I’m working on several “de-centralized” teams right now. One of the teams is spread out all over the state (New Mexico) and there are a lot of complaints about the ineffectiveness of our communication as we work on projects together. Sound familiar?
I brought up Basecamp (www.basecamphq.com) about 18 months ago and have been trying to get everyone on board. But there have been the usual barriers to implementation. They range from one end of the spectrum to the other. From lack of basic computer skills and not being able to access the website to advanced computer users thinking that basecamp is too simplistic and ”there’s got to be somthin’ better out there”.
So for the past couple of weeks I’ve revisited what is available on Web 2.0 for collaborative teams and found that there are many, many good tools out there.
Now my quandary is . . . do I switch from the relatively simplistic Basecamp to one of the other tools, or do I stay with Basecamp.
Ultimately this is a people issue and not a technology issue because almost all of the tools are adequate and would improve the effectiveness of this teams communication. So how am I going to address the ”people” issues. Stay tuned . . . for how I’ll do it AND my comments on some of the other tools I’ve been working with and why I use them.
July 16, 2008 at 4:09 pm
what top 3 programs catch your interest?
July 16, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Hi Nick,
1) Central Desktop (www.CentralDesktop.com) seems to be the most robust, and configurable SaaS out there. You can configure “workspaces” as Project Management (PM), Customer Relationship Manager (CRM), DB, Wiki, or simply forum or discussion workspaces (I may have missed a configuration).
2) http://www.GoPlan.org (elegant interface, built on RubyonRails (RoR) like basecamp). Does a good PM job.
3) And, I still like Basecamp! Simple, has basic PM. What it lacks is a good calendar . . . using “Milestones” is not a good workaround. But its good if you have users with limited computer skills.
I’m also currently using Webex Office (www.WebEx.com) and Salesforce (www.Salesforce.com) for projects.
A lot depends on your needs and the computer capabilitites of the users.
(BTW – you’ve posted the first comment on this BLOG, I’ll buy you a cup of coffee when you’re in Santa Fe, NM.)
July 16, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Hi,
I like Basecamp and I like alot of other things as well. They are all basically the same with each having their own claim to fame. I agree with you, this is not a technology issue but a people issue. Collaboration comes from the inside and from people, technology helps then to carry it through and gives it an avenue. I would implement some other “non IT” collaborative efforts as well– as cheesy as it sounds let folks share a bit on what they did over the weekend, their kids sports, whatever. Call it “water cooler” time at the beginning of conference calls, etc. People in general don’t like change and are uncomfortable in this space. If it feels like “home” it is not as painful. Remember to use these tools as replacements for things not in addition to things as well. What I mean by that is if you are using it for documents, do NOT email them and store them on a drive somewhere as well— just use the tool. If you can implement a wiki or blog also for knowledge sharing that is great. Let folks establish themselves as experts in whatever they do. If they dont’ seem to be using it, start at the beginning— do a bit of anaysis on where they feel the gaps are and then implement the tool to address that. Sometimes the cart is put before the horse and then folks just dig in their heels or think of another reason why not to use it (like there must be a better tool out there!). Good luck and I will come back to see more on your journey. My blog is at http://collaborationtalk.wordpress.com. Happy collaborating!
July 23, 2008 at 11:56 am
Check out Clarizen (www.clarizen.com). Healthy combination of collaboration and project management…very intuitive…comes with an email interface to make adoption easy…..
July 28, 2008 at 6:51 am
You could also check out Biznesport (www.biznesport.com). It’s aiming at being powerful and professional, but still easy-to-use. Including timetables, online calendars with iCal support and many more features.
August 5, 2008 at 8:41 pm
You need to choose the tools that are best for your team – but I just wanted to let you know that the Obama Campaigns in California and Texas used Central Desktop heavily to organize Precincts Captains.
A lot was written about it earlier this year – here is one link that discusses it:
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/barack_obama_campaign_central_desktop.php
and here
http://billives.typepad.com/portals_and_km/2008/03/how-barack-obam.html
August 5, 2008 at 11:54 pm
Isaac,
Thanks for the info. I’ve been using Basecamp to coordinate projects for a nonprofit that I do work for because of the limited computer skills of my clients. However, I have evaluated Central Desktop, taken the tutorials, and signed up for a company account which I’m going to use to manage Collaborative Divorce cases for attorneys. I definitely think that Central Desktop has more of the features that I need for this project than Basecamp has.
The Regional Field Organizer (Alfred Johnson) that I’m working as a volunteer for on the Obama campaign in New Mexico worked in Texas duing the primaries so he might be familar with using Central Desktop. I’ll bring it to his attention and perhaps we can start using Central Desktop in New Mexico.