Wikis & Project Management Tools in Legal Services November2, 2007

Wikis & Project Management Tools in Legal Services

November2, 2007www.lsntap.org.coll105

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Legal Services NTAP www.lsntap.org

Overview of Session

Part 1: Wiki Wiki Wiki What is a Wiki Examples in Action Wikis & Statewide Websites Options for Wikis (We’ll review after we talk

about Project Management)

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Overview of Session

Part 2: Online Project Management Tools

What are online Project Management Tools?

Examples in Use in Poverty Law Wikis versus Project Management Tools Options for Project Management Tools

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What is a Wiki?

…a web site that is created and edited collaboratively

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What is a Wiki?

Users can change, delete, update, and build on the thoughts and ideas of others.

Although it is web-based no coding or “technical” knowledge is required.

Analogy: a word-processor used collaboratively, acts as a dynamic repository, retains revisions and allows discussion.

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What is the difference between a wiki and a blog?

Same technology..different application. Blog posts are most often individual

effort...that allow feedback from readers.

Wikis generally begin as collaborations promoting multiple authors.

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Wikis in the Poverty Law Setting

Examples in actionPraise for the wikisWikis and Statewide websites

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Arkansas Legal Services

The Problem The pro bono organizations mailed to every pro bono

attorney a huge binder of a printed version of the poverty law manual ( a manual w/ 10 sections pretty much following the major categories we deal with nationally such as Landlord/Tenant and Family law....)

Cost for mailing and printing was enormous, plus it got out of date pretty quickly since it was focused on the advocate providing a lot of case law.

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Interim Solution

The manual was then converted to PDF and put on the website. But PDF is bulky and takes a while to load ...

Additionally, the website coordinator could not continue to keep it updated – ‘just too much in addition to my other jobs..’

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The Solution

A wiki limited to the pro bono and legal services community that the community will edit and update.

https://povertylawmanual.wikispaces.com/

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Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania

The Problem Telephone Intake manual and Staff

manual required constant changes to a printed manual.

Everyone throughout the program had different versions, depending on which updates they had actually kept.

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The Solution “I checked out the NTAP info on wikis,

and was drawn by the claim that creating a wiki could be as easy as making a peanut butter sandwich. I figured I’d see if that was true, and it was.”

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Now a Wiki with: Organizational information Help Line Manual Staff Directory Substantive Law resources Other Resources

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Michigan Reentry Law Wiki

The Problem A printed manual that needed updating

and additional information, cost of printing and mailing.

Do you see a theme….?

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The solutionAn extensive wiki of reentry law resources

http://reentry.mplp.org/reentry/index.php/Main_Page

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The Result Extensive content, links to other

websites, documents uploaded.

20 editors, an editor training…3 contributors.

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More Examples

http://www.lsntap.org/wiki/Wikis_in_Action

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Why Use Wikis?

Online information that changes quickly Drafts and manuals that will remain

online Collaborative spaces that organize

content how you want it -- across projects

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Using Wikis for…

Technology manuals and policies Support manuals and policies Meeting agendas and minutes Conference planning

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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

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Wiki Praises

The online aspect of manuals in an easily updatable format is worth it (even without multiple contributors).

Wiki “admin” praise the fact that it is easy to use without technical know-how.

With email volume constantly increasing a wiki provides an alternative to cluttered inboxes.

Keeps a history of revisions.

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Wiki Challenges

Create habit change A blank page does not inspire

collaboration Advanced functionality requires

advanced technical support Invitation to chaos or draft online is

difficult for some

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Part 2:Project Management Tools

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Project Management Tools

Centralized online system to:– Plan– Schedule and record milestones– Construct “to do” lists– Assign tasks to staff– Track time spent on tasks within a project– Share working drafts of documents, and– Leave messages to everyone working on a

project.

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Why Project Management Tools

You work on projects more than you realize.– With courts on self-help initiatives– With social service agencies on outreach projects– With other offices on hotline development– With state entities on various task forces– With staff or website committees– On statewide or regional conferences– With administrators on implementing some new

procedure or technology...and more.

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We all use Case Management Systems for

cases, so…

While we have technology systems that help us receive and track cases, few programs use systems that help staff manage and coordinate on projects or collaborative efforts. Instead, most of us rely on ad hoc management systems and email.

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Project Management in Action: PTLA

Pine Tree Legal Assistance wanted Gwen Daniels’ help in developing an online intake form for their Volunteer Lawyers Project.

They used PM tools to organize their goals, milestones, and drafts. They assigned tasks to all persons and tracked them online.

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Project Management in Action: NTAP

Problem: 7 staff and contractors, 6 LSC funded grants with specific milestones, 157 emails a day in my inbox, 1 aging brain.

Solution: Project Management (PM) software helped us: assign tasks and deadlines, brainstorm ideas across timezones, reduce email clutter, and have one central repository for all files and thoughts about a project.

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Project Management in Action: NTAP

Example: Cyber Piracy project

Becky is responsible for creating training materials. Gabe is responsible for finalizing Cyber Piracy research -- the raw data of which is in various versions. Pro bono lawyers are responsible for creating drafts of trademark material. Eva needs to review them.

PM tools help us organize this effort. What’s better? We receive notice via email of all uploads, revisions, drafts, or messages.

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Example in Action:ILAO’s Project Server

The Problem: We needed a way to manage internal software development projects that use staff and outside developers

The Solution: Set up a project server instance that allows us to create tasks for each phase of development and link those tasks together, assign and allocate resources, manage costs

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Project Management Praises

Organizes all aspects of a project -- people, deadlines, drafts, documents, chats in one place

Easy easy easy to use Easily sends notices via email Sophisticated functionality easy to

access

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Project Management Tools

Stand-alone tools – Microsoft Project Server– Basecamp – Zoho Project Management

Tools integrated with wiki spaces– Central Desktop– Soon: Google’s Tool

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Microsoft Project Server

Web-based tools, built on top of SharePoint and Microsoft Project

Server license is $60 through TechSoup Requires client licenses Requires Microsoft Project 2007 to edit

the project plan

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Basecamp

Web based Free version for one project with no file

upload Monthly subscriptions for multiple

projects with file uploads

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More Options

http://www.lsntap.org/PM_SoftwareOptions

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When To Use Each

Wikis and PM tools together can create a complete collaborative project management system

A Wiki can provide a quick collaboration space for updatable notes, status reporting, and documentation.

PM tools often can provide centralized document management for documents that don’t lend themselves to wikis.

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Options for Wikis

You can outsource the hosting or get the software and host it on your server.

Which way should you go? Depends on:– How much technical expertise you have?– How much control over security you want?– How fast you want access?– How much technical support you have available?

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Wiki Options for Ease

Wikispaces PB Wiki MediaWiki CentralDesktop Zoho Wiki Google JotSpot

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Resources

Training Material: www.lsntap.org/coll105

Wikis: http://www.lsntap.org/bookshelf?tid=10

Project Management:

http://www.lsntap.org/bookshelf?tid=179

Documents

Wikis & Project Management Tools in Legal Services November2, 2007