Did you know that, on average, employees spend 3.6 hours every day searching for information? Not only is this taking away valuable time from more impactful work, but the stress and frustration of looking for information is impacting overall team morale and productivity. One report uncovered that the struggle to find the information needed for their tasks was the number one reason employees felt disengaged at work. Disjoined and uncommunicative workplace platforms can contribute to the demoralizing time suck as they often create knowledge silos. To combat the issue, Confluence by Atlassian is changing the narrative.
What is Confluence?
This tool is a collaboration and documentation system developed by Atlassian that enables teams to create, organize and share content in a centralized, accessible platform. It serves as a workspace where teams can collaborate in real time, manage organizational knowledge and streamline communication across projects. With features like intuitive content editing, powerful search capabilities and seamless integration with other tools like Jira and Trello, Confluence helps organizations keep their information organized, up-to-date and easily accessible to all team members.
How Does Confluence De-Silo?
The Confluence platform offers a variety of customizable options to support any business or department. It was built upon the mission to offer a centralized repository while empowering collaborative content creation, powerful search and enhanced knowledge management. Consider these key features:
1. Centralized Information Repository. Confluence is a centralized hub where all organizational knowledge can be stored and accessed. Whether it’s project documentation, meeting notes or best practices, the platform keeps everything in one place, reducing the time spent searching for information.
2. Internal Collaborative Content Creation. The platform enables teams to create, edit and collaborate in real time. Its intuitive editor allows users to easily format documents, add images, create tables and embed multimedia content. The collaborative nature of Confluence means knowledge is continuously refined and updated by those closest to the work.
3. Powerful Search and Organization. Quickly finding the information you need is essential for effective knowledge management. That is why the platform embedded a powerful search functionality to ensure users can locate documents, pages, or even specific content within seconds. Additionally, Confluence allows for the organization of content through spaces, pages, and labels, making it easier to categorize and retrieve information.
4. Enhancing Knowledge Management. Confluence’s ability to integrate with other tools is a critical feature that enhances its value for knowledge management. For example, linking Jira issues to Confluence pages allows teams to connect project management tasks with detailed documentation, ensuring everyone has the context they need to succeed. Integrating tools like Slack, Google Drive, and Microsoft Teams further enhances Confluence’s capabilities, creating a unified platform for communication, project management, and knowledge sharing.
5. AI and Automation. Confluence’s latest model allows users to automate tasks using AI in natural language. It takes automation one step further, empowering users to create rules quickly with the power of AI suggestions. Some examples include organizational tasks, such as adding specific labels when a page is published, and collaborative or cross-product tasks, such as creating a Jira sprint once the sprint plan is published. Learn more.
6. Enhanced External Sharing: Confluence now provides restricted public links, allowing teams to share specific content with external audiences, like customer FAQs or release notes, without giving full platform access or needing another license. This has made it simple to distribute information to the public without breaching security protocols. Learn more.
Addressing common knowledge management challenges with Confluence helps organizations maintain a competitive edge in a knowledge-driven world. Whether onboarding new employees, documenting projects or creating a repository of best practices, Confluence provides the tools needed to manage knowledge effectively. If you are interested in this tool, Forty8Fifty Labs is here to help. As a five-time Atlassian Partner of the Year winner and Atlassian Enterprise Platinum Solution Partner, we are well-versed in the data migration process for Atlassian solutions and how best to employ Atlassian solutions to power your business productivity. Want to learn more? Contact us today.
