Project Research Best Practices

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  1. Project Research Best Practices

This article outlines best practices for conducting thorough research when starting a new project within a MediaWiki environment. Effective research is crucial for minimizing risks, ensuring project success, and avoiding redundant effort. It’s aimed at beginners, but experienced users may also find valuable reminders. This covers everything from initial concept validation to technical feasibility and potential conflicts.

1. Defining the Project Scope and Goals

Before diving into technical details, clearly define the project's scope and goals. What problem are you trying to solve? What functionality will the project offer? Who is the target audience? A vague project definition leads to scope creep, wasted resources, and ultimately, failure.

  • **Problem Statement:** Articulate the problem the project intends to address. Be specific. Instead of "Improve user experience," try "Reduce the time it takes for new users to find information on X topic."
  • **Project Goals (SMART):** Goals should be **S**pecific, **M**easurable, **A**chievable, **R**elevant, and **T**ime-bound. For example: “Increase the number of edits on pages related to Y subject by 15% within three months.”
  • **Success Metrics:** How will you measure success? Page views, edit counts, user feedback, task completion rates – these are all potential metrics.
  • **Out of Scope:** Equally important is defining what the project *won't* do. This prevents feature requests that derail the core objective.

Understanding the project's context within the larger MediaWiki installation is vital. Consider existing features and how this project will integrate with them.

2. Existing Wiki Research: Avoiding Reinvention

The first step in any research phase is to exhaustively search the existing wiki. Many projects have been attempted (successfully or unsuccessfully) before. Reinventing the wheel is a waste of time and resources.

  • **Search Functionality:** Utilize the wiki's built-in search function. Experiment with different keywords and search operators (AND, OR, NOT). Pay attention to search results in both the article namespace and the help/project namespaces.
  • **Category Browsing:** Explore relevant categories. These can reveal related projects and documentation you might have missed.
  • **Project Pages:** Check the Project: namespace for existing project proposals or ongoing initiatives.
  • **Talk Pages:** Review the talk pages of relevant articles and projects. Discussions often contain valuable insights and lessons learned.
  • **History View:** Examine the revision history of related articles. This can show previous attempts to implement similar functionality or address similar issues.
  • **Archive Search:** Don’t forget to search through archived talk pages and project pages. Information may be hidden but still relevant.
  • **Extension Directory:** Before considering custom development, check the Extension Directory for existing extensions that might meet your needs. This is often the fastest and most cost-effective solution. See also Manual:Extensions.

If you find a similar project, analyze why it succeeded or failed. Learn from past mistakes. If the project exists but is inactive, consider reviving it instead of starting from scratch.

3. Technical Feasibility Assessment

Once you've confirmed the project hasn't already been done, assess its technical feasibility. Can it be implemented within the constraints of the MediaWiki platform?

  • **MediaWiki Capabilities:** Understand the limitations of MediaWiki. It's a powerful platform, but it's not a general-purpose application server.
  • **PHP Knowledge:** Most MediaWiki customization requires PHP programming. Assess the availability of PHP developers within your team or community.
  • **JavaScript/CSS Skills:** Front-end development (user interface) relies on JavaScript and CSS. Ensure you have the necessary expertise.
  • **Database Considerations:** Will the project require significant changes to the MediaWiki database schema? This can be complex and risky. Understand Database administration basics.
  • **Server Resources:** Will the project place a significant load on the wiki server? Consider CPU usage, memory consumption, and database queries.
  • **Extension Compatibility:** If you plan to use extensions, ensure they are compatible with your MediaWiki version (currently 1.40). Check the extension's documentation and compatibility matrix. See Extensions.
  • **API Usage:** MediaWiki provides a powerful API for interacting with the wiki programmatically. Explore the API documentation to see if it can simplify development.
  • **Security Implications:** Consider the security implications of the project. Will it introduce any vulnerabilities to the wiki? Follow security best practices.

4. Extension Research & Alternatives

Before writing custom code, thoroughly investigate available extensions. The MediaWiki ecosystem boasts a vast library of extensions that can handle a wide range of functionalities.

  • **Official Extension Directory:** The primary source for extensions: [1](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension_directory).
  • **GitHub Search:** Search GitHub for MediaWiki extensions: [2](https://github.com/search?q=mediawiki+extension).
  • **Extension Reviews & Ratings:** Look for extensions with positive reviews and ratings.
  • **Documentation Quality:** Prioritize extensions with clear and comprehensive documentation.
  • **Last Updated Date:** Choose extensions that are actively maintained. An extension that hasn't been updated in years may be incompatible with newer MediaWiki versions.
  • **Alternative Approaches:** Consider whether the project's goals can be achieved through simpler means, such as templates, gadgets, or CSS modifications.

If no suitable extension exists, carefully weigh the costs and benefits of custom development. Custom development is more expensive and time-consuming, but it offers greater flexibility.

5. User Research & Community Consultation

Don't develop in a vacuum. Gather feedback from potential users throughout the research process.

  • **Surveys:** Create surveys to gauge user needs and preferences.
  • **Interviews:** Conduct interviews with key stakeholders to gather in-depth feedback.
  • **Focus Groups:** Organize focus groups to discuss the project's goals and potential features.
  • **Talk Page Discussions:** Post proposals and updates on relevant talk pages to solicit community feedback. Help:Talk pages provides guidance on effective communication.
  • **Project Proposal Page:** Create a dedicated project proposal page to outline the project's goals, scope, and technical details. This allows for broader community review and feedback.
  • **Usability Testing:** Once a prototype is available, conduct usability testing to identify any usability issues.

Active community engagement is crucial for ensuring the project meets user needs and gains community support.

6. Analyzing Competitor Wikis (If Applicable)

If other wikis address similar topics, analyze their approaches. What are they doing well? What could be improved?

  • **Content Structure:** How is the information organized?
  • **Navigation:** How easy is it to find information?
  • **Features:** What features do they offer?
  • **User Engagement:** How active is the community?
  • **Strengths & Weaknesses:** Identify the strengths and weaknesses of each competitor wiki.

Learning from the successes and failures of others can help you avoid common pitfalls and create a more effective wiki.

7. Legal and Licensing Considerations

Ensure the project complies with all applicable legal and licensing requirements.

  • **Copyright:** Respect copyright laws. Do not copy content from other sources without permission.
  • **Licensing:** Choose an appropriate license for your project. Consider the GNU General Public License, which is commonly used for MediaWiki extensions.
  • **Privacy:** If the project collects user data, comply with relevant privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA).
  • **Terms of Service:** Ensure the project's terms of service are clear and enforceable.

8. Documentation and Knowledge Sharing

Thorough documentation is essential for maintaining and extending the project in the future.

  • **Project Documentation:** Create a detailed document outlining the project's goals, scope, technical details, and implementation instructions.
  • **Code Documentation:** Document your code using clear and concise comments.
  • **User Documentation:** Provide clear and comprehensive user documentation.
  • **Wiki Pages:** Create wiki pages to document the project's features and functionality.
  • **Knowledge Base:** Build a knowledge base of frequently asked questions and troubleshooting tips.

Sharing knowledge with the community fosters collaboration and ensures the project's long-term sustainability.

9. Risk Assessment and Mitigation

Identify potential risks and develop mitigation strategies.

  • **Technical Risks:** Compatibility issues, performance bottlenecks, security vulnerabilities.
  • **Resource Risks:** Lack of developers, funding constraints, time limitations.
  • **Community Risks:** Lack of community support, conflicting opinions, resistance to change.
  • **Legal Risks:** Copyright infringement, privacy violations, licensing issues.

Developing a risk mitigation plan can help you avoid or minimize the impact of potential problems.

10. Iterative Research and Refinement

Research is not a one-time activity. It's an iterative process. As you learn more about the project, refine your goals, scope, and technical approach. Be prepared to adapt to changing circumstances.

  • **Continuous Monitoring:** Regularly monitor project progress and identify any emerging issues.
  • **Feedback Loops:** Establish feedback loops with users and stakeholders.
  • **Agile Development:** Consider using an agile development methodology to allow for rapid iteration and feedback.

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    • Resources for Further Research:**

Help:Contents Manual:Configuration Manual:Template Special:AllPages MediaWiki Help:Editing Help:Formatting Project:Research Project:Proposals

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