Optimizing project collaborative technologies
Published: April 26, 2006
By Mindy Blodgett
With new collaborative technologies that are available, people can more easily work together virtually and in real time. Learn how to integrate and optimize these tools for more efficient teamwork.
In Summary:
| • | Collaborative technologies are often embedded in desktop applications, allowing people to slip easily between e-mail, instant messaging, documents and the Internet. It is important to choose collaborative technologies that fit your organization's business goals. |
| • | Make sure to analyze your business processes, network infrastructure and project management skills before installing collaborative technologies. |
Globalization, the 24/7 workplace and geographically dispersed workgroups are among the factors pushing companies to seek out ways to work more seamlessly within their organizations and with external parties. Midsize businesses in particular are often stuck in a rut of disconnected processes and applications. "They're taking up all sorts of time trying to stay on the same page," says Mark Mulvany, a networking consultant based in Trin, Ireland. "They are living and dying on e-mail and Word and Excel spreadsheets."
Plenty of project collaborative technologies have come to the rescue of midsize businesses in recent years, but companies need to carefully analyze their business needs before purchasing any of them. For instance, offshore outsourcing has created global teams that function across different cultures and time zones, and that operate under different bandwidth and infrastructure conditions. This scenario often leads to a need for robust collaborative technologies with Web-based capabilities that are easy to use. Companies must be able to integrate these tools with existing systems to achieve the full benefit of information sharing and data analysis, and managers should provide adequate training so that their employees can use the systems effectively.
Collaboration software: the killer category
Collaboration products typically come in two flavors: as Web-based tools or as packaged software (although subscription-based collaboration software is likely not far behind). Such tools can be as simple as Internet forums, like message boards, or as complex as full-featured collaboration packages that might include workflow management, document sharing and versioning, instant messaging (IM), Web conferencing, IP telephony and PC integration, presence and/or knowledge management capabilities. Commercial applications come from large vendors such as Microsoft, EMC and IBM, as well as from dozens of smaller vendors.
On the Microsoft side, some of the tools include:
Windows SharePoint Services: A free download to Microsoft Windows Server 2003, this application lets people create internal Web sites for data sharing and document collaboration, or extranets for partners. Both types of sites require credentials to a private network for access.
SharePoint Portal Server 2003: While SharePoint Services provides sites focused on document sharing for team collaboration, SharePoint Portal Server 2003 connects these sites though enterprise application integration. Employees can customize and personalize their view of portal content based on their role, team membership, security approval access or other criteria.
Office 2007: The forthcoming release of Microsoft Office will incorporate the virtual workspace capabilities of Groove Networks software, which Microsoft acquired in 2005. The software uses peer-to-peer technology to automatically update files on team members' desktops. Groove, aimed at smaller, more nimble teams, will complement Windows SharePoint Services, which accommodates larger project teams or groups. Team members will be able to synch Groove files with a SharePoint workspace as well.
Live Meeting: This real-time collaboration application is appropriate for online meetings, training and events, and is fully integrated with Microsoft Office. Its core capabilities include allowing attendees to interact through polls and whiteboards, share control of applications, view live Microsoft PowerPoint presentations and ask questions from any networked PC.
Evaluate your project needs and communication infrastructure
Before deciding which tools will work best for your organization, here are some questions to ask:
| • | How large is your organization, including the number of remote sites? |
| • | Does your organization want a single sign-on or multiple ways to log on? |
| • | What is the state of the network infrastructure? Are there secure and strong landline telecommunications, or is bandwidth inadequate? |
| • | What are your information back-up and storage needs? |
For example, a midsize company without high-speed broadband connections can use Windows SharePoint Services for basic document sharing. Groove will also help companies with bandwidth concerns, as it transmits only the changes made to a file, rather than sending the entire file over the network each time someone updates it.
However, if one of your core business requirements is to bring teams together and aggregate internal sites and synchronize documents, then SharePoint Portal Server 2003 is the way to go, says Mark Day, a group product manager for the U.S. Information Worker Business Group at Microsoft.
Say that your company collaborates often with external partners, such as outsourcers, suppliers or distributors. Groove might be the right choice here, since the software does not require logging on to a private network; an Internet connection is viable since Groove automatically encrypts data during transmission. Or, if you need a collaboration tool for your mobile sales team, Groove is ideal because it allows people on the road to access shared files offline (which are synchronized the next time they go online and open up a Groove workspace).
Optimize the tools
Here are some important tips to keep in mind when choosing, installing and using project collaboration tools.
Don't overlook training. Mulvany says he has seen many companies install SharePoint and allow people to start using it immediately—without any training at all, or scheduling training months later, when employees have lost interest. Expect your software vendor or implementation partner to help with training and to pass along tips and guidance for your employees to get up to speed quickly. If your implementation partner doesn't offer those services, consider another vendor.
Information technology (IT) staff and business managers should work together on selection, installation and integration. Business stakeholders must help select the tools, outline customization requirements, and help determine what data and applications should integrate with the collaboration software.
Incorporate portfolio management. Portfolio management takes a holistic view of a company's overall IT strategy and ensures it matches the underlying business objectives. Using portfolio management software in conjunction with project collaboration tools to assess which projects are on track and which are running off the rails is just one way to expand your use of collaboration technologies.
As always, business strategy must drive your collaboration strategy in order to truly gain ROI, says Sean Abbott, an information worker solutions specialist for Microsoft. "When I can use Groove to set up a workspace, the value of being able to do that quickly might be a soft cost. But the ease of these tools frees up people to focus on more revenue-generating tasks, versus hunting down information. You don't have multiple versions of information sitting out there, and you know that everyone is working on the same document."
Mindy Blodgett is a freelance writer based in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. She has 24 years of experience as a journalist, previously working as a senior editor at CIO and Computerworld.
