In the first part of this collaboration guide I was highlighting the first steps for an administrator to make the system usable for common users. Now I want to say some words about the first steps for common users.

2. Basic Principles

2.1 Teams

Every team represents a group of people with the same rights. What teams are standing for, I've described in part one.  

So if you are for example a member of the "Marketing" team and need a kind of sub-group to show results to other people, you'll have to create some more teams like "Interop Las Vegas 2008". To create a new team, you'll currently have to ask your administrator.

But every user can add and remove team members from a team. To do so, go to the team section. On the left side, select your team. Now your teams name is the headline of your page. There you'll see on the upper right side 2 buttons, labeled with "members" and "edit". Hit the "members" button and the "Change Membership" form appears. On the left side are the members of the current team, on the right side are all possibles members left. (Note: if the right side is empty, all possible members are already team members. To add generally new members, ask the administrator) just click in the right side peoples "add member"-link to shift them to the left team side. To remove member from the team, click in the left side peoples "remove member"-link to shift them to the right side with non-members.
Doing the last, you not delete this members, you just exclude them from the current team.

2.2 Files

Mindquarry has a powerful file version control server. For those with more technical interest, the system is based on the Open Source product "subversion". What is the idea behind this technology?

All team members should use the same files and documents with the same file directory tree. And all team members should use always up-to-date files and documents. To do so, the whole teams file directory tree with all files and documents is copied to each user's laptop or desktop computer. The file server is the golden copy and archive.
Who already worked with subversion knows, that this is not the traditional copy procedure. There are more than 20 commands with lots of options each. Basically the subversion server acts like your public library: First the documents have to be registered. Then you "borrow" the document and you "give it back". (Fortunately, the library has enough copies for all readers) If you modified the document, the library treats the modified as the new valid document and keep the previous version for history views.

A very powerful and reliable archive. To keep it simple, we developed a "library broker", a servant for you: The Mindquarry desktop client. He's on your local drive doing all that command stuff for you by one single command: "synchronize".

2.3 How to synchronize?

To synchronize, you have to download the desktop client. Don't worry, it's a smart client, easy to install and easy to remove as well. ("no-footprint-client") To load it down, you have in the file section the big button "synchronize" which will start the download and after the download it starts the desktop client.  (Hint: Mac users should download the special mac version) . The installation is easy. You just have to write the local path for you teams main directory, like c:/documents/Marketingteam. After you did so, you can start to create a file directory tree below that directory and add the first files. With your first sync (open the desktop client and hit the button sync) you install a copy of your local file directory "Marketingteam" on the Mindquarry server. Now everyone else from your team can sync and gets the files from your Server.

Every time you change a document or a file you should synchronize your laptop with the team server (or at least once a day). Now the file or document on the server is updated, and the previous file or document is archived. That's why you are able to see all the past versions in your time line at the file section.

But if you don't change the files but others do so?

Every time you synchronize your laptop with the team server, the server checks out the modification date of the files on the server and your local stored files. If there are modified (and therefore newer) files on the server, the server will download them to your laptop. Therefore you can trust to have alway up-to-date and valid documents and files on your working computer after a synchronization. We recommend to synchronize daily, even when you did not change any file.

What happens if 2 people change the same file?

Your desktop client which is used to do the synchronization shows you a conflict message. In that case I recommend not to synchronize. First take a close look to both versions and decide, which you want to keep:

• if the server version is better, just erase your local file
• if your local version is better, just synchronize and your local version overwrites the server version.

2.4 Knowledge @ Wiki

A wiki is a comfortable way to collect and publish knowledge. It's just easy for every team member to contribute his ideas since that Wiki is very easy to use. (WYSIWYG) Recommended appliances for Wiki's are:

• Gather Ideas for new product features, for events or for your maintenance process
• Publish common conventions and glossaries like name convention for programmers, step-by-step guides for installations or other reference works
• Create user driven documentation by contributions of every team member

To use the wiki just go and try it out. Just some basic important hints:

• To start writing hit the edit-button or double click the Wiki text.
• Create new pages by linking to them from your current page. Mark a word or phrase and use the icon with the red link symbol (a finger is pointing to a red text line) to make that to a link to that new page. Now save and click the new link which brings you to the new and empty Wiki page.
• When you done your editing, don't forget to save! ;-)
  

2.5 Tasks

Tasks help you to get your daily workload sorted.  You can better keep track on your duties and it helps you not to forget to much things. It brings quality and reliability in your work results. Most of you will perhaps use tasks in Outlook or other programs.

Mindquarry tasks are simple to use. They just start with a title and a status. But you see below the label "fields" addition optional fields which can be activated just by clicking on it.  Try something, create an own task and one assigned to an other person. Add a due date. just try to find your own way of usage, use them.

Mindquarry tasks will be continuously improved and integrated into the other components and become an important role in the Mindquarry collaboration way.

 

So thats all for today. Stay tuned for the next part about the first steps for user.

Posted at 03:39PM Jul 16, 2007 (Permalink) by Stephan Voigt with tags 2.0 collaboration firststeps howto mindquarry  |  Share This Link