I think many things we do have almost no actual effect

Almost ALL of that data is useless. If you disagree, try to come up with a specific example of how you would use each peice of information. What is important? Well mainly that Phillip and Seth did some RPS testing. And even then you have to search through the entire log page to see who else has been involved in RPS testing.

This is what we call a very low signal-to-noise ratio

I think the hyperlinks we have on the Report and Log pages are some of the best information. They link to specific resources - and tangible proof of our work. Not all links have value - some redefine the word useless, but most of the links on our internal pages are very useful.

Drawing on mission experience...

A referral is a "hot tip" - a detailed description of how to contact someone who wants to meet the missionaries and WHY they want to meet them. Many businesses depend heavily on referrals.

The closest thing to a referral in our organization would be a page describing a specific job that needs to be done - let's say a specific program you need someone to write - why you need it, how it should work, and what to do with it when it's done.

A bulleted item such as "Teach TSL Blender Animation (T)" is like a nightmare referral - nothing but a name your companion scrawled on a sticky pad when an anonymous caller phoned in the middle of the night - right before that companion went home to Russia.

An investigator record is like a "character sheet" for your investigators - it includes vital information, how they were met, what lessons were taught, and how they responded. Often missionaries find people to teach simply by looking through old investigator records for people who stopped meeting with the missionaries because they went on vacation or otherwise lost contact.

The equivalent concept in our business would be a detailed plan for each project - and individual components of each project. It would not have to be complete. The design process continues throughout production, so the design documents are actually a record of the production's progress.

The to-do lists we have now are only the roughest outlines. They are like investigator records for people who have only met the missionaries once. At this point we don't know what their reactions and concerns are going to be like.

There are many kinds of directories - phone books, ward directories, neighborhood directories, friends, contacts, leaders, etc. Directories are important because they give you access to people who can provide information, opportunities and services.

Our most important directories will be contacts - connections to people and communities and information - reference materials and our own RECORDED experiences.

One of the less pleasant missionary experiences is when both companions leave the area at the same time and the new missionaries find that many important contacts and resources were not recorded. Where can we get a cheap haircut around here?!

Application

Seperate each todo-list onto it's own page and expand it as the project develops into a design document. How do we keep these documents attractive and readable while making them easy for any team member to work on?

Prepare a detailed description of each item you want worked on - form, function, purpose, details, requirements, etc. Don't worry about how much work it will be to describe every little object in this detail - pick one thing go crazy!