Recommendation 4: Documentation as a priority, not an afterthought, ending a barrier to participation and capturing our methodology and instructions in formats accessible for our global audiences

Q 1 What is your Recommendation?

To capture our institutional memory so it usable for all at all levels of engagement including sharing stories, successes and failures we must invest in recording it. Knowledge capture is a professional skill, not an innate talent, research how other organisations do effectively and allow for the possibility of this being a funded priority.

Documentation needs to be seen as a project in itself, not part of a project that can be easily forgotten.

A lack of documentation actively excludes new community members; the individuals within partnership bodies, and prevents effective collaboration.

Q 2-1 What assumptions are you making about the future context that led you to make this Recommendation?

Documentation around existing tools and the recorded understandings of projects will continue to be important for community members and partners to access independently. Volunteers will not magically change and become enthusiastic providers of documentation.

Q 2-2 What is your thinking and logic behind this recommendation?

Volunteers are generally not enthusiastic or equipped to create and update documentation. And this is a barrier to entry to participation for many based on different levels of knowledge and language abilities.

Q 3-1 What will change because of the Recommendation?

Wikimedia Volunteers and Staff working with the GLAM institutions would have a relatively better time advocating, negotiating and most importantly for a smooth and convenient partnership flow.

Organisations that want to independently approach Wikimedia will find it easier to understand our tools or processes.

Q 3-2 Who specifically will be influenced by this recommendation?

Anyone running a project that involves significant documentation.

Anyone wishing to guide partners into working with Wikimedia or the partners themselves in understanding better our work.

Q 5 How does this Recommendation relate to the current structural reality?

Currently we have a paucity of good, accessible documention and little incentive to create it.