Atlassian’s Confluence revolutionizes how teams collaborate in the digital age. It’s the perfect tool to manage granular reporting, track requirements and host a self-service desk. With impressive collaborative editing features and templates, along with a Data Center option for large enterprises, it’s clear why Confluence is a choice product.
However, even though Confluence is a powerful tool, it can’t be unleashed to its fullest potential unless everyone implements the best practices and is on the same page (yes, the pun was intended). Otherwise, it is far too easy to create a Confluence which is cluttered with unnecessary pages and is difficult to navigate.
When adopting Confluence, it’s useful to present the following 12 Commandments of Confluence to your team so they can strive to work in harmony with the tool:
1. Thou shalt create links. Unlike a Word document, your wiki should be dynamic and content intertwined. By adding links to relevant content, it will allow the reader to navigate through the wiki content.
2. Thou shalt use labels. Add labels to pages or blog posts to facilitate the search and classification of the content.
3. Thou shalt use page templates. Page templates bring structure to the page, making it easier on the eyes when reading.
4. Thou shalt correct mistakes. If you find a mistake when reading a page, correct it! It will only take you a minute and will keep your Confluence clean.
5. Thou shalt add / update content. Update pages whenever you have additional information – even if you are not 100% sure. You can tag other people on your team to verify and potentially make corrections.
6. Thou shalt subscribe to pages. If you are interested in a particular subject, subscribe to the corresponding content in order to be kept updated. You can do this by clicking on the “eye” at the top of the page or by using the “w” short cut.
7. Thou shalt not leave a page empty. What’s the point of having a knowledge base if there’s nothing to learn on the pages? Always put some content on a page, which will assist your contributors with the structure and won’t leave your readers disappointed.
8. Thou shalt not limit access. When possible, allow access to the different spaces. After all, your wiki is a tool for sharing content.
9. Thou shalt not create large pages. Too much information on one page makes it difficult for the reader to absorb all the content. Do not hesitate to divide your content across several pages if needed.
10.Thou shalt never rename attachments. If you have modified the content of an attachment, reattach it with its original name. This avoids your Confluence being cluttered with too many unnecessary files.
11. Thou shalt put structure above the layout. The most important element of any wiki is how the content is structured – if you don’t grasp this basic point, it doesn’t matter how it looks.
12. Thou shalt not be shy. Confluence is all about sharing, so speak up! Give your opinion on the content by leaving comments on pages. This can be done either at the end of the page or through in-line comments. Don’t forget to tag the relevant people!
Need help putting it into practice?
You have the rules to abide by, but are you able to put them into practice? At Valiantys we have several trainings which will boost your Confluence know-how, ranging from user to administration training. Check out our training catalog and find the right fit for your team!
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