What kind of templates or resources are most helpful for admins?

[Brittany Joiner]

As admins, you/we get asked a lot of questions about Trello. Since I just finished writing my book about Trello, I want to create some supplementary resources to go along side of my book to giveaway to people who purchase, so I wanted to ask here and see what folks need. 

I can see this going a couple different ways. Ie, maybe you need people to ask you less questions about Trello so you can actually do your day job rather than play Trello support inside your company (😂). 

If this is the case... what are the most common questions you get asked? Would a FAQ resource be helpful for me to make so that you can provide your organization with quick answers?

Or... are there things that you need help with that still aren't answered. For instance, building specific templates, automation recipes, consulting and training, etc.

I want to make something that's helpful and supportive for all, so comment on here with you still need to be successful as a Trello admin. (As I know for many of us, managing Trello for our team is just a very small part of what we do!)

[Janice]

I don't know if this fits with what you're looking for or would be able to provide in that context, but one particular challenge I've run into is onboarding "old school tech" users that are uncomfortable with navigating newer digital tools, especially ones that are ultra-customizable like Trello. These are the folks that have only been using the bare minimum functionality of core Microsoft tools, and crappy corporate tools that should have been replaced years ago. They may be going through a massive shift with companies that go through belated digital upgrades (like mine) or moved to a new company operating at a different digital level. The switch from learning a set of buttons that help perform a task, to learning how to creatively leverage a blank slate of functionality is a big switch.

Trello has a lot of training resources, but these are often folks that are resistant to change OR simply don't have the time to work through those resources themselves enough to get comfortable with Trello. They may also be embarrassed or uncomfortable with their lack of understanding. I can do one on one trainings but that often isn't enough.

Something that would be helpful for these users would be some kind of guide to help walk them through the transition to a tool like Trello. Not a bunch of guides or links to wade through, but a single walk-thru tailored specifically for the uncomfortable digital novice:

• Acknowledging how Trello might be intimidating compared to more "traditional" digital tools
• Shows how some simple common processes might have been handled in a crappy old corporate tool, then how they can be done with Trello
• Works through a number of examples that start with very simple workflows from beginning to end (does not assume previous knowledge or understanding) that increase in complexity
• Structured in a way that makes it easy for the user to work through what they can, and easily go back to where they were to continue
• Written in a way that is easy to follow for someone who may not be up to date with the "lingo" of digital work
• I've noticed with novice users that a common limiting factor is the fear of breaking something- emphasis on the buttons/functionality that could affect a bigger workflow or will only affect an individual card- i.e., how easy it is to "break" something
• Maybe even a section on navigating the Trello training/guides to self-serve questions down the road

Basically, a workbook that is a single item that an admin can share with users to help get them over the hump to the point where they can even have specific questions to bug their Admin about. :)

[Brittany Joiner]

This makes a lot of sense!! I have definitely seen this, so I know what you mean. Very great point. That workbook could be like super basic PDF of the core components and how they fit together, and basic functionality.

[Dreamsuite Mike]

Great question:

A few things that come up in the Trello group A LOT are

"Our admin has left our company, how do we switch to another admin"

"A person has left our company and all the automations were set up in their account"

"Our board/workspace/cards have been deleted, how do we get them back"

A simple guide on how to set up your Trello Workspace to be robust in a company environment would be a great thing:

Having an "Admin account" (admin@mycompany.com) for both managing the workspace but that will also run the automations can prevent 1 and 2

Recommending something like Rewind for Trello to ensure you have backups for your boards

[Janice]

I second an option to manage automations separate of any one user account

[Dreamsuite Mike]

Ha, woke up to find this on the Trello group 😃

https://community.atlassian.com/t5/Trello-questions/How-do-I-become-admin-member/qaq-p/2447307 

[Brittany Joiner]

Hahah yep you're right - i've definitely seen this, and there needs to be a better way to solve it, or at least a clearer path to prevent being in that situation haha. 

And @Janice i 10000% agree... at the moment the best i can do is explain how to use tags and import/export 😂 it's so cumbersome.