Many of us consider Web Technology as the biggest advancement in Innovation. Collaborative effort is encouraged by use of Web Application tools like Email, Forum, Blog and Wiki.
In our company we have support solutions/articles on Forum, Emails and Network Folders. Lately it was becoming more and more difficult to manage information due to the fact that data was located at multiple locations and the most updated copy of data was difficult to find. We needed a centralized location where the accessibility and availability of information/documents was quick, easy and up-to-date.
As a Knowledge Manager, I concluded Wiki was the most logical and technologically feasible solution for an organization of our size.
Forum
You can post questions and you get responses. People come to a forum to communicate, exchange thoughts, etc. However it is not a true form of Knowledge Repository. You would have to search through multiple forum threads to find the answer you are looking for.
Emails
They are not reliable due to the fact that 1) you would always have multiple emails 2) finding the last updated information through the email is not always easy
Network Shared Folders
We have Multiple Copies of the documents on the Network. It’s difficult to determine which one is accurate. Many folders are not backed up daily.
Wiki
- Wiki offers a collaborative environment to maintain data.
- A controlled environment can be set-up to provide group based read and edit rights.
- Wiki is easy to learn and manage.
- The Wiki software keeps track of every edit made and it’s a simple process to revert back to a previous version of an article.
- Wiki can allow a user defined structure of data management
I tested various Wiki softwares and websites including:
- MediaWiki
- DokuWiki
- Wikispaces
MediaWiki (Official supporter of the Wikipedia Project) came out as the best available Open Source Wiki software. We quickly drew our task force members to lay down policies to:
- Define Wiki Advantages over other mediums of communication
- Define Wiki policy to be a single source of information and slowly transition on submerging the Forum.
- Defining policy on keeping the Wiki constantly updated.
After proper implementation of the policies:
- We now have 5 Wiki instances (4 out of 5 use MediaWiki).
- There is a controlled environment set to edit Wiki; thus maintaining appropriate quality of data
- The most current information is available on Wiki
- We are now integrating “Video” uploads on the Wiki allowing employees to upload videos on various services we provide.
This time of the year I tend to rethink all that I have accomplished through out the year.
2007:
Personal Life:
- Got married!!
- Expanded my field of study from Technology to Health Care with IT.
- My rock collection/study (Petrology) is progressing.
- Extended my lifestyle as a Jain follower.
- Organized all our important documents online for real time access.
Work:
- Successfully coordinated the $28,000 valued CCHIT certification effort for the company product.
- Improvised the company intranet website — HELPDESK — allowing internal communication improvement.
- Formulated appropriate communication policies within the company for directing the employee efforts in the right direction.
- Transformed from being a Knowledge Research Specialist to being a Knowledge Manager.
We (myself and Avni) wish you a Merry Christmas and hope your holidays are filled with joy and happiness.
My Contact Information:
Email: nainil@eliteral.com
Orkut: nainil@gmail.com
IM: nainil@hotmail.com
Christmas is that time of the year where wants to contribute towards a better life. Every year there are hundreds of organizations that touch the lives of everyone in some way or the other. Getting outside and connecting with nature is the perfect way to celebrate the beauty of the season. The organizations which have brought commitment, compassion and have touched my life this year include:
- Carbon Footprint: http://www.carbonfootprint.com
A Carbon Footprint is a measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide. (carbon footprint calculator)
- Earth 911: http://earth911.org
Through the Earth911.com environmental portal users can access the leading comprehensive resource for community-specific “actionable” information about: Recycling Centers;
Green Shopping; How to Live Green; Energy Conservation; Beach Water Quality and Alerting; Household Hazardous Waste; Programs for Children; Environmental Education. (videos)
- CNN Impact your World: http://www.cnn.com/impact
- Doctors Without Borders: http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an independent international medical humanitarian organization that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural or man-made disasters, or exclusion from health care in more than 70 countries.
- Make-A-Wish: http://www.wish.org/
The Make-A-Wish Foundation has enriched the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions through its wish-granting work.
- One Laptop Per Child: http://laptop.org/
Please note: I have the utmost respect for all other organizations that have touched millions of lives and have not been mentioned in this blog.
My first encounter with materialistic world came into actual realization when I first had to shift apartments from Philadelphia to Boston. I realized that I had almost 30% of house inventory which I had never used or was not going to use in the future. Since then I decided to balance my needs and wants which my factual needs and wants.
This Christmas myself and my wife we both decided to give each other a gift. We decided to:
- Organize our Documents with online access control.
- Remove all unused items for charitable donation or recycling.
- Scan all our Health Records and upload it on Microsoft HealthVault
Online Documents: We have scanned all of our most important documents and have uploaded them on a dedicated VPS server with dual backup facility for real time accessibility of data. We are now able to organize our documents online without the fear of loosing them for the rest of our lives.
Charitable Event: We donate our unwanted clothes at the local Walmart’s Cloths Donation boxes. Any other unused item goes to “Salvation Army” or any such projects available locally.
HealthVault: Microsoft HealthVault is personal health technology platform that lets you gather, store and share health information online. With HealthVault, users control their own health records, so they can privately share their health information with family, friends and healthcare professionals, and have access to trustworthy online health management tools.
We spent a total of 2 weekends to take care of the above mentioned tasks. By doing this exercise:
- Time is saved (as we lead a more organized life).
- We have a clear understanding of our needs and wants.
- We are now looking at the bigger picture of being a united family with a sense of responsibility towards the world we live in.
- We are able to find anything we need without searching for it.
- We have secure Health Records; accessible from any where around the world.
- We embrace technology to make our lives simpler.
I have always believed in optimizing time and work effort to lead a balanced life.
Todd D. Rakoff is Byrne Professor of Administrative Law, Harvard University. His book “A Time for Every Purpose - Law and the Balance of Life” explains the various laws which govern our effective use of time and it explains that the structure of our time for organized efforts is gradually changing.
Here is my work schedule:
- 6.30 AM : E-mail
- 7.00 AM : Write project plan for a process optimization project.
- 8.00 AM : Read news, blogs and watch videos on Health Care; Technology and Government matters.
- 9.00 AM - 6.00 PM :
- Every day I attend 2 meetings (at least) and define rules for process definition and improvement.
- I am a developer by heart; I spend an hour coding for our “HelpDesk” using open source (PHP and MySQL). The HelpDesk is a central source for all our internal communication needs.
- Write and send enterprise e-mail about our monthly Network Maintenance updates; Email Policies; Latest updates on Health Care; Introduction of new projects.
- Attend communications-project steering committee meeting
- Define pricing for customized development items and lay down a road map for timely completion of the projects
- Define knowledge transfer rules for an employee
- Meet with senior vice president of sales to discuss plans for: Website updates; New ideas on marketing
- 7.00 PM : E-mail
- 8.00 PM : Dinner with family
- 9.00 PM : Update Blog; Write research paper [on Governing Dynamics of Internet (Health Care IT)]
- 10.00 PM : Study Jainism and geological sediments (rock formation)
I am often asked the reason why I am consulted more than my seniors for any advice in Health Care or IT Services. It is not always the expertise which I possess allow me to provide consultation services; it is my nature of sharing knowledge and educating everyone with updated information on the industry.
Sharing knowledge has allowed for an improvised team effort in our organization. We follow a value added approach rather than a incremental approach in knowledge management. We have a meeting every week to discuss the current processes which are followed by individual departments. We have a steering committee to find gaps amongst these departments and the goal of the steering committee is to monitor these gaps. Once a gap is identified the gap is documented and assigned to the team involved in “Gap Addressing”. After the gap is addressed it is appropriately communicated to the various team managers in the organization, who intern communicate it to their team.
In this fashion, all team managers are aware of any updates in any processes for other departments they interact with. We have a document management system (developed in house known as “HelpDesk”) which allows easy navigation to the meeting minutes and process documents. We send periodic newsletters to our company members - updating them on any new process development or any new projects in hand.
We are developing a process to keep a track of any new project that is undertaken by a member of the company. Currently each department is responsible to keep a record of the projects their team members are involved in.
We are seeing that the Communication Process is making use of the most optimum resources in terms of both member skills and in terms of technology to keep everyone up-to-date. This brings in a sense of “Thought Leadership” amongst the teams and improvises quality of work.
Recently I began testing Live Chat options for our company’s Support Portal.
There are five important features that one should look for in a Live Chat option:
- Fast Response time (no server delays)
- Departmental Transfers
- Multiple simultaneous client sessions
- Transcript via E-mail
- Push URLs to the Client
It is not always easy to formulate policies on what can or cannot be addressed in a Support Live Chat. A support chat session could either be motivated towards:
- Training
- Support
- Sales Demo
The Live Chat functionality is offered in:
- Hosted Environment
- Download and Install on your own Server
There are two important features which are not always available in a Live Chat environment:
- Remote Desktop Connectivity
- Voice over IP functionality
Due to limitations of technology it is not always easy to have intensive level three support sessions via the Live Chat. It is required for management to understand the importance of “Bounce Rate”. Bounce Rate is defined as “The percentage of web site visitors who arrive at a web site entry page, then leave without going any deeper into the site”.
Live Chat Products which I have tested:
- PHP Live Chat from OSICodes
- Live Respone from Kayako
- HumanClick from LivePerson
Live Chat can help in retaining web visitors and allowing them to observer in a semi-forced nature the various possibilities of your product. The good news about Live Chat is that is has been around the market for quite some time and there are many products available to serve the needs of a growing organization. Let us see what the industry has to offer to the Live Chat 2.0 in the near future.
Every week (5 business days) I attend 9 meetings (approx.); which accounts to 110 meetings a month or 1320 meetings a year. Every meeting I go one of the most frequently occurring question I have encountered is “How often should we have these meetings for a particular topic or subject?”.
Meeting has two aspects:
* Regular Updates and Progress
* Momentum
While a topic is fresh and needs more attention and if the project needs to be sustained I believe the frequency of the meetings should be weekly. Eventually once the project is brought to a level of stabilization, the meeting frequency may be changed to “Bi-weekly or Monthly”.
A meeting is worthy if:
* The meeting starts and ends at an appropriate time.
* The agenda of the meeting is met
* There are some action items which need to be followed upon until the next meeting.
Nainil Chheda,MS is the Knowledge Research Specialist at eClinicalWorks LLC, Member of ASTM, AMIA, AIIM, PDF/H, EHRVA, HITSP, AIS and ACM, and a practicing researcher on Healthcare Informatics.
