Groupware : Web2.0 and Curse of bullet proof Features . 01

22Oct07

Groupware : had been used for over years , for team management , projects management as well as organizing many personal stuff could be related to the action of that group ( mission , goal or project ) … such as ( personal todo list ) …

Using other simple words : Groupware is an alternative for Real life Projects – Team Management Online Techno way …. to Organize ( Project’s Task , Team’s Meeting , Team’s Discussions  , Project’s Time Map …etc ) ..Other wise it’s could be classified under many other tags : Teams Management , and Projects Management …. somehow , some blogger refer some of social , collaborative  projects as a groupware ( such as Social writing , Online office ) …. Years ago Wikis Used by Teams such as mailing lists …… too many concepts is getting together in this tag ( Groupware ) …

The Main Concept with ease ( which make it easy on many groupware that to join the Web2.0 Family ) ..is Based on ( Sharing , Sociality , Easy ,  Simple Communication , and finally flexibility  and simplicity in use for the team member ) .

Philosophy of groupware is more than Organization The projects and Teams : it’s How to Manage Members to Work as a Company in Certain Projects …..

so Groupware : it’s about Individuals  ( People=> Team ) those who ( Communicate ) cause a Shared  Goal  ( Project ) as same interest ,  willing to do  it through ( Missions ) Tasks in Certain Time ( Timeline ) ..

after we are ran into Groupware Concept , lets define many other Terms that floating in Web2.0 Space , some people could consider it in the same category of Groupware :

• Collaborative software : The Concept of Collaboration is pointed in ” Some People sharing same actions ( Mission Or Goal )  ” such as

1. Wikis : Social writing , Editing and Publishing ( Web ).
2. Online Office : as Google Docs , ThinkFree Office .
3. Services : Calenders , ToDo , Tasks , ….

P.s : We can List Social Bookmarking  services as a Collaborative software those which based on forming a Groups of people those who share Bookmarks with the same interest such as Mister-wong.com …

So The Term : Collaboration means any service , project that based on people ( Team , Friends , Groups ) Collaboration with the same interest …  so Groupware is a Part of Collaboration software ….

Looking to many of groupware and how they are handling those issues , i notice there are too much stuff to do …some of them having a real deficiency  in some of the Groupware core elements , which made me consider them needs more actions to can use..

As i see : some of them focused on ( the Tasks and Projects ) more than the Communication between the team member , otherwise some others focused on the timeline and productivity as tracking the accomplished tasks more than other stuff …. ( that deficiency was only for a few not for the new generation web2.0 ones )…

Somehow as i believe in Balance between the Groupware Elements i believe as well to make some limits on providing variation of tools  or the same tool , as many different ways for Notification for ( Tasks , Meetings , events , endline , …etc ) , the developer shouldn’t consider that variation of communication ( Notification as example ) as a Power in the system , but as weakness point ……. that why he should consider the users outline in using the system . ( P.s There is no need for a multi email notification as you can list only one , Or SMS Notification every simple Task , event , meeting , reminder .. as he can classify how urgent is that notification ) ….

     Why The Need for a Groupware ? :

• Online Teams , Projects .
• Virtual Community .
• Real Life Community .
• Graduation Project .
• Small companies .
• larger companies .
• Companies that has many devisions , sections , separated by long geographic distances.

Next :  -Features of Successful Groupware .
            -Choosing Your Groupware .

Hamza E.e Mousa

P.s : This is one of series of articles about Groupware and Web2.0 .

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Tags: Collaborativesoftware , groupware , socialware , timeline , teams , management , projects

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