Groupware

Groupware is a software package that manages the ad hoc collaboration needs of the Information Age of business.

In an information age of business, new phrases describe new styles of business. The word used to describe today's fast-paced business collaboration methods: ad hoc. In other words, though the ideal method of collaboration is thorough record keeping, deadlines and demands require rapid response. As emails and attachments are fired back and forth between parties, and edits and drafts are drastically saved on multiple drives and in multiple email boxes, document management becomes increasingly difficult.

The invisible hand has swooped through the market to create various document management software packages, like FileNet. However, many of these technologies are not equipped to handle ad hoc collaboration, nor can they bypass IT overhead or work for those with whom you may communicate, especially at other companies. Finding a content management tool that works the way businesses work has become an increasingly difficult task.

What Do Businesses Need

Steven R. Covey was insightful in pointing out that one of the seven habits of highly effective people is "Begin with the End in Mind." I would like to alter that slightly to say that in seeking for groupware that meets a business's needs, a highly effective business will also begin with the end in mind.

Document sharing is a large part of what businesses do. Any business plan and budget will have to go through an editorial process involving groups from two to twenty people--maybe even more. As documents are sent around under the pressure of upcoming deadlines, and changes are saved in various email boxes and drives, a groupware that can track changes, chronology, and locations is necessary.

The following are some of the elements you need in a good groupware package:

Digital Thread Technology

Digital Signatures

Version History

Merging

No IT

In your search for groupware technology to meet your business needs, remember to "begin with the end in mind." Document sharing, ad hoc collaboration, document tracking across email boxes and hard drives, and compatibility with other users are necessary in today's Information Age business environment. Though many content management solutions are available, if they don't meet these needs, they don't work the way your business works.