While outlining Fellowstream’s “min spec” (i.e. the most barebones version of Fellowstream we were willing to create for launch), we asked a lot of people who have worked on teams what they want most in a project management tool.  Features like calendars showed up, which fit our expectations, but almost just as often, people asked for wikis.

Wikis might not seem like an integral feature of a project management tool.  In fact, most online tools treat wikis as a completely separate space aside from project management.  The logic goes -Project managers are the heart of the project.  Their job is to set the min spec, dole out tasks, and wait for the work to get done.

Anything wrong with this picture?

As much as we covet phrases like “busy as a bee,” projects are not generally executed by mindless drones.  These people aren’t just getting their tasks done, they’re thinking about what they’re doing.  They have ideas about how to make their job easier as well as how to drive forward the team’s strategy.  They brainstorm and improve processes.  They teach each other, and mentor the new additions to the team.

On the flip side, projects are not generally led by ruthless leaders on a pedestal.  The product designers, charity run organizers, software developers, and student body presidents we know are managing people to get work done.  They not only gather knowledge from the team to motivate and give them a sense of ownership of the project, but they also want the best idea to rise to the top.  And as egotistical as we can all be sometimes, there are very few of us that can think of all possible outcomes every single time we are presented with a problem.

Projects aren’t just a series of tasks…it’s a series of decisions to execute tasks, based on the collective knowledge of the team.  This knowledge, if it resides only in the minds of the individual, will not get transferred, and the project will suffer because of it.

And that’s why Fellowstream is going to have project specific wikis.

As mentioned, though, this is just our “min spec” stab at Fellowstream.  There are as many knowledge management tools out there as there are project managers, so we’re interested in learning about new tools.  Feel free to comment on any you enjoy or send me a line at deborah AT avalonlabs DOT net.

I’m looking for a few goods ideas, as much as the next project manager.

-Deborah Fike

Share and Enjoy