MIS382-What is Groupware and Why Do You Need It?

What is Groupware?

• a tool that helps people work together more easily and more effectively
• collaborative computing
• group support systems (GSS)
• encourages free flow of information, which enhances innovation and supports and facilitates collective leadership

What is Workflow?

• a tool that makes it easier for people to work together
• performs specific transactions and routes those transactions among workgroup members
• follows specific routes based on rules that support business processes

What Does groupware Do?

• Helps two or more people work together
• Lets them share knowledge and expertise
• Automates their activities
• Helps create an organizational memory
• Bridges geography and time

1. communication Helps people share information
2. Coordination Helps people coordinate their individual roles with each other
3. Collaboration Helps people work together

1. Working Together
   1. Calendaring and Scheduling Tools
   2. Voice Conferencing
   3. Videoconferencing
   4. Electronic Meeting Systems (EMS)
   5. Whiteboards and Data Conferencing
   6. Chat Tools

2. Working Individually
   1. E-mail
   2. Conferencing and Discussions (newsgroups, forums, discussion groups)
   3. Knowledge Repositories
   4. Group Writing and Shared Document Editing tools
   5. Workflow and Applications Development Tools

Why Do You Need Groupware?

• Collaboration Yields a Product That's Greater than the Sum of Its Parts
• Groupware Lets You Capture and Share Knowledge
• Groupware Promotes Learning and Empowers Employees
• Operational processes