Collaboration Software: A Valuable Project Resource

Collaboration has become a vital part of any decision that is made within a company. Gone are the days when decisions are only made from the top down without the consultation of key stakeholders, project leaders, and data derived from business intelligence tools.

Top organizations realize the value of multiple perspectives and factor in as many perspectives as possible when making strategic decisions. To take a more collaborative approach to strategic decision making, organizations use collaborative software to connect individuals, departments, and committees.

Also commonly referred to as group support systems or groupware, collaboration software is designed specifically to help individuals collaborate and meet in a common space to achieve specific goals and objectives. It essentially brings together collective knowledge in a seamless manner.

Collaboration software is particularly effective for people with are geographically dispersed. People can connect via collaborative software over the internet and work on projects together in real time. This saves both time and resources. The cost to travel alone is a significant cost savings for organizations.

This is ideal for collaborative initiatives between different branches within an organization and a great option for people to access projects when they are either away on business or absent from the office.

Collaborative software can be used by companies of all shapes and sizes. Many are also available as open source applications for free online.

Collaborative software applications increase the efficiency and speed of communication and help build knowledge through sharing and discussion forums in a remotely located secure application. These applications utilize a number of great tools:

• Blogs/micro blogs:This application is perfect for keeping a team updated with the latest project developments. Users can add content, links, comments, and other resources.
• Wikis:Wiki’s are collaborative in nature. Multiple users can log onto the account and create content, add to existing content, edit, highlight, comment, and delete entries regardless of location.
• Social network:Perfect for connecting with team members in remote locations, exchanging messages and ideas, social networks allow for instant communication.
• Calendars:One calendar that can be used by all team members that can be accessed is a single location is a valuable resource. Users can create meetings, adjust deadlines, and plan effectively while having the confidence that all team members will remain up to date with all changes.
• Bookmark directories:: Recording research and important resources saves considerable time. Rather than each team member conducting searches separately, adding bookmarks for research resources significantly reduces a teams need to seek out additional resources.
• File repositories: One place to access important files is ideal for any project. Having everything in one place ensures all team members can access file simultaneously without having to worry about documents going missing.
• Discussion boards: They are the perfect place for teams to discuss issues related to projects and initiatives. Discussions can be broken down into specific threads. Users can ask questions, seek advice, and participate in discussions.
• Multimedia libraries: These libraries are a great resource for team members that need to ramp up about specific topics, learn how to use tools, and get education about project specifics through image, audio, and video files that are hosted in one online space.

Collaboration software also comes with many social tools and features. They include:

• Contextual conversations
• Voting and rating
• Tagging
• RSS feeds
• Social linking
• User profiles

These tools enhance user’s ability to share important information over the course of a project. Collaborative software is also equipped with a number of diagnostic tools, such as dashboards, alerts, and email notifications.

With all of these applications available in a single space online, projects and initiatives can be developed and implemented in a much more efficient and cost-effective manner than in the past.