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Design wiki health framework and metrics for starter kit
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Description

Wiki Health & Foundation Framework

Measuring foundation strength for new and small language wikis on the path from new → small → medium.

Why this framework
Standard Wikimedia metrics assume a wiki already operating at scale. This framework asks a simpler question: does this wiki have what it needs to grow? As a wiki matures, each pillar graduates naturally to WMF standard metrics. Once a wiki reaches Small Wiki status (1,000+ articles), it graduates from this framework to WMF standard metrics. This framework covers the gap those metrics don't - the critical early stage when the right question isn't "how well is this wiki performing?" but "does this wiki have what it needs to grow?"

Who this is for
Wiki administrators and active contributors on new and small language wikis, and language support mentors who need a lightweight way to assess wiki health and prioritize support.

The four pillars

1. Infrastructure Is the wiki technically ready to operate?
% of interface messages translated
% increase in number of templates created
% of essential articles developed
% increase in number of categories created
% increase in articles covering essential categories
Main page set up and customized
Wiki appears in search results for its language

2. Governance Does the wiki have the structures to make decisions and maintain quality?

Number of governance pages created
-> Wiki has essential governance pages for consensus building, requesting
Number of policy pages created
-> Wiki has essential policy pages that are locally adapted or translated

3. Community Does the wiki have the human support network it needs to sustain growth?
Number of admins
-> Wiki has a minimum number of active admins relative to its size (article count or active editors)
Number of mentors or specialists connected
-> Wiki has at least one mentor or specialist available to support contributors
Increase in admin edit activity outside administrative tasks (Hypothesis: admins who feel better supported contribute more broadly and consistently)
-> Tracks whether admins are contributing beyond maintenance as support improves

4. Visibility Do wiki administrators have access to the tools and data to understand how their wiki is growing?
Admins have access to a dashboard showing wiki health across all pillars
Admins can track progress toward Small Wiki milestone (1,000 articles)
Admins are aware of content gaps and priorities

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Event Timeline

srishakatux created this task.Apr 8 2026, 3:50 AM
Restricted Application added a subscriber: Aklapper. · View Herald TranscriptApr 8 2026, 3:50 AM
srishakatux triaged this task as Medium priority.Apr 8 2026, 3:50 AM
srishakatux added a comment.EditedApr 8 2026, 3:56 AM

Feature metrics mapped to the framework

Main page customization (T420418)

MetricMaps toWhy
Number of wikis that successfully published a main page using the featureInfrastructureMost direct measure of whether the feature works at all
Whether the main page was still active and updated 3 months after publishingCommunityMeasures whether admins are engaged and maintaining the wiki over time
Qualitative: time to customize main page before and after featureInfrastructureMeasures how quickly wikis can establish their foundation
Qualitative: do communities feel their main page reflects their wiki's identity and supports their goals (editing activity, or quality or readership numbers)Community + InfrastructureMeasures both whether the foundation feels right and whether the community feels ownership over it
Qualitative: user experience learnings from pilotAll pillarsInforms dashboard design and future feature development
srishakatux set the point value for this task to 5.Apr 8 2026, 3:59 AM
srishakatux mentioned this in T410699: Explore the concept of a semi-automated starter kit for new and small wikis.Apr 8 2026, 4:14 AM
MaryMunyoki moved this task from Backlog to In Progress on the LPL Onboarding and Development board.Apr 8 2026, 3:53 PM
MaryMunyoki added a project: Starter Kit.Apr 9 2026, 1:42 PM
MaryMunyoki moved this task from Backlog to Measurements on the Starter Kit board.Apr 9 2026, 3:26 PM
srishakatux updated the task description. (Show Details)Apr 30 2026, 1:05 AM
srishakatux added a subscriber: ngkountas.Apr 30 2026, 7:21 PM

@ngkountas Sharing some thoughts on metrics and instrumentation. We can probably first align on approach here, and then file a separate task for instrumentation.

Instrumentation for the Starter Kit ideally aligns with the Wiki Health & Foundation Framework (see task description) and focuses on measuring whether a wiki has what it needs to grow across the four pillars: Infrastructure, Governance, Community, and Visibility. The goal could be to measure overall starter kit impact through a combination of in-app and out-of-app signals.

Out-of-app logging (wiki-level impact) for MVP features to track changes aligned with the framework:
% of interface messages translated
% of essential articles developed
% of articles that received categories
% increase in templates and categories
Main page set up and customized
Five Pillars policy translated or adapted
Change in admin activity beyond administrative tasks

In-app logging (usage and behavior) to track how contributors engage with the Starter Kit:
Task start, completion rates and step-level drop-offs
-> Tracks how many users complete tasks after starting them and where they drop off within each step of the flow
Number of tasks completed per admin
Time to complete tasks
Interactions with Activity & Growth and Community & Collaboration modules.

Together, these can help answer:
Whether the Starter Kit is being actively used (activation and engagement)
Whether it leads to measurable improvements in wiki foundations (infrastructure, governance, community)
Whether these changes sustain over time (retention and continued activity)

Thoughts?

srishakatux mentioned this in T426946: Instrument StarterKit User Workflows & UI Interactions.Wed, May 27, 6:42 PM
srishakatux moved this task from In Progress to Done on the LPL Onboarding and Development board.Wed, Jun 10, 6:52 AM
srishakatux moved this task from Done to In Progress on the LPL Onboarding and Development board.
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