More Discussion on Twitter and Facebook as Collaborative Tools

I already touched on this in my earlier article entitled “Twitter and Facebook as Project Management Tools?” In that article, I came to the conclusion that there is no real viable use in PM for either Twitter or Facebook. I explained that I see Facebook as a good connector for family and friends with no real business application at all. And Twitter is, at best, a networking or promotion tool, but isn’t of any real value to the world of a Project Manager.

Facebook Still a No-Go

The original article garnered quite a few comments. I expected this given the high usage of each site. Nearly everyone agreed that there really isn’t a good application in the PM world for Facebook. If one were to setup a group just for a specific project, then possibly I could see some value. On going comments could be seen by all team members subscribed to the group and files could be shared.

However, this just seems to be a case of introducing something “just to use it” when tried and true communications still work and do not need replaced. The frustrating thing about using a new method like this when it’s not needed is that you end up using both, taking twice as much time to do what you were already doing and then never being certain who’s using which tool so there’s always a question mark. As the PM, I never want to be uncertain whether my team received the information I sent over. But if I have to post send it 2 ways (email and Facebook) to accommodate both types of users, then I’ve doubled the chance (not halved it) that information could be missed.

Twitter – Minor Pluses

After receiving comments and rethinking, I will now admit that I can see some minor good that can come from Twitter usage in the business world beyond just networking and self-promotion. One individual commented that a Twitter message sent out to the general community got a critical question answered and rescued a project.

I can see that happening very easily because with Twitter, you’re sending it out to the world. Anyone can find it even though they may not be following you – you just have to make sure you put relevant search words in the message. The 140-character limit is frustrating, but you can link to something longer, if necessary. Since getting that feedback comment, I’ve used it to reach out to others on information I needed for software and issue resolution.

However, I still contend that Twitter is really not a useful tool for collaboration and project management. It may get you an answer you need – not very quickly though…the best you can probably hope for is 24 hours. But someone will eventually reach out to you most likely. But in terms of disseminating critical information on a project to team members and customers… I still don’t see it as having any viable application in the PM world. It still remains to me, just a tool for networking with other like-minded individuals, a means of promoting your thoughts or work or whatever it is you’re doing, or possibly a way to get some questions answered. For true collaboration as a team, stick with email, phone and other devices to share knowledge like sharepoints and wikis.

MS Office Enters the Clouds

At the Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC09) on Monday, Microsoft announced that it was taking MS Office into the clouds. This announcement was well-anticpated last week and it was so big that it prompted Google to pre-announce their Chrome OS very early – long before there is really anything to unveil…just to get their announcement in first. Let’s look further at Microsoft’s announcement and what it means to the businesses – especially smaller organizations and cloud computing.

Microsoft announced that it will be offering a free, lightweight version of Office that is accessed via the web rather than as resident software. This move is seen as a direct hit on Google and their Google Docs offering. Google Docs is a web-based office suite that offers superior sharing and collaboration options to the conventional MS Office suite of software.

Microsoft’s Slow Progression

Eleven years ago, Microsoft began letting people access their Outlook e-mail over the Internet, though it was a few more years before it allowed customers to “rent” space on an e-mail server instead of buying the machine themselves. In November 2008, Microsoft moved its Excel spreadsheet program and a worker-collaboration product called SharePoint to the Web. Microsoft offers access to the programs for a subscription fee, so you don’t have to buy the software up-front.

Fast Forward to Now

Now Microsoft realizes that it must move much faster. On Monday at the WPC09, it publicly showed off portions of its upcoming Office 2010 suite for the first time and announced its “Office in the clouds” intentions.

What does this mean for the small business in this current economy? At a time when all business big and small are looking at ways to cut back, it means a lot. It means easier file sharing, real-time collaboration, and a nice savings to the bottom-line. Companies want full-featured products. However, lightweight versions of the Office suite of products that nearly every company has come to rely on daily is likely going to be ‘good enough’ for quite some time. Most organizations only regularly utilize 25-40% of the true functionality of the feature-ladened Office suite anyway, so switching to a cloud-based lightweight FREE (did I mention FREE?) version will – for most small businesses especially – be a no-brainer.

I’m told that the Office web applications included will be Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and OneNote and they will run inside the browser. They will be accessed using Windows Live (not Office Live…which is being discontinued). More good news is that Microsoft guarantees that they will work equally well in IE, Firefox, and Safari.

Document Controller SITE/ PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Location: United Arab Emirates
Salary: Excellent TAX FREE salary
Company: Stepp Recruitment
Sector: Commercial
Job role: Project manager
Job type: Permanent
Date posted: 22/06/2009 18:50

Document ControllerSITE/ PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Ref: A1022
Location: Abu Dhabi UAE
Date Posted: 19 June 2009
Salary: Excellent TAX FREE salary

Details:

Stepp Recruitment Limited has been placing candidates to the Middle East for almost TWENTY YEARS!! No other recruitment Company has more experience in placing CURTAIN WALLING/ CLADDING/ FACADES skilled applicants to this prosperous and stunning region of the world.

We are delighted to be working with one of our most prestigious client Curtain Walling companies in the Middle East, a company which can offer its clients complete expertise in Architectural Aluminum and Glazing product’s design, manufacture and installation and having a coveted portfolio of some of the most outstanding and architecturally award winning projects throughout the region.

Document Controller – part of a vital team assisting the Project Manager in a role that is highly computer orientated. The successful person will have intelligence and common sense and be able to document any changes to projects by recording the information and liaison with various departments to ensure awareness and implementation of any amendments. This will require an ability to read and understand drawings.

Experience Required:

Be computer literate with at least 2 years (ideally 5) experience in curtain walling and be familiar with all the components – extrusions, glass, brackets, silicon screws, nuts, etc. Able to speak clear and fluent English, so more suitable to an English, American, South African or Australian nationality. Methodical, highly organised

This is a highly pressurised, challenging role that will suit someone who has worked in the Middle or Far East previously, understand the culture, climate and working conditions. MUST be a ‘doer’ who will give everything to the role. Someone who will roll up their sleeves and go out and push. Practical experience is more important that qualifications.

A mature person who has worked in the same environment and has an acceptance of stress levels. In return you will a superb TAX FREE salary plus accommodation, with the opportunity to work alongside some of the most experienced and techncially competent people in the Curtain Wall industry and be involved in award winning, internationally acclaimed projects throughout the world. This is a GLOBAL company and prospects are superb for ambitious, hardworking, technically competent people.

To apply for this position please forward your CV in PDF or Word format by clicking the apply button.

Apply here..

CAT, CMCS tie up to boost project monitoring

The Contracting and Trading (CAT) Group has entered into a partnership with Collaboration, Management & Control Solutions (CMCS) to help enhance project monitoring and control processes throughout its Middle East and global operations.

CAT is a leading general contractor providing integrated procurement and construction services in the Middle East, African and European regions.

The partnership, which seeks to meet the highly demanding nature of complex construction, infrastructure and oil & gas projects of CAT Group, is a strategic move that complements the predicted 33 per cent growth in the oil & gas sector by the end of 2009.

Under the terms of the agreement, CMCS will help provide vital project management software like Hard Dollar Cost Estimation, Control and Management, Primavera Project Portfolio Management and Primavera Contract Management for CAT Group projects that commonly utilize heavy machinery, diverse multiple resources and run over a long period.

Implementation of the different software will be complemented by special training sessions, licensed accreditations, and consultancy services to be administered chiefly in CAT Group’s headquarters in Beirut and its other branches spread across the globe.

The company is currently ranked 95 in Engineering News Record’s (ENR) international list of top 100 contractors.

Read the story here..

Article : Global Content Management Software Market to Reach $10.45 Billion by 2015

An article that you must read if you are involved in managing your companies content management systems, or have an interest in this field.

The content management market witnessed many important changes such as emergence of IBM, Oracle, and Microsoft, as dedicated players and consolidation of upper end companies in the recent past. A spate of acquisitions including Open Text’s takeover of Hummingbird, IBM’s acquisition of FileNet, and Oracle’s purchase of Stellent, narrowed down the list of major players in the content management market. However the market continues to remain relatively fragmented with pure play vendors, and niche players cornering significant share of the market. Barring the three leading vendors – IBM, EMC, and Open Text – all the other vendors account for less than 4% of the market. Moreover both the majors as well as the smaller and regional players bid for the same projects, especially in the web content management market (http://www.strategyr.com/Content_Management_Software_Market_Report.asp).

Novel communication tools such as RSS, podcasts, wikis, and blogs have emerged as the major tools for communication in recent times. Originally used for content dissemination of print/ pdf content, and dynamic or static web pages, these novel tools have outgrown their historic boundaries to emerge as pervasive modes of communication both within and outside an organization.

The content management software market continues to be in a continuous state of flux with new technologies evolving by the day, and the players are adopting different strategies to address the changing market scenario. The major impact on the market has been from the major infrastructure vendors such as IBM, Oracle, and Microsoft. These players are targeting medium and small businesses through comprehensive solutions that integrate well with their respective infrastructure. Microsoft is banking on its presence on most networks, and high user familiarity of its Office products around the world to sell the SharePoint solution. Oracle is leveraging its strong presence in the database market, while EMC, the other major infrastructure vendor is leveraging its presence in the data storage market, and is also offering hosted services to expand its reach. On the other hand, smaller content management providers are partnering with the major ones to provide the missing functionalities in the content management solutions of the majors.

Read the full article here.