Collaborative and Workflow Tools
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This document discusses collaboration and workflow tools. It defines collaboration as a joint effort to accomplish a shared goal and discusses challenges of virtual teams like building trust and managing communication across time zones. It also defines workflow as the automatic routing of information and tasks according to set rules. The document reviews collaboration software, characteristics of virtual teams, and drivers of e-collaboration like increasing internet technology and globalization. It discusses issues in effective collaboration including trust, cultural differences, and software challenges.
Collaborative and Workflow Tools
- 1. Collaborative and Workflow Tools Seminar #10 Presented by Ntombenhle Mngomezulu
- 2. • Collaboration • Definition • E-Collaboration & virtual teams • Challenges of virtual teams • Drivers of e collaboration • Collaboration Tools • Collaboration Software • Workflow Tools • Definition • Workflow Management • Challenges and benefits • Case Study • Discussion
- 4. Collaboration is a joint effort of multiple individuals or work groups to accomplish a task or project. (Reihmer,2009a) • It is a process used to reach goals that usually cannot be reached by a single organisation. (Johnson and Wang,2008)
- 5. Increase in geographically dispersed organisations More and more organisations are becoming geographically dispersed. Therefore More workers are needing to work in dispersed environments. Potential to decrease time-to-market Length of time it takes for product conception until the product is available for use or sale (Carmen et al.,2010)
- 6. E Collaboration Collaboration Business to Business collaborations facilitated by the internet. Not just a buy and sell transaction but better described as relationships (Johnson and Wang,2008). Grocery Manufacturers of American Association Use of internet based technologies to facilitate continuous automated exchange of information between supply chain partners. (GMAA,2009) IBM Anything that allows people to work together more easily using electronic tools
- 7. • Handing off of work at the end of the day from one site to another, across different time zones, in order to speed up the development of a product. Miami Kommetjie
- 8. eCollaboration…in essence • Different individuals over geographically dispersed areas working towards a common goal • Exchange an sharing of information • Facilitated by an electronic tool (internet)
- 9. Drivers of eCollaboration • Emergence of virtual organisations • Increase in internet technology • Pressure to constantly innovate • Globalisation and liberalisation of markets
- 10. Drivers of eCollaboration Emergence of virtual organisations A virtual organisation is a group of companies that come together to form one organisation to share skills & expertise (Beranek & Clairborne, 2012). • Work within a virtual environment which creates room for more growth, and varied ways of developing • Because there is a greater pool of skills and expertise. Increase in internet technology Internet has been identified as the main driver behind eCollaboration, due its rapid growth & perception as a software platform (Reimer, Steinfield, & Vogal,2009).
- 11. eCollaboration drivers, continued… Pressure to constantly innovate • There’s an increased expectation from consumers to be provided with individual and personalised services. • eCollaboration allows for the production of innovative goods and services to be produced within a short space of time. Globalisation & Liberalisation of markets • Globalisation & market deregulation motivate businesses to expend into new, often remote markets which require these organisations to decentralise and distribute work and partner with local organisations. • In turn there is an emergence of multi-national alliances.
- 12. ICT Collaboration Tools eCollaboration needs to allow people to collaborate with their colleagues or team mates through different communication channels. Collaboration tools allow for people to communicate and work together on a piece of work in real time. (Reimer et al, 2009) • Unified Communication and Collaboration o Text o Media
- 13. Unified Communication & Collaboration Brings together all collaborations and collaboration components Collaboration components are the tools used to enable and facilitate collaboration •Email • Video conferencing •All on one communication platform
- 14. Advantages of eCollaboration Leads to creative and innovative solutions Higher standards from group outcomes Increase efficiency & productivity Helps develop other skills > Time Management > Project Management > Problem solving & communication
- 15. Disadvantages of eCollaboration Groupthink: Limits the idea generation process to that of a single outcome Unequal Workload: Perceived unequal workload may in turn negatively influence how the concerned individual processes their work Reduced Motivation: The unavailability of technology may reduce motivation by causing delays and inhibiting effective collaboration within teams Interpersonal conflict which may arise due to different views. Can however be minimised with time
- 16. Issues and challenges in effective collaboration Trust and cohesion Software Collaboration Cultural Differences
- 17. Trust and cohesion A high degree of trust is required in order for effective collaboration to take place between individuals Cultural Differences • Information sharing within organisations which take part in collaboration , consists of individuals with different cultural backgrounds.(DeRosa, 2011) • Cultural differences in a team may result in conflict within a virtual team, which may in turn affect the effectiveness of collaboration (Jackson, 2010)
- 18. Management of Collaboration Collaboration management involves capturing the collaboration process, coordinating the activities of the participating applications and humans, and/or providing awareness, i.e., information that is highly relevant to a specific role and situation of a process participant
- 19. Collaborative Software • Microsoft • SharePoint • Team Foundation Server • Live Meeting • Novel GroupWise • Google Docs • Oracle Beehive combines email, team collaboration & conferencing on collaboration platform • omNova Technologies interactive online meeting platform • Pidoco cloud based collaboration which allows you to create, share and test site and mobile application (UI prototypes)
- 20. Virtual teams & organisations • A virtual team is a group of geographically dispersed able to, across time and space cross organisational boundaries, communicate and work on a project. • (Bergiel, Bergiel & Balsmier, 2008) • Virtual teams heavily rely on interactive technologies • Characterised by their temporary lifespan and membership
- 21. Virtual team in organisations • Virtual teams are used by most companies to cut travel costs, relocations costs and other business costs • Helps organisations build a global presence, outsource operations , or if there is less need for common expertise or skills.
- 22. Virtual teams continued... • Governed by the same fundamental principal as traditional teams • Major Difference: The way in which virtual teams communicate • Virtual teams rely on special communication channels enabled by modern technology • i.e. Email, teleconferencing, phone calls (Nunamaker, Reining, Briggs, 2009)
- 23. Characteristics of virtual teams • Members are and often need to be • Self motivated • Able to work well independently • Communicate clearly, constructively and positively (Virtual Teams Survey Report, 2010)
- 24. Virtual team challenges • Trust: building and maintaining trust in a virtual team is one of the biggest challenges • Mainly because trust is key for breaking down some of the communication barriers between members. • Communication: The lack of face-to-face interaction • Time-zone: Example: If Mandy in Miami needed to talk to Jali in Limpopo...when Mandy wakes up Jali sleeps
- 25. • Software collaboration- software designed to help individuals in virtual teams achieve their goals • Organisations have different I.T. Infrastructure • Technology- not all individuals in a virtual team may have access to the same resources • Making decisions • Expressing opinions • Ultimately, the challenges faced by virtual teams may in turn hinder the generation of innovative ideas and quality of work produced (Virtual Teams Survey Report, 2010)
- 26. • Many organisations are not willing to adopt the collaborative approach • Some of these organisations view collaboration as being time consuming, with costs outweighing benefits • Other organisations are just reluctant to work with other organisations • Sceptical about the sharing of ideas - fearful that their knowledge may be exploited or stolen • Despite these barriers , the practice of collaboration is expanding around the world.
- 27. Workflow
- 28. • Workflow is the automatic routing of documents, information and/ or tasks to be completed to a particular individual, according to a set of rules (Carmel et el., 2009) • Move of information as it flows through the sequence of steps that make up a business process.
- 29. • Workflow is facilitated by a workflow system which • Monitors what people do • Which people do it • When they are doing it • Used for transparent planning and control – where employees work together and share information
- 30. Key driver behind workflow • Highlight need for practical guidelines for employees in being able to complete tasks assigned to them. • Enable the capturing of knowledge about business processes. Sharp & Dermott (2009)
- 31. Workflow Management Workflow management is the systematic process of passing information, documents or tasks from one employee within an organisation to another, governed by a procedure or rules. Workflow management system is a program that enables automatic procedures so that everyone who needs to know, knows where what is, at a specific time. (Carmel et al., 2010)
- 32. Benefits of Workflow • Improved Efficiency • Continuity • Automation • Traceability • Improved customer service • Centralisation • Standardisation • Economisation • Adaptability
- 33. • Improved Efficiency Workflow management automates major process within an organisation by establishing consistent procedures. Employees are thus able to narrow down their day to day tasks , which boosts their productivity levels. (DeRosa, 2011)
- 34. Creates a constant flow of documentation Because of its automatic nature it ensures that documents move along a predetermined pace and that the responsible individual receives and processes them in the correct order. Mitigates the risk of error and documentation getting lost as a result of manual systems. (Riemer, Steinfield, & Vogel, 2009).
- 35. Traceability Management is able to track tasks being performed, or information or documentation being routed to a specific employee. Improved customer service Workflow management allows for consistent product and service delivery.
- 36. Standardisation Workflow enables management to create standardised working processes within their organisation. All employees working on the same task , do so in a systematic standardised manner.
- 37. Economisation – savings on cost All business processes are in a single system therefore management doesn’t need to purchase or maintain separate system (Rosenzweig, 2009) Extensibility Workflow systems enable management to extend business processes in the case where an organisations business requirements change (Deelman et al., 2009).
- 38. Key benefits continued... Workflow is a management tool Workflow is mostly used for the benefits of management i.e. Improving business processes allows for greater efficiency and productivity which may in turn increase revenue.
- 39. Workflow for the employee... What the workflow system might read as “slacking” or creating a bottleneck, is influenced by various factors It could be that the employee is slow OR Employee is held up by other minor tasks Example: employee goes to the toilet and takes a bit longer...a bottleneck is identified at that workstation Management sees that as an employee being inefficient (Carmel et al., 2010)
- 40. • Workflow major downfalls • Working under stringent and restrictive conditions...where an employee feels like their every move is a cost to their productivity... • May negatively influence morale and performance levels • Does not work in favour of the employee
- 41. Workflow vendors • Workflow is used by different originations for the same fundamental purpose of keeping track of who does what and at what time. However, the type of vendor used by an organisation will be influenced by the type of organisation; the type of work done and what the business’ key objectives are for using workflow. • (van der Aalst & ter Hofstede, 2012).
- 42. Relevance to I.S. • Information Systems is moving away from the popular culture of consuming, into a culture of participation. • Through collaboration, virtually any complex problem is potentially solvable • The knowledge that organisations would need, resources and the relevant set of skills, has become easily accessible. • Success in the business world is largely influenced by the innovative ideas, fast service delivery at minimum cost.
- 43. • Competition in the business industry in constantly increasing - businesses need to find ways to increase employee productivity in a cost effective, efficient and customer friendly manner -Whilst generating the business profit • Business Intelligence • Increase in software & internet technology
- 44. Case Study • Davis Controls: Manufacturer of process control instrumentation & factory automation practices • Business was having trouble keeping their customers happy...turning to cheaper imports from China • Invested $300 000 in suit of applications from Exact Software
- 45. • By capturing all customer information, for example, Davis employees would he able to more efficiently, track and serve their clients. • If a client recently purchased a new boiler control, and mentioned that in six months it would be in the market to purchase instrumentation to monitor its boilers remotely, that information could be captured instead of residing in someone's bead or email account
- 46. • Shipping delivery policy was 21 days • If delivery was late or had been missed, workflow software would instruct person in front of the desk , in a task form, to phone or visit the customer and smooth over the problem. • At the end of a working day, Montgomery received a report with the total orders booked by the salesperson, profit margin and accounts received
- 47. • Since the software became fully operational the company's yearly revenue has grown from almost $12 million to just over $15 million in 2005 • Admin staff reduced from 9 to 3 (the rest were redeployed into sales • But the number of employees has remained static at 50 employees
- 48. Case study analysis & summary • Workflow system is not just a process tracking system • It is a form of ERP and BI intelligence tool. • Biggest challenge for Davis Controls and most likely any other organisation implementing workflow, is not the technology but more the people. • Workflow success is dependent on bother management & employee buy-in
- 49. Challenges • More than adapting to new ways of conducting business processes and completing tasks, employees biggest problem with the workflow system: • “Its like big brother is watching me”
- 50. • In deciding whether or not to implement a workflow system within your company, which factors would you consider more important and why? • (from management perspective & employee) • Knowing and being aware of all the pro’s and cons of collaboration and working in virtual teams...would you consider being a part of it? Why?
- 51. THANK YOU Goodbye diarrhoea Goodbye type 12...hello type 4 Its time to smell the flowers