wikis are characterized by

• intuitive handling 
• an individual rights management
• a configurable release workflow
• secure document management
• automatic revision of all wiki pages and document
• comprehensive task and action management
• an integrated workflow engine
• a full text search of all content and attached documents
• access control through the central directory service, e.g. active directory 

 

The advantages: Why are wikis so well suited as a basis for management systems?

1. Use collective konwledge: The knowledge of individual employees becomes shared treasure trove of experience. 

There is valuable knowledge in the heads of your employees. With a wiki-based management system, you can make it available to the entire company! This is because knowledge carriers create process descriptions, work instructions, etc. independently and optimize the content collaboratively. 

Of course, the fact that every team member can (and should) make changes to the wiki also entails risks. Is the new information reliable? A configurable release workflow ensures the correctness of content and form.

 

2. Work more efficiently: The maintenance effort becomes smaller, the effect greater.

One of the great advantages of wikis: All new decisions and experiences can be added quickly and easily via the web browser. Just like the collaborative approach, this leads to a particularly low-maintenance management system, since the documentation is distributed across all shoulders. At the same time, the highly dynamic nature of the system, as well as the relevant information within it, creates an incentive for employees to engage with the documentation on a recurring basis.

 

3. Implement best practices: The management system always stays up to date.

Here, the intuitive handling of the wiki scores points as well. Since the effort required to make changes to the documentation is minimal, your employees are more motivated to contribute new knowledge directly. In this way, the management system becomes a constantly up-to-date reflection of your best practices - and thus a valuable source of information in everyday work.

 

4. Centralize knowledge: Search and consultation times are reduced.

In the wiki-based management system, every employee receives all the information, templates, help and links to other IT systems that they need for their daily work. This turns the management system into your company's central cheat sheet, so to speak. This saves valuable time for searching for information and for questions.

 

5. Encourage process thinking: All employees work together across teams.

Users navigate to the desired processes, tasks and information in the management system by using a central process landscape. It is important to name the processes on it according to the activities behind them - not according to the individual departments of the company. This promotes process thinking among your employees, as the overall process across departments is brought into focus.

 

6. Sustainable and participative leadership: Turning those affected into those involved.

A corporate wiki is an excellent tool for sustainable and participative leadership. Because each team member can have an impact on the wiki - and those who help to shape the rules and regulations in the company also identify with them. The result: satisfied employees and a high level of process loyalty.

 

Sharing knowledge, exchanging experiences

Wiki technology increases both process efficiency and the number of people accessing your management system. The participation of all employees is the key to a living management system that evolves. The socio-technical loop ensures that errors and weaknesses are identified and eliminated quickly. The result is a high-quality information, management and work portal for the entire company.