Collaboration When Collaboration Isn’t Enough Published on 26 May 2010 - Revised on With all the communication about business team collaboration lately, we are hearing a lot about the benefits. By integrating collaboration processes, practices and solutions in your business, you’ll be able to work better together to produce a quality product. But sometimes collaboration isn’t enough. It isn’t good enough to just talk about what you’re going to do, nor is it good enough to plan on working together in one area and then do the work in a vacuum somewhere else. Here are a few common instances when utilizing a collaboration solution just isn’t enough, and how to integrate the collaboration solution as needed. Project and Task Management - With all the work you and your team are collaborating on, you need a way to manage it, right? You’ll need to plan tasks and projects from start to finish, and assign those tasks to your team for completion. When incorporating collaboration into your project plan, make sure to utilize a combined solution that both facilitates collaboration as well as schedules and manages your work for you and your team. This combined effort gives you the benefits of collaboration in the same place you are already managing projects. Meetings - No matter how many times you’ve heard that there are too many meetings, they are still necessary. As one of the most primitive forms of collaboration, meetings can be beneficial - and can also be updated to include new forms of collaboration. Prior to the meeting, hold discussions in an online chat room to work on the meeting agenda together. Hold meetings with remote workers and external teammates by using online web conferencing tools. Take meeting notes right into your online team collaboration and project management solution. These simple changes in the way you hold meetings will update the effectiveness of your meetings so they are more beneficial for all involved. Presentations - There comes a time in every business that an important presentation needs to be given. And sometimes those presentations need to be worked on by many different team members. When coming together to update the same file or PowerPoint presentation, utilize tools in your collaboration solution such as file sharing and commenting. Upload a version of the presentations and ask others to add to it as needed. Make comments on others additions, and ask questions in relation to the file in the same place the file is stored. This collaboration will keep communication around the file in the most important location and ensure all team members can update the file so it’s ready for the big presentation. Rate this article: No rating Print Dana Larson As a marketing manager, Dana represents the best of a new generation of communicators adept at engaging across all media, from traditional to social. A smart and outgoing gal whose career in marketing has easily transcended from big agency to agile small business, Dana blogs regularly about project management, business techniques, collaboration and productivity solutions. Full biography Full biography As a marketing manager, Dana represents the best of a new generation of communicators adept at engaging across all media, from traditional to social. A smart and outgoing gal whose career in marketing has easily transcended from big agency to agile small business, Dana blogs regularly about project management, business techniques, collaboration and productivity solutions. x Contact author Linked In
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