The library ITS team here at University of Toronto also uses Confluence
and Jira (about 2 years now). Itıs not an overstatement to say that it has
absolutely changed the way we work and operate as a department. We started
using the products exclusively in ITS, but within the last 8-12 months we
have started rolling out to other library departments, groups, committees,
etc. This has greatly enhanced communication and collaboration between and
within departments, and allowed for library-wide assessment opportunities.
Iıd be happy to speak more with anyone who is interested in our experience
with these tools.
Lisa Gayhart | User Experience Librarian | University of Toronto Libraries
| Information Technology Services | [log in to unmask] 416-946-0959
On 2015-04-09, 3:32 PM, "Gary Thompson" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>The Digital Initiatives and IT (DIIT) department at the UCLA Library
>transformed the way we work over the last 6 years after implementing
>Confluence. We've got two teams of developers (3 focused on the Digital
>Library, 6 on everything else), a team of 4 Digital Library project
>managers, and an operations staff of 18,; we all rely on the wiki. It
>has proved essential after a couple of recent staff departures.
>
>Confluence supports the basic wiki model of linked and tagged documents,
>but allows people who like to hierarchy to organize content in a tree.
>We make heavy use of the /metadata-list/ macro to format the structure,
>and generate views or lists of content (e.g., lists of serves, vendors,
>projects, etc) controlled by labels (i.e., tags) using the
>/metadata-report/ macro. We use tagging to indicate project status
>(definition, planning, execution), type of content (server-logs,
>specifications), or technology (voyager, drupal).
>
>We're running our own service; Atlassian on-demand was not an option
>when we started. If we weren't using local LDAP authentication, we might
>consider migrating to a hosted service. I suspect that we will
>eventually move to hosted Confluence, but it's not currently a priority.
>
>The wiki became so integral to the way we work that we decided to
>replace our old ticketing system (FootPrints) with Jira to take
>advantage of the integration.
>
>Our DIIT implementation was so successful that other Library departments
>and locations are starting to use it, some in very sophisticated ways.
>For example, a cross-department digitization team uses it to accept
>requests, prioritize the work, and track progress.
>
>I would be happy to show anyone who is interested how we use it. A
>colleague and I considered writing a Code4Lib Journal article on our
>project management methodology, but that article didn't get focus. This
>question -- and my answer -- may motivate me to get it done.
>
>Cheers,
>
>/--
>-- Gary Thompson
>-- Head of Software Development & Project Management
>-- Digital Initiatives & Information Technology
>-- UCLA Library
>-- 390 Powell
>-- voice: 310.206.5652
>--/
>
>
>
>On 4/9/2015 11:40 AM, Scott Williams wrote:
>> Apologizes for cross-posting
>> ###
>>
>> Hi all --
>>
>> We are investigating several software platforms for creating and
>>managing
>> internal documentation and wanted to see what experiences others have
>>had
>> with these packages.
>>
>> We are evaluating
>> * MadCap Flare
>> * Adobe RoboHelp
>> * Confluence
>>
>> Our initial goals for these systems are to replace or augment our
>>existing
>> documentation strategy, which is a mix of private Google sites,
>>SharePoint
>> and Word docs. We are starting with our IT department but hope to
>>include
>> other user groups over time.
>>
>> Things we like:
>> * SVN control with MapCap and RoboHelp. However, we have run into
>>problems
>> with both of their implementations
>> * Write once publish everywhere functionality
>> * HTML5 support with WebHelp Plus
>> * Context aware searching
>> * Easily export and share documentation externally (PDF)
>> * Consistent theming and styling across all the documentation
>> * User/group security management for hiding more sysadmin documentation
>>
>> Things we don't like
>> * Windows only (MadCap and RoboHelp)
>> * WebHelp requires IIS (?)
>> * Limited functionality with the hosted version of Confluence
>>
>>
>> What are people using to manage their internal
>> systems/architecture/application documentation? Are there other
>>products we
>> should be considering?
>>
>> Many thanks,
>> Scott
>>
>> ----
>> Scott Williams
>> Data & Database Administrator
>> Yale University Art Gallery
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