Collaboration Tools

Project management, idea generation and content organization is becoming an important element of general business practice in today’s information economy. There are several tools to get the job done and here we look at several different options but each has its own unique feature sets and configuration options for small and midsize businesses (SMBs) and large enterprises.

Project Management Meets Information Handling

Businesses need tools that will help them in their never ending quest for relevant information. Whether it is a small business with a small network, a midsize company with growing sets of data or an enterprise with both growing data and archived data, collaborative tools, apps or other software can help organizations meet the demands of handling complex or large volumes of information sufficiently. Project managers need tools that will help them enable their team or teams to work efficiently. An efficient workflow for that team might mean that they will need tools to communicate, share files, work from different locations in real time or analyze data in some way.

The cloud and big data have evolved over time together and they will continue to do so. Ensuring that your organization is employing a carefully constructed set of security policies and procedures, using cloud apps and other non-cloud or software configurations within your network (maybe a hybrid) will allow your organization to be flexible and powerful enough to grow revenues because an efficient workflow will allow you to save time, money and resources.

You may eliminate the need for paper, for one. But the real benefit for your organization is the need to improve the information handling ability. Finding content easier within a content management system (CMS) certainly helps, but finding the most relevant material and being enabled to put that content to use immediately is the real benefit.

When members of your organization are enabled to perform these tasks quicker, easier and more collaboratively, that is when the real work takes place. In fact, you will also notice more innovation, success and overall team involvement once that essential workflow is improved within your CMS and within your information governance policy (another topic discussed within this blog and website). Project managers will be happy. Those working on the project will be happy. All other stakeholders will be happy with the results you can now bring to the table.

The Right Collaboration Tools and Solutions for the Job

As previously mentioned, there are many tools to get the job done, but the focus here is on the best in collaboration and workflow management solutions that will help to move your business in the right direction – toward profits!

So, let’s take a brief look at what is currently available on the market to collaborate on projects. We will start with the paid big enterprise systems and move our way down the shelf to the options for small and midsize businesses (SMBs). Some of the least expensive and free options that are on the market may be sufficient but will lack the functionality, reliability, and support that paid project collaboration solutions provide.

Huddle

It is well worth watching the two minute video on the Huddle website. The Huddle collaborative system for project management, workflow and communication in real time is an industry leader for enterprise apps of this kind.

Huddle is a cloud-based app that allows users to work on various types of documents, track progress and delegate in a modular, modern interface that can update in real time so multiple users can work on a project at once. Huddle offers a secure space to distribute workloads.

SharePoint

SharePoint is by far the most widely used tool for collaborating on complex enterprise projects. SharePoint is a Microsoft product so it does have good support and can be used on a wide variety of machines, devices and networks and also works in the cloud. It can be extended with Yammer, a social network that allows your organization to create a social network or hub where users can connect and share ideas and plans with one another. It also integrates with OneDrive, Microsoft’s flagship cloud storage. There are also other apps to extend SharePoint for more configuration, functionality, and customization.

With SharePoint, users can administer projects and easily integrate content from their Microsoft Office apps. Like Huddle, SharePoint users have a secure environment to work and collaborate. The maintenance is automated for minimal downtime.

SAP

SAP seems to a bit different. Still an enterprise solution provider of collaborative apps for business, SAP tailors their solutions for specific industries such as aerospace, defense, banking, consumer products, engineering, construction, technology, energy and others. Their software comes pre-configured based on their professional evaluation of various industry needs. They also provide solutions for SMBs. Some of their solutions include analytics, cloud, big data, customer relationship management (CRM), security and others. Their business suite helps organizations deal with their content, share with others and create custom workflows for their operation. Pricing seems to be tied to the specific solutions provided by SAP.

Smartsheet

Their motto is “coordinate anything” and that is what you should be able to do with great project management and collaboration tools for your business. They offer their product to companies of any size but the enterprise will find many solutions tailored to their needs. They use an easy to understand dashboard with plenty of toolbars and customizable viewing and working options. It also integrates with other common platforms, making it a perfect fit for most corporations.

Google Drive and other cloud platforms

There are a number of different options for cloud storage including Google Drive, but that is not all these options offer. You can also connect a number of free (usually limited but upgradeable) apps designed to collaborate on projects. If you are using databases, spreadsheets, documents or other commonly available software, you could also design your own project management systems for use in the cloud. Make sure you use plenty of security precautions and set permissions. You should have a secure and private data policy for this. Google also offers Apps for Business and integrates its tools for use with companies.

By using any of these tools, you will help your company become more efficient. Take your time to look at each one of these software options with your IT department to ensure compatibility, proper cost to benefit ratio and other factors. Using a consultant to help you to navigate this new road of information security, inter-operability, and shared access is a logical step to ensure policies, procedures and programs are implemented properly.

Video Instant Messaging for Collaboration and Knowledge Management

Due to falling costs, high-availability data connections, smart mobile devices, and the growth of cloud computing, knowledge management and enterprise collaboration are undergoing something of a rebirth. Most enterprise collaboration remains centered on documents. There is an opportunity to extend beyond document-centric tasks to other collaborative, linear, process-oriented work. Simple to use video instant messaging (VIM) technology may be very useful in this much needed shift.

Today, most companies use video for:

• team conferencing;
• customer interaction/service support;
• pre-recorded-corporate communications;
• an alternative to text for training/education.

Beyond those areas, VIM functionality is just starting to arrive to companies. There are different opinions about VIM. like it and feel it helps tocreate a better "human connection," and others don't like it and claim that it invades their privacy. In fact, the most common arguments in favor of and against the use of video are surprisingly similar to one another and suggest a cultural split that can be difficult to bridge or even manage.

Video instant messaging, as its name makes clear, is potentially the most invasive use of video in companies. For example, it can be images of unexpected video calls on an active laptop coming from an angry boss, with the recipient of the call being unprepared. One-to one, face-to-face discussions are the most optimal use of such real-time technology. There are valuable ways of using the technology.

What is Video Conferencing

Video conferencing is when multiple people, typically four or more, in more than one geographic location use audio and video technology to connect via a virtual conference room environment to conduct a pre-arranged meeting.

Web conferencing (or webinar) is where multiple users watch a single remote screen; this method is typically used for one-to-many presentations.

Video instant messaging (VIM) is distinct from the other two in that the interactions are typically one-to-one and are also most typically not pre-arranged, but rather ad hoc.

Opportunities

VIM is not particularly new, but its use (and misuse) has until recently been largely confined to the consumer world. Some knowledge management vendors such as Citrix, TIBCO and Teambox are adding VIM to their product suites because VIM functionality is particularly relevant in the mobile era: almost all handheld devices contain cameras. This is key to understanding the value of VIM, since it's not so much the video as the mobile camera that has much potential.

Future use cases for VIM technology in knowledge management will be situations where a physical object or environment needs to be collaboratively viewed. For example, in a service situation, a technician is looking at a complex wiring structure and using a mobile device to stream video of the situation to a remote expert, enabling them to share visuals to resolve the situation. Similarly, designers and creative people can discuss and view samples and compare options in real time. In situations like these, the ability to share a clear real-time moving image of the in real environment via a handheld device can be invaluable and a highly efficient use of collaboration technology.

Pros and Cons of Using Video

Pros

• Seeing the other attendees builds a deeper connection.
• It reduces travel costs and time on the road.
• Meetings can be recorded.
• Processes can be more efficient.
• Collaboration can be enhanced.

Cons

• People are self-conscious on camera.
• Audio/video quality varies.
• A poor or lost connection means no conference at all.
• It is not as good as face-to-face meetings.
• Signal delays can ruin the meeting.

New Horizons

For traditional users, there is a somewhat parallel use case in that they often want to share a document, drawing or whiteboard in real time with a colleague. It is about seeing the same thing and collaborating on it. VIM can have a valuable role in supporting collaborative processes in areas like law enforcement, healthcare, and engineering. The established use for video are users who create a lot of text-based communications and need to occasionally see one another from their home offices.

Moving from a fixed camera position to a fully mobile situation opens the technology to many more uses. Video stream can be used for all the key management and productivity functions, such as calendaring, expertise location, file access edit and view, knowledge sharing, and team and project management.

Three Priority Objectives

On a more tactical level, it will be important to use these objectives in VIM use.

First, focus on tying collaboration and knowledge sharing back to clearly defined business processes that involve human interaction. Take existing technology and configure it to meet your organization needs, and also use VIM to engage with work objects and environments, rather than simply using it as a face-to-face conversation tool.

In an organization situations, communication can't simply stop if someone hangs up. Whether with video or text or voice, the trail needs to be kept traceable, and the files and data created should be contextualized and made relevant. Documents need to be retained intact until a decision has been made to remove or destroy them, depending on governance, housekeeping and compliance requirements. This option should be available for video and other forms of interaction. Information lifecycle needs to be considered.

Third, if VIM is to be used for collaboration, then still-image functionality that freezes and captures views in HD should be provided within the VIM frame. This enables a detailed visual examination of a specific point in time, and also creates a file of record. Shifting between moving and still images in a collaborative engagement, allowing a free-flowing interaction and the capture of specific elements, would be of great value to many industry and process-specific collaborative situations.

Future

VIM has a key role to play in taking enterprise collaboration to the next level. This role is not so much about being able to see the face of the other person as it is about viewing and capturing in real time what the other party is seeing.Refining the use cases and collaborative process that leverage VIM will take some effort. Over time, VIM will prove to be a value in the growth of enterprise collaboration. It will be especially useful for industries such as healthcare, law enforcement, engineering, and maintenance. Enterprise collaboration tools and suites already have many of the key pieces of the puzzle; now they need to put them together into a coherent, practical whole.