Technology makes it possible: nowadays, individuals, teams and groups can work on one and the same project even when separated by time and location, at different desks. “Social collaboration” is the umbrella term for working together online, while “social business collaboration” refers to shared, networked collaboration in a business context. Following an initial article that took a very broad look at the topic, this second part now offers a few examples of programs that can be used to track private and smaller business projects across global networks.
“Social Collaboration”: Software for private users and smaller business tasks
The problem with a list like this, right from the outset: there is no ideal solution for every possible need. While one program may meet more requirements and another fewer when it comes to tracking individual projects online in the best possible way, true social business collaboration will inevitably require software developed specifically for the respective company. Companies that only want to network certain areas of their operations should take a closer look above all at the common solutions offered by major providers. And private individuals who, for example, want to work together on a birthday invitation, or volunteers who would like to spread certain parts of club work across more shoulders, should be familiar with a few of the most common applications.
A very simple example of how collaborating on a project via the internet works: the shared shopping list. Anyone who runs a household can use this simple example of social collaboration to understand what it is all about at its core: a clearly defined task, namely purchasing various groceries and household items, should be manageable by several people regardless of time and place. Programs such as “Buy Me a Pie” or “Our Groceries” have one key advantage over the analogue shopping list version, in other words: the shopping list. They are available practically everywhere at the same time and, thanks to cloud integration, are always up to date.
Getting started: Shopping lists
Take the following situation: Early in the morning, the cat prowls around the house with a reproachful look, while the father's daily outburst of anger coming from the kitchen suggests that the daughter has once again put the empty milk carton back in the fridge. The son pointedly remarks that his sister follows a very similar policy when it comes to toilet paper, and the mother – someone has to be practical, after all – uses the situation to make sure the pantry doesn't meet the same fate with vinegar, oil and sugar as the milk and cat food. She ignores the unwelcome chorus of mutual accusations and grumpy meowing and reaches for her smartphone instead. She creates a family shopping list, shares it with father, daughter and son, and enters cat food, milk, toilet paper, vinegar, oil, sugar and bread for dinner one after another.
When the family then heads off to tackle the day's work at different schools (the children), at the office (father) or at the agency (mother), there are several bakeries, supermarkets and drugstores along their respective routes. When the mother checks her smartphone after work, she sees that her husband has already picked up bread from the bakery during his lunch break and the daughter has brought cat food and toilet paper home from the drugstore: those items have already been marked as “done”, so all the mother still needs to buy at the nearby supermarket are milk, vinegar, oil and sugar. She too will tick off the completed items from the list at the checkout – and because the list is constantly updated via a server, the son will find an empty list when he finishes football practice. Of course, that's only if the family doesn't think of something else at home after all: in theory, they could quickly add it to the list and, for example, ask the son to make a short stop at the DIY store to pick up a replacement for the light bulb that has just burned out.
This example shows in a very simple but fundamental way where the strengths of social collaboration lie: a group of people in different places at different times can successfully work together on a shared project. Most programs work in exactly this way – based on the same principle as shopping-list apps. Whether they run on a PC, an Android phone or an iOS-powered tablet, or come with a few extra features that let users maintain databases, edit documents or collect media. Incidentally, digital to-do lists work according to the same shopping-list principle. They are often enhanced with a few additional functions.
Slightly more complex: to-do lists
Everyone who has ever battled their way through a longer project knows the principle: a list that clearly sets out a plan at the start, with care and thought, can work small wonders when it comes to sticking to the task consistently. The initial planning work is done, and from that point on your mind is free to work through the items one by one with focus. “Wunderlist” is one such small but useful helper.
“Todoist”, “Taasky”, “Google Keep” and “Any.do” are others. Depending on the app, these lists offer more than just the standard options of creating shared lists or ticking off individual items as “done” – they may also include helpful extras such as location-based reminders. For example, if you add the baker’s address to the item “buy bread”, a reminder alert will go off as soon as the smartphone owner is detected near that bakery. Alternatively, you can set a specific time, assign special tasks to individual co-users or add attachments to individual items, such as directions or recipes.
Please note: the software product names mentioned are intended purely as examples, not as recommendations. Given the overwhelming number of useful programs available, it is virtually impossible to make firm suggestions. It is worth comparing the details and finding out for yourself which app or program comes closest to your personal requirements. Another selection criterion may be which platforms the software is available for: if different platforms are used at home, in a club or in a company, it makes sense to find common ground – a program that is available for Android, Windows, Mac and iOS, for example. It can also be practical if the program runs not only on a mobile device but also on a PC or Mac – that way you can access the social collaboration tool just as easily from the office chair at work as from your smartphone while travelling by train or from your tablet in your living room at home.
For advanced users: Project management
The same applies even more to the next level up: project management. Programs that allow more complex processes to be planned and, where necessary, managed should be able to run on as many devices as possible in parallel. Project management programs such as the veteran “Things” for Mac allow you to create many different to-do lists, group them into folders and sort them according to various parameters – however, this software is only available for Apple products. It handles the management and categorisation of a wide variety of lists and keeps them synchronised across the iPhone, iPad, Mac or Macbook. Due dates and current entries are displayed in a daily summary, and individual tasks can be assigned a priority.
Microsoft has also been offering a corresponding software solution for over 30 years: “Microsoft Project”, which naturally now also works with the cloud. “Wrike” offers many different features, including comprehensive document management and integration with common programs. “Basecamp” is software that focuses on file sharing, task management and discussions – and, of course, communication. Also worth a look and, above all, available for all kinds of platforms: the globally successful “Wunderlist” for personal use is now also offered in a project management version with many business features.