knowledging

Rapid Q&A

Summary

• Solve your internal Q&A challenges with sheer numbers.
  • Set up a chat channel open to everyone in the company, where anyone can ask or answer questions.
  • That’s it! Problem solved. Simple, isn’t it?
    • Sure, the finer details of implementation and management might drop by to complicate things, but they’re manageable.
• Note, this is more suited for larger companies. At least 1,000 employees. If you’ve got 10,000, all the better.

Background

Q&A: The Untamed Frontier

Enter QWINCS, your trusty communication multitool. It stands for Q&A, Wiki, Issues (Tickets), Notes, Chat, and Sticky Boards (Digital Whiteboards).

Of these, the one that’s yet to hit it big on the business scene is Q&A. Sure, Quora and Stack Overflow might pop to mind, but let’s be real—those are for the everyday Joe, not the buttoned-up corporate world. Bringing this to the internal level in businesses? It’s still uncharted territory.

The struggle with Q&A systems? They’re like matchmaking for questions and answers—an annoyingly clever puzzle. On public platforms swarming with users, earning your digital currency involves doling out impressions on “silly” topics that everyone can weigh in on. As a business model, it doesn’t have much going for it beyond clinging to the lifeline of ad revenue.

But Q&A Systems Pack a Punch…

Despite the hurdles, Q&A systems can be a powerhouse. The simple model of stacking answers under a question and letting the asker pick the best one is brilliant in its simplicity and sure to save many an employee’s bacon. The real issue? The matchmaking dilemma.

To knock down this barrier, I’ve proposed a delightfully straightforward solution.

Rapid Q&A

Rapid Q&A is a Q&A channel where every employee gets to participate. It’s as simple as hosting one big, never-ending town hall.

Three key points you need to know:

• Get all employees onboard in a single chat channel.
• Open the floor for anyone to ask anything, anytime—and for anyone to answer.
• Questions can repeat—yes, really.
  • It doesn’t matter if your question’s been asked before. If you don’t know something, just ask away!
  • And those questions met with the sound of digital crickets? Feel free to toss them back in.

That’s all it takes. Let the law of large numbers do its magic in a Q&A setting.

Why It Works

So, why does this actually work? Because it turns Q&A into something you’d want to peek in on.

With a single hub for all questions and answers shared amongst every employee, the channel becomes irresistible. Most questions will be basic (depending on who’s looking), and plenty of folks will want to jump in with answers. Once the community vibes start rolling, it’ll be hard to resist lurking there — or even being tempted to skip work for just a bit to see what’s buzzing.

Implementing It

Getting Rapid Q&A up and running is straightforward. Whether you’re on Slack or Teams, create one Q&A channel and toss everyone into it. Get past that hurdle, and the rest is pretty much a cake walk—especially for you savvy engineers out there.

Of course, wandering down the path of unnecessary detours is for suckers. Here are some pointers:

• Q: The Rapid Q&A channel is a notification nightmare.
  • Ans: Fiddle around with your settings. Mute it if you must.
  • If folks are clueless about notification settings, offer them a quick schooling.
• Q: What to do with deserters from the channel?
  • Ans: Let them be.
  • As the channel’s fun factor ticks up, they won’t want to stay away. If it’s good, they’ll come back.
• Q: Are there limits on what to ask?
  • Ans: Yes.
  • Stick to questions that can snag quick answers. Think troubleshooting, deciphering jargon, queries about settings, designs, implementation quirks, or company-specific riddles.
  • Steer clear of debates like those found on Quora. Keep out DEV Community’s #discuss-style back-and-forths too. Rapid Q&A’s motto? Swift solutions via collective input—leave dialogue and entertainment out of it.
    • A moderator could keep things tidy. In fact, the success of Rapid Q&A might just hinge on maintaining this sanctity.
• Q: How do we crown a Best Answer?
  • Ans: You’ve got options.
  • Implement something like having the question asker tag responses with a checkmark. Automate a bot to archive these gems and wipe the original messages away.
  • This might seem a bit elusive, but the singular goal of Rapid Q&A is speedy responses for questioners. Amassing a treasure trove of questions and answers? Not a priority.
• Q: What’s the ideal company size?
  • Ans: At least 1,000—ideally 10,000 if possible.
  • In companies with fewer than 1,000, most folks won’t even have time to glance at a Q&A channel. It’s non-viable. But as you climb toward 10,000, there’s enough breathing room in the org for such channels to enhance overall dynamics.
  • Smaller companies fluent in text communication (those that can hold off face-to-face meetings for days and still function) might just get by with fewer bodies.