Chapter 4 - Analyzing Collaboration and Work Management Requirements

Collaborative Work Requirements - coordinate the work of individuals
- New Activities for Collaborative Work
  1. Coordinate and schedule the work of the group
  2. Share information among group members
  3. Integrate work
  Four types of collaboration:
  1. same time and place - face-to-face communications
  2. same time, different place - video conferencing
  3. different time, same place - logs, journals
  4. different time, different place - e-mail, web pages, etc.
- Activities Altered by Collaborative Work
  1. Interpersonal dependencies
  2. Increased coordination
  3. Multiple information inputs
  4. More complex decision process
Information Technology Functions Supporting Collaborative Work
- Communications
  - LAN - Local Area Network
  - WAN - Wide Area Network
  - voice communications incl. voice mail
  - fax communications of text and graphics
  - e-mail (asynchronous electronic messaging)
  - asynchronous imaging (documents, sound, video) via e-mail, ftp, www
  - asynchronous meeting
  - synchronous meeting (video conferencing)
  - voice communications group support
  - fax communications group support (integrated into software)
  - e-mail group support (listservs, etc.)
  - imaging group support (white board)
  - video conferencing and electronic meeting group communications support (2-way video / audio)
- Scheduling and Coordination
  - software can search through each proposed participant's schedule, identifying mutual availabilities and reserving time intervals
  - can include resources (meeting rooms and equipment) and coordinate their use
  - integrate with e-mail facilities
  - can assist in rescheduling
- Shared Data Access
  - peer-to-peer LAN allows access to stored data
  - workgroups can have common shares
  - bulletin board and discussion groups allow topical "threads" of conversation
  - groupware (Lotus Notes) - allows sharing of documents
  - intranets - allow sharing of documents
  - document management systems
- Concurrent Work
  - Version control software (e.g. SourceSafe) - keeps track of elements of a joint work
  - simultaneous access software (e.g. whiteboards)
  - can support multi-party views of work in progress (incl. audio/video)
- Project or Topic Collaboration
  - establish forums
  - compile collections of completed projects for display
  - enable workgroup members to view, access, and contribute to discussions from anywhere, anytime
  - using software:
    - message threading
    - text search and retrieval
    - searching across multiple topics / forums
- Collaborative Authoring - requires version control system and/or simultaneous authoring tools
- Meeting (electronic meeting systems [Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS)]
  benefits include:
  - simultaneous participation
  - equal opportunity for participation
  - enhanced idea generation
  - use software to evaluate and rank ideas
  - ideas can be captured
  - allows more people to participate in meetings without increasing meeting length
  In an ems or GDSS, a typical process for decision making:
  1. idea generation
  2. idea organization
  3. prioritazation
  4. follow-up

Analyzing Collaborative Work Support Requirements

Summary of Collaborative Work Functions
Collaborative Work Function	Explanation
Communications	Electronic communication with others
Scheduling and coordination	Coordinate work schedules with others
Shared data access	Share access to data and work products
Concurrent work	Communicate while two or more are working on the same or related products
Project or topic collaboration	Communicate ideas and progress in project or topic
Collaborative authoring	Work concurrently on same document
Meetings	Electronic support for meetings

Worksheet for analyzing collaborative work requirements
Task	Importance of Software to Support Functions in Collaborative Work (Indicate None, Low, Medium or High)
Task	Communications	Scheduling & Coordination	Shared Data Access	Concurrent Work	Project or Topic Collaboration	Collaborative Authoring	Meeting Support

Factors Underlying Requirements for Knowledge Work Management
- Limits on Time and Cognitive Resources
- Motivation to Sustain Productive Work
- Random and Scheduled Interruptions
- Switching Among Tasks (cannot perform simultaneous activities, but can perform concurrent activities
- Establishing and Maintaining Readiness to Work
Methods and Software for Knowledge Work Management
- Methods and Software for Maintaining Work Motivation [scheduling methods and software]
- Methods and Software for Setting Priorities and Scheduling [calendars, to-do lists, PIMs, Gantt and PERT charts]
- Methods and Software for Switching Tasks
- Methods and Software for Establishing and Maintaining Readiness to Work [preparing the desktop]

Analyzing Support Requirements for Knowledge Work Management

Worksheet for analyzing the importance of knowledge work management software
Software function in support of task management	Importance to Task Management for Knowledge Worker
Software function in support of task management	Low importance	Medium importance	High Importance	Notes on Need
Scheduling, tracking, and reporting: Simple sequences Complex networks
More than one software package/file active at same time
Time management support(calendar, "to do", priority setting, reminder)
Notepad, cardfile, address list, contact management, automatic dialer, and similar record keeping
Automated procedure support and icons, task bars, keystrokes, and menus to reduce access time
Special backup and recovery software