With virtual teams cutting across
department lines and even across
state and national boundaries, software that allows smooth tracking of work-flow and easy collaboration on projects is
becoming a key part of many firms’ information technology repertoire.
Smart Business asked Chris Scragg, an
expert with Pomeroy IT Solutions, Inc. for
some advice to those firms that do not yet
use workflow and collaboration software.
Today, workflow and collaboration has
become a nebulous grouping of software-based tools, meaning different things to different people and organizations. For the
magazine publisher, these tools can refer to
the management of content, color and
image quality. However, the prevailing view
of collaboration tools revolves around
communication, management and confer-encing tools.
What kinds of tools are typically used?
Communication tools are probably the
most common form of collaboration applications on the market. These tools focus
on sending files, data and documents to
recipients. Such applications are recognized as e-mail, instant messaging, faxing
and voice mail. In today’s economy, all of
the applications are available in a single
bundled, unified platform. Imagine all of
the ways that people correspond with you:
Blackberry, MS Exchange, voice mail, etc.
You can now have all of these messages
routed to a single application or even have
them follow you around on your
Blackberry.
Conferencing tools are focused on the
transmission of information but in an intently interactive way. You’ll recognize these
applications as Web forums, video confer-encing, application sharing, as well as online
chat (chat rooms, IRC, etc). WebEx and
GoToMeeting have made this form of collaboration a household name and recognized means to give presentations, demonstrations and the like, remotely.
In IT, this method of presentation isn’t the
way you always want to communicate with
your customers; however, it is completely
acceptable to do so where appropriate.
One of the more promising forms of collaboration is the grouping of collaborative
management tools, including applications
like Web Content Management,
SharePoint, MS Office System, Exchange,
intranets and Project Management suites.
Chances are you’ve heard of or are even
considering an investment in one or more
collaboration suites.
How does workflow and collaboration software pay off?
Collaborative systems involve a cultural
change in your organization more than just
adding yet another system to use. In fact,
the real payoff from the use of these tools
is achieved only through widespread adoption and use in your organization.
For example, Siebel will do nothing for
your sales team if only 15 percent of the
team uses it. You’d be better off making an
investment in a boxful of lottery tickets. The
real magic comes not just from the sales
organization’s use of it but the senior and
executive management’s use of it, as well.
Well-disciplined organizations on this platform have seen dramatic efficiencies,
increased revenues, realization of goals, etc.
The hallmark of a collaborative system is
providing your organization with increased
levels of operational efficiency, which optimize and leverage investments made in
your IT infrastructure.
Can you share a success story where this has
paid off?
Pomeroy recently did a project for a
regional medical center to improve their
current Internet site. The former site was
rich with information, but it was poorly
organized, difficult to maintain, quickly
became stale and generally did not keep
pace with the marketing efforts made to
communicate the proper image of the
organization to the general public.
We utilized an open-source framework
for Web content management. The new
site was skinned and designed to be easily
updated and to be consistent with other
printed marketing materials. The content
management aspect of the site now allows
for authors to publish content directly to
the site via portal where the editor can
approve and release to production the new
content. Modules were developed to provide a physician database and referral
point of interest. As well, now human
resources can publish job opportunities
with ease, and potential candidates can
apply for employment directly online. For
the first time, the medical center can
receive donations online, which will produce a newly realized form of funding.
The interesting thing about this project
was that the investment made by the medical center was actually less than the original site they created three years ago. Now,
they have a site that is scalable that they
can easily maintain and expand for years to
come without the need of increasing their
IT staff to support it.
CHRIS SCRAGG is the practice director for application development within Pomeroy IT Solutions, Inc. Chris has been delivering application-based solutions in the industry for 11 years.
Reach him at [email protected].
