Identifying Knowledge for SlugHub

Ideally, knowledge base (KB) articles will contain information that is repeatable, reliable, and frequently discussed. When you are choosing what to add to the knowledge base consider the following:

• Will this be helpful to our clients?
• Will this piece of information help someone to get a solution faster or on their own without having to ask for assistance?
• Will documenting this save time in the future?
• Is this a commonly asked inquiry where a standardized response can be easily applied?
• Are ITS/UCSC-specific instructions not documented elsewhere, such as the ITS website?
• Does the vendor not provide user-friendly documentation for the service (e.g. Google Apps related support)?

If your answer is yes to the any of the above, you have identified a potential knowledge base item that can be created and published.

Knowledge captured in this manner should aim to offer support to our customers, who may be:

• a student, faculty, staff member, or affiliate using a service we support
• a technician supporting a service
• an existing or new colleague in your division using your expertise

It is important to know your audience when authoring documentation for the ITR knowledge base. This will determine the style, language, and level of complexity of the instructions.

When deciding if content should go on the UCSC website or in a KB article, please consider the following:

• Generally, client side instructions and service descriptions that remain static can exist on the UCSC website. Troubleshooting and technical information (including problem management) should exist in the knowledge base.
• Information that changes frequently should be put into the knowledge base for ease of editing. KB articles can always be linked from the website.

As you encounter outdated documentation in other repositories that meets the criteria for a KB article, consider preparing an updated version within the ITR knowledge base.