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Q2-5 How Can You Use Collaboration Tools to Improve Team Communication?

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a Collaboration IS

Collaboration information systems procedures specify standards, policies, and techniques for
conducting the team’s work. An example is procedures for reviewing documents or other work
products. To reduce confusion and increase control, the team might establish a procedure that
specifies who will review documents and in what sequence. Rules about who can do what to which
data are also codified in procedures. Procedures are usually designed by the team; sometimes they
need to be adjusted because of limitations in the collaboration tools being used.
The final component of a collaboration system is, of course, people. We discussed the
importance of the ability to give and receive critical feedback in Q1. In addition, team members
know how and when to use collaboration applications.

Primary Functions: Communication and Content Sharing

Figure 2-6 shows requirements categorized according to Hackman’s three criteria for team success
(discussed in Q2-2). For doing the work on time and on budget, teams need support from their
collaboration system to communicate, to manage many versions of content, and to manage tasks.
We will discuss tools that support each of those requirements in Q2-5 through Q2-7. Notice that
these requirements support iteration and feedback, as you would expect for an IS that supports
collaboration. Figure 2-6 also shows requirements for growth in team capability and for creating a
meaningful and satisfying experience.
As you will learn, there are numerous alternatives for constructing an IS to meet those
requirements. We will investigate three in Q2-8. You will then have the opportunity of creating
an IS for your team in Collaboration Exercise 2 on page 110. Doing so will be greatly beneficial
because it will teach you firsthand the role of each of the five components and it will also give you
a result that you can use with other teams, in other courses, and, of course, during your career.
Figure 2-7 lists the four purposes of collaboration activities discussed in Q2-3 and summa-
rizes IS requirements for collaboration systems for each purpose. When you construct your own
collaboration IS, first determine the type of effort you are engaged in and then use Figure 2-7 to
help you determine your requirements.

Q2-5 How Can You Use Collaboration Tools

to Improve Team Communication?

Because of the need to provide feedback, team communication is essential to every collaborative
project. In addition to feedback, however, communication is important to manage content, project
tasks, and the other requirements shown in Figures 2-6 and 2-7. Developing an effective com-
munication facility is the first thing your team should do, and it is arguably the most important
feature of a collaboration IS.