We last left off with a brand spanking new LAMP server setup and configured, but without a purpose. The nice thing about the LAMP server is that it enables you to share information in so many ways. The concept of sharing knowledge has been fashionably labeled “knowledge management”. This sounds rather impressive, but the concept is rooted in the one lesson every child is supposed to take away from in Preschool: Sharing is caring. Why? Simply put, if you invest all your knowledge in one person you risk stranding that knowledge if, for whatever reason, that person is not available when it is most needed. The best example I can give is that you single home training to one tech on a specific router. There is no doubt (by the very laws of IT/IS) that the first day they are out sick that router will crash and you will have to have another tech work on it. If you had all that info and configuration work the first tech had on hand in notes you will at least have a fighting chance. If you have detailed documentation you’re even better off. The trick is consolidating and organizing that info into a place where anybody can get to it. This is what the following applications do the best. They take your knowledge and help you to virtualize it so it’s available 24/7 to the rest of the team. The results are instantaneous, never strand your knowledge again.

Do not limit knowledge virtualization to just your technical knowledge though. Consider it for project management as well. Again, you will be able to share your progress in real time, but even more important you will have all the info used for a specific project for back up reference and compliance auditing. Online project management will also foster better team collaboration and realtime progress tracking, as well as, ease of reporting. Once you try virtual project management I can gaurantee you will never want to go back to Microsoft Project or loose leaf paper.

Here are some of my favorite LAMP knowledge management applications (all of which are 100% free might I add):

• NetOffice DWINS – I live in NetOffice DWINS. There are several reasons. First, for simple outright project management there is no simpler program. Second, it works especially well for traditional, Scrum, and Agile project mangement styles; but you can adapt it to just about any phased or milestone based style. The format is loose and fosters customization of styles. I prefer the built-in six phase (concept, planning, development, testing, roll out, and maintenance) style. I will then define each task, build predecessors, and finally mark milestones. Neat things happen on there own from there in including automatic task assignment notification, automatic reporting, and GANT charts. Projects export right to CSV for formating into an Excel spreadsheet (or Open Office for that matter). I’ve used it for IT, IS, MIS, and product roll out. We’ve even adapted it for Sales tracking and development.
• SugarCRM – SugarCRM has been around for some time. Those familiar with SalesForce.com will instantly find an attraction to the application. It’s an excellent ACT! replacement. The application is tailored to Account Executive and Sales Lead/Funnel management. Business Managers will especially like the ability to segregate information between AEs insuring info doesn’t leak from one funnel to another. Reporting is strong including your standard who’s selling what type of reports. SugarCRM also has trouble ticket tracking and can be used for hand off to a technical assistance call center including bug tracking. This provides a cradle to grave type of account management that will lead to improvement in customer satisfaction, as well as, better collaboration on the Sales channel front.
• YashOffice – If you like SugarCRM and you like NetOffice DWINS you’ll really like YashOffice. Basically YashOffice is a module for SugarCRM that creates a NetOffice instance in the CRM. This expands your Sales Funnel and Account Management beyond simple TAC tickets allowing project management to seamlessly flow through your organization.
• Geeklog – Geeklog is one of the original blog/Wiki tools that has progressed throughout the years into complete portal . It’s a great way to collect information and documentation into one web site. The forums module introduces the ability to build sections that can house different areas of knowledge (i.e. one forum for MIS, one for IT, one for IS, etc…). Techs will especially like the simple post style and easy to configure setup. No other application does simple outright information publishing better. It works well for “hair ball” trouble tracking and system outage tracking. We’ve even used it for SOX compliance audit logs.
• MediaWiki – MediaWiki is more feature rich than Geeklog, but it’s also a bit harder to configure and a bit harder to use. MediaWiki is less about information collection and more about organization, as well as, collaboration of large amounts of info. MediaWiki works well for long term documentation such as Methods & Operating Procedure manuals or configuration documentation.

Looking over those links you probably realize you’re going to need an IT guru to help you setup the application on the server, but the good news is they are all built through the browser and that will make your IT guru happy (if that’s possible). Once you’re up and running though you’ll quickly realize the possibilities are only limited by the amount of time you spend learning the applications. I can tell you I’ve been working two plus years on these CRM platforms and everyday I find something new I can either do with them or a new technique to use them better. While knowledge management will make your life easier to recall; it is not a replacement to the diligence of discipline of progress tracking or continued practice of data entry. Like most worthwhile applications, the learning curve is easy enough to get you in the door and expansive enough that you can continue finding new value a year on from inception of the system.