Strengthening Collaborative Teams
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Freedom from
Surprises Newsletter
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October 2007 |
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Engineering Professional,
At
present, collaboration and collaborative work environments are
something that is assumed to be a routine part of most design teams
operations. A common perception is that design must employ
collaboration in everything they do because designs will be quicker,
cheaper and we will have maximum utilization of all the organizations
global design resources. Is collaboration providing your organization
with the results the business believes it should supply? This month's
newsletter is all about concepts, ideas and tools to improve upon
collaboration within product development teams.
Jeff Jorvig, IC Design Process Visionary
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JCI News
- Check out our quick
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- Great article on the need for an IP manager. Full Article.
- Are you short on time? Our new Virtual Design Manager
product offering will give you more time to do what you need to.
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The Essence of Collaborative Teams
Let's
begin with a definition for collaboration. Taken right out of the
dictionary the word collaborate means "to work with another person or
group in order to achieve something". It's a simple explanation and
looks suspiciously like the definition of a team that is working
towards a common goal. Something we are doing every day, assuming we
are clear about the common goal(s).
It's a matter of degree in
the success of collaboration that is more of interest. Collaboration
appears to be much more utilized in reference to development teams
spread out across the globe. I find it interesting that collaboration
and multiple physical location design teams have equivalent meaning.
Don't we collaborate over cubicle walls? I contend that the very same
requirements for collaboration exist for teams in the same building as
those that are 10 time zones apart. We tend to deceive ourselves that
we will collaborate to a higher degree if a team shares the same space.
The hypothesis is better collaboration through collocation.
Do
you believe collaboration can only be improved by collocating the team?
A positive response tends to indicate a trust in an osmosis type
process to convey project information, requirements, deliverable
expectations and plans among the team members. To clarify further, an
assumption that collocation would be a fix confirms that the team is
lacking in skills to formally communicate expectations and requirements
of each other.  Team
member discussion as noted on the slide to left exemplifies
collaborative inefficiencies. Team meetings that are peppered with
conversations such as these should send up a warning flag that there
are communication challenges impacting the teams ability to effectively
collaborate.
Hint:
Collaboration and communication are one in the same. You can't do one
without the other. Registering a high reading on the collaboration
meter means a high read on the communications meter. If verbal, one on
one, on the fly communication is the dominant mode of operation, I
would expect a failing grade in the area of collaboration. Focus on
formal, crisp, clear and concise visual communication and collaboration
will be a breeze. Given that the meaning of collaboration is "to work
with another person or group in order to achieve something" it makes
sense that everyone must have the proper forum/environment to
participate in the definition of "achieving something" and defining
what it takes to get there.
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Establishing
a Collaborative Framework for a Project
Collaboration
is the byproduct of a well planned, communicated, directed and
participative project. Nurture an environment that allows these to
flourish and a high degree of collaboration will take place. No extra
work is required in making your project "collaborative".  Tools
can assist in attaining an optimal level of collaboration, simply don't
fall into the trap that the tools will generate the collaborative
environment for you. You must manage the desired level of collaboration
for your team.
There are a variety of commercial tool
solutions available that can be pulled together to provide the
technical framework necessary in support of collaboration. These tools
are web hosted solutions that can be bundled together, forming the
basis of an effective collaborative technical framework. The
commercial solutions can be broken down into 3 distinct categories. The
first group are the full suite collaboration tools that include project
planning, document sharing and task management. This is followed by web
based project & task management and then brainstorming or mind
mapping utilities. The lists below are a set of these hosted solutions
that I have identified for your reference. I am not advocating the use
of any of these over any others. They are merely being provided for
your own edification.
Full Suite Collaboration:
Base Camp
Near Time
Huddle
Joint Contact
Central Desktop
Engineous
Project Spaces
Solodox
Teamwork Live
Web based Project
Management:
Vertabase
TenForce
Quick Base
Copper Project
Task Pro
Mind Mapping
(Brainstorming) Tools:
Mind Meister
Mindomo
Bubbl
CoMapping
Collaborative
success will be born out of a strategy that breeds visual sharing,
communication, and participation. The tools framework I have identified
will facilitate the ability to do this, although it will not make
collaboration happen. As with everything in design you can't just throw
some tools at the problem, add water and out sprouts the solution. You
must manage the tools and technical framework into your design project
environment thereby facilitating a higher level of team collaboration,
irrespective of member location.
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How we can Help
There
are a number of areas we can assist an organization in establishing a
more collaborative environment. Of course any of these would be done
with a high level of collaboration with your team.
- Develop the requirements of collaboration for
your specific situation.
- Identify collaborative blockages.
- Research commercial collaborative solutions to
identify a fit for your organization.
- Implement/configure chosen collaborative
framework per requirements.
- Development
of the soft document templates for collaboration. (Action items, specs,
guides, travelers, checklists, best practices, schedules etc.)
- Facilitate a team meeting strategy to foster
collaboration.
Email here with any questions or
for more information.
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