COLL105: Using Wikis and Online Project Management Tools in Poverty Law

1. COLL105: Using Wikis and Online Project Management Tools in Poverty Law September 12, 2008

2. Today’s Presenter • Jeff Narabrook, NTAP Training Coordinator

3. Agenda • Wikis • Introduction • Wikis and Their Uses in Poverty Law • Options and Costs • Project Management Software • Introduction • Project Management in Poverty Law • Options and Costs • Successful Implementation Strategies

4. Introduction: what is a wiki? • A website • Is easily edited by multiple users • Provides a logical and highly navigable platform for storing and retrieving information • A cost-effective, paper-free tool

5. Pre-Training Wiki

6. Traditional Website

7. Wiki Innovation

8. Wikipedia (MediaWiki)

9. Wikis within the Electronic Pantheon • Wikis and Word Processers • Wikis provide more flexibility to change and work with earlier version • Wikis and Traditional Websites • Wikis edit more easily and were built to prioritize information organization

10. Wikis within the Electronic Pantheon • Wikis and Blogs • Wiki content creation is shared, rather than a single author, reader response dynamic • Wikis and Email and Listserve • Wiki captures knowledge and archives it in an environment optimized for easy retrieval by multiple users

11. Wiki Disadvantages • Depends on widespread user adoption • Can be intimidating for new users • Can be difficult to integrate with other common office software • Can require steep initial time input • Advanced functionality sometimes requires advanced technical support

12. Agenda • Wikis • Introduction • Wikis and Their Uses in Poverty Law • Options and Costs • Project Management Software • Introduction • Project Management in Poverty Law • Options and Costs • Successful Implementation Strategies

13. Why Use Wikis in Legal Aid? • Cost-effective • Need for Collaboration • Data Organization and Efficiency

14. Wiki Uses In Poverty Law Community

15. Wiki as Intranet • NTAP • Georgia Legal Services Program • Legal Aid of Southeastern PA • Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota

16. Intranet

17. Wiki as Intake Tool • Neighborhood Legal Services (MA)

18. Wiki as Training Document Repository • Shriver New Legal Aid Attorney Wiki http://povertylaw.pbwiki.com/ • Dozens of intranet wikis focus on the distribution of manuals

19. Example of Manual

20. Wiki as Community Knowledge Share • Massachusetts Post Foreclosure Wiki • Georgia Legal Services Program Food Stamp Fraud Advocacy Wiki • Michigan Reentry Law Wiki http://reentry.mplp.org/reentry/index.php/Main_Page • FEMA Answers Wiki http://femaanswers.org/index.php/Main_Page • Elder Law https://mwiki.mplp.org/erc/index.php/Main_Page

21. Wiki as Event Planner • Make lists • Assign tasks • Brainstorm • Set deadlines

22. Wikis and Statewide Websites • Consider wiki use in conjunction (not duplication) of a statewide website. • Wikis may be appropriate for large (manual) content not easily placed on a statewide website • Wikis may be used to develop content for a statewide website • May be used for taskforces or working groups

23. Wiki Access Models Writer1 Writer1 Writer2 Reader Reader Reader Reader Reader Reader Reader Reader Reader Reader Reader

24. Wiki Models: Permission-Based Closed Reader Reader Reader Reader Reader Reader Reader Reader Reader Reader Reader

25. Agenda • Wikis • Introduction • Wikis and Their Uses in Poverty Law • Options and Costs • Project Management Software • Introduction • Project Management in Poverty Law • Options and Costs • Successful Implementation Strategies

26. Options for Wikis • Visit http://www.wikimatrix.org/ • You can pay for hosting or host it on your own server depending on the software • Which way should you go? Depends on: • Technical expertise and available technical support • Privacy controls your program needs

27. Popular Wiki Options Proprietary • Wikispaces • $5/mo for unlimited users/pages and 2 GB file storage • PB Wiki • Price negotiable;, depends on number of users typically 20% nonprofit discount Free For Nonprofits • Google Sites (will go over in next segment) Free and Open Source • MediaWiki

28. Wiki Security • Open-source, self-hosted wikis can be made private, but may require more advanced technical knowledge • Proprietary wikis typically provide sufficient security and privacy for your data; many will allow you to perform your own backups

29. Agenda • Wikis • Introduction • Wikis and Their Uses in Poverty Law • Options and Costs • Project Management Software • Introduction • Project Management in Poverty Law • Options and Costs • Successful Implementation Strategies

30. The Many Faces of Project Management Tools… • Broad umbrella of functionality • Depends on types of features your program requires for its projects

31. Common PM Tool Functions • Schedule • Record milestones • Construct to-do lists • Assign tasks to staff • Track time spent on tasks within a project • Share working drafts of documents • Message project members

32. Project Management Advantages • Organizes all aspects of a project -- people, deadlines, drafts, documents, chats in one place • Can integrate with other software and programs, including email • Sophisticated functionality easy to access

33. Agenda • Wikis • Introduction • Wikis and Their Uses in Poverty Law • Options and Costs • Project Management Software • Introduction • Project Management in Poverty Law • Options and Costs • Successful Implementation Strategies

34. Project Management Tools • Free for Nonprofits • Google Sites (Google Apps component) • Proprietary • Microsoft SharePoint • Central Desktop • Basecamp

35. Google Sites • Wiki-intranet • Project management • Traditional web content • Demos: http://www.google.com/sites/overview.html

36. Microsoft SharePoint Server • Intranet generator • Document sharing • Can create wikis and other intranet sites • Integrates with Microsoft Project and rest of Office Suite; MS Project handles time tracking and project supervision functions • Software and licenses available on TechSoup

37. Central Desktop • Montana Legal Services Association

38. How Does MLSA Use Central Desktop? • Currently, MLSA tracks work and projects like: • Administrative Tasks – Track due dates for all administrative tasks, including grant deadlines, invoicing, etc., develop joint agenda for administrative team meetings • Management Team Agenda meeting and task lists, post confidential documents • Board of Trustees Meetings – Track all tasks associated with organizing and setting up meetings

39. MLSA also uses to track…… • MLSA Community Outreach Project – Coordinated outreach including mailings and materials regularly sent out to multiple lists – can keep the address lists, tasks, etc. all here • Helpline Wiki – Wiki with information for Intake Workers, Advice Paralegals and Casehandlers handling Helpline calls.

40. And…….. • Self-Help Law Unit – MLSA staff in multiple offices share spreadsheets and plan clinics (MLSA does not have a central WAN.) • AmeriCorps*Vista Project – Set list of tasks and resources for AmeriCorps*Vista Project – do same thing every 6 months, making it perfect for Central Desktop

41. And …. • Pro Se Forms Development Project – multiple employees creating, reviewing and automating multiple forms • Indian Wills Project – track work of reservation based student externs, and provide for knowledge transfer between AmeriCorps Attorneys

42. The Dashboard • First page a user sees when logging in to Central Desktop • Lists all of the user’s workspaces, overdue tasks, tasks due in next 10 days and recent activity in all of user’s workspaces –either as a list of most recent activity or grouped by workspace

46. MLSA Administrative Workspace • Used to track all administrative tasks, including: • Grant Report Due Dates • MLSA Annual Meeting Preparation • Financial Tasks • Technology Tasks • Also used to post and edit documents, such as Agenda for Weekly Admin meeting

50. Central Desktop Digest and E-mails • User receives daily digest showing tasks and workspace activity • User will also be e-mailed discussions and comments on tasks and documents. Can reply to e-mail and will be posted in central desktop, or can go in and enter reply.