The choice of online collaborative tools in teamwork

The tools are there to make people's lives easier. It theoretically the same is true of online collaborative tools. But, while these tools are undeniably practical, today we are faced with the problem of choice as the offer is so overabundant.

What is a collaboration tool?

Collaboration tools are digital tools that promote collaboration and go beyond the notion of cooperative work: the people involved in a project no longer work in isolation, in silos, but together and in real time.

Online collaboration tools are either monofunctional or offer several possibilities through different software "bricks" that can communicate with each other.

Collaboration tools have one or more of the following functionalities:

• office suite,
  
• ERP or CRM,
• shared calendar,
• email,
instant messaging or chat,
• videoconferencing,
• task manager and project management,
• file deposit, sharing and transfer,
• intranet,
• knowledge management platforms,
• interactive mind mapping.
• wiki
  
• etc.
  

More and more vendors are bringing so-called "collaboration" solutions solutions, enterprise social networks and social intranets with solutions social intranets with solutions like Slack, Teams, Trello, Zoom or Google G Suite in addition to the opensource solutions that are also developing on their own like Jitsi.

How can online collaborative tools improve your productivity?

Online collaborative tools are becoming increasingly popular with businesses, organizations and individuals. They allow you to work with other people on a common project, without having to travel. to travel. These tools offer many advantages, especially in terms of productivity. Indeed, they save time by time by avoiding travel and also allow to work more efficiently by giving more efficiently by providing access to all the information and documents needed for the project to run smoothly. In addition, online collaborative tools allow you to work with other people, regardless of their location. people, regardless of their location.

If it is proven that these tools can be useful, the big question is how to decide which ones you want to work with?

Steps to adopt a collaborative tool

As there are a plethora of tools, you have to choose the one or ones that will be useful to you, the task is not simple:

1- Define your needs

Why is it useful to use a collaborative tool or tools? Is it a long-term need or a one-time need to manage a project? It is essential to know what the tool is going to be used for and what you expect it to be useful for. To choose the best online collaborative tools for your business, you must first determine business, you must first determine your needs in terms of collaboration.

• Do you want to facilitate communication within the team?
• Do you want to make collaboration on projects more productive?
• Do you want to be able to hold remote meetings?
• etc.

In a way, it's a matter of making a specification of the features the tools must have to meet your needs.

2- Consider the cost of collaborative tools

If you need tools in a school setting, free is important. If, on the other hand, it's in a corporate setting, performance and productivity gains will become the main criteria. Subscriptions to various digital tools can quickly increase fixed costs for a business at a time when they are trying to reduce those fixed costs. The cost of various subscriptions can add up very quickly. The money spent must have a positive return on investment.

Freemium versions offer free usage but with limited functionality so you can eventually pay if the usage proves interesting. If free is a must, it helps narrow the list down significantly.

3- Compare the features of collaborative tools

To choose the best online collaborative tools for your business, you must first determine your needs in terms of collaboration needs. Then you need to compare the different features offered by the available features offered by the available tools.

Once you have determined your collaboration needs, it's time to compare the different features offered by online collaboration tools. There are many tools that can help you that can help you collaborate with others, but some of them are more are more suited to certain types of work than others. For example, if you need a tool to manage a project, you may need to use a tool like Trellis. may need to use a tool like Trello or Asana. If you need need a tool for chatting with other people, you may want to use Slack, WatsApp use Slack, WatsApp, or Telegram.

This Wikipedia page compares a huge number of project management tools and may be useful in order to make a short list.

On cursus.edu, we have also offered lists of tools for sharing, communicating, and managing projects. The case of instant messaging in schools was also the subject of an article.

4- Determine the compatibility of tools with the organization's solutions

Another important consideration is the compatibility of the tools online collaborative tools with your existing software. Your team should ensure that the tools they use are compatible with the software they already software they are already using. Many tools are compatible with most common software, but there are some exceptions. Make sure your team is aware of any restrictions before choosing a tool.

5- Consider the user experience

Some tools have powerful and interesting features, but their developers may not have thought enough about users. Unpleasant tools, whose adoption will seem complicated, will bring reluctance that will make part of the team risk not using them. The learning curve is often a determining factor in their use within a team.

The adoption and use of tools

When a tool has been selected, the most difficult task is its adoption. Indeed, this requires, a change in habits and you face the risk of resistance to change.

Inform each team member of the uses of each tool

Each software must have a clearly defined purpose. Each team member should know what communication and work processes are taking place and where. Involve everyone and leave room for unconventional ideas.

If the processes are well established in a given tool, you don't need to chase every new trend and feature in the tools that come out.

Evaluate the usage of the chosen tools

Tools are not an end in themselves. If a tool is no longer used after the initial curiosity, it is probably a poor fit. Regular reviews can help determine if the tools are still needed.

Take the time

There are many online collaborative tools that can be used by organizations. These tools all have different functionalities and can be different and can be more or less tailored to your needs. It is therefore important to take the time to choose the tools that will best suit your will work best for your organization.

References

Wikipedia - Comparison of project management software
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_project_management_software

17 ideas and tools to strengthen sharing and communication in organizations
https://cursus.edu/fr/21906/17-idees-et-outils-pour-renforcer-le-partage-et-la-communication-dans-les-organisations

Business Review- How to reduce fixed costs to better cope with crises
https://www.worldwidebusinessreview.com/reduire-couts-fixes/

CRM - ERP - Business Management Software - https://www.crm-erp.fr/

Remote Work Directory - Collaboration - Organization - Support
https://cursus.edu/fr/21476/repertoire-du-travail-a-distance-collaboration-organisation-support