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This article is the first of a series of articles exploring specific aspects of groupware. The brief informational articles in this series discuss some of the technologies associated with groupware, as well as some of the characteristics of groupware. Some of these characteristics may go hand in hand with business collaborative needs. Other characteristics go beyond what some groupware providers have to offer. The purpose of these articles is to equip the groupware user or investigator with helpful knowledge about the product in order to enable more effective use or to lead the investigator to the groupware service he or she is looking for. This first article explores Version History, a service that can be provided in groupware in order to simplify version tracking.

What is Groupware?

I have already mentioned that groupware helps businesses meet their collaborative needs, but groupware is not simply software used by businesses to organize documents and their drafts. Groupware deals specifically with the ad hoc nature of much of the document collaboration in today’s fast-paced business. But, in order to provide the document tracking and management necessary to run effective document collaboration, even in an ad hoc setting, groupware must have the ability to track documents and their versions across multiple email boxes, hard drives, and servers.

What does Version History do for Groupware?

Version History utilizes Digital Thread technology to complete its tracking across email boxes, hard drives, and servers. The Digital Thread inserts tracking code into the meta data of any Word, PowerPoint, or Excel document and keeps track of the who, what, when, where, and how of each change made, even with multiple users. The information is literally threaded together like beads on a string, and displayed in a flow chart through the Version History option.

As deadlines draw near and it comes time to merge the document changes, questions will inevitably arise as to who made certain changes and why. Using Version History as a reference, users know exactly who to ask. The questions left in the wake of ad hoc document collaboration are gathered together and sorted out by Version History until all businesses see in front of them are answers.

You can also click on any two documents in a version history and click “compare”. That runs Microsoft Compare of the two document versions. It makes it easy to see differences between any two document versions.

Narrowing Down Your Search

In B to B searching, Google has the reputation of the most relevant searches. However, groupware is not only used in B to B communication. In B to C communication, Yahoo may be your best bet. MSN is also in the “big three” of search engines for the most relevant searches. Whichever index you choose to use, you will still need to sift through millions of indexed pages to find groupware that works for your business.

This article has explored one way of narrowing your search, and that is by looking for groupware that uses the Digital Thread empowered Version History option.

Joe Miller is an online advertiser and author of informational articles on business software. More information on Version History can be found at NextPage.com.

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Document Manager and Version History

In previous articles I have discussed the usefulness of a document manager, such as groupware, in organizing document sharing. I have also discussed the role that a Version History plays in a good document manager. In this article I wish to elaborate on Version History and its ability to make or break your document manager. The reason a document manager benefits so much from Version History is that Version History presents a visual flow chart of the editorial process any document has gone through. The who, what, when, where, and how are all answered.

Having Version History as one of your document manager tools creates a three-point advantage in document collaboration, advantages that take businesses to a higher level of efficiency, organization, and communication.

Ad Hoc Management

Business communication and document collaboration move too quickly with the ease of Microsoft Outlook and other email communication, where any presentation or document can be shot back and forth between any number of parties any number of times. Because of the simplicity of this process, it is difficult for a document manager to track all of the editorial changes made to documents without Version History. In other words, the jumble of unordered, chronologically challenged changes are difficult, if not impossible to organize without Version History. Version History helps to present a chronological order of ad hoc business. A document manager that uses Version History will be able to work the way your business does.

Reference

As I mentioned before, as document versions are sent back and forth in no particular order, a document manager can only do so much without the help of Version History. Eventually deadlines fall due, and the various document versions need to be organized before they are brought together into one final draft. The most common process for organizing attached drafts is to dig through your email box and hard drive to collect all of the drafts and to sort them by date. Then, you ask everyone else to do the same and send them to you. Once all of the information comes back to you, you have to go over the same process again, this time deleting duplicate files. Already, too much time has been spent referencing all of the document changes. Version History references documents immediately upon request, displaying exactly where documents were sent, when they were sent, and how versions relate to each other. Version History helps to create a document manager that works for you.

Digital Thread Technology

Every tool a document manager utilizes has its own tricks. Version History is no exception. What is its trick? Digital Thread Technology. As a document is created, whether a budget plan, a marketing presentation, or a legal contract, Digital Thread Technology inserts tracking information into the metadata of the electronic document. This allows the document to be tracked over various email boxes and drives, even if the document has been sent to individuals who do not use your document manager. Digital Thread Technology literally threads each draft together like beads on a necklace, enabling Version History to create a simple and informative flow chart of your document’s draft genealogy.

Joe Miller is an author of informational articles and online advertisements on business software. Read more about a Document Manager and Version History at NextPage.com.

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This article is the third of a series of articles exploring specific aspects of groupware. The brief informational articles in this series discuss some of the technologies associated with groupware, as well as some of the characteristics of groupware. Some of these characteristics may go hand in hand with business collaborative needs. Other characteristics go beyond what some groupware providers have to offer. The purpose of these articles is to equip the groupware user or investigator with helpful knowledge about the product in order to enable more effective use or to lead the investigator to the groupware service he or she is looking for. This third article explores groupware as a document manager, and provokes a critical approach to finding the right groupware to meet your business’s needs.

A good litmus test to determine the value of groupware as a document manager consists of the four A’s: Ad Hoc Management, Accountability, Accessibility, and Affordability.

Is Groupware a Document Manager able to Handle Ad Hoc Collaboration?

A document manager is organizational software that tracks and organizes documents. In today’s fast-paced business world, most of the document collaboration that takes place is ad hoc. In other words, documents are continuously fired back and forth in B to B and B to C communication, consisting of multiple individuals. As drafts of documents and presentations are passed back and forth, they are archived in email boxes, saved on hard drives, and passed through servers. If groupware is to be considered an effective document manager, it mush somehow be able to track and manage documents, even in an ad hoc setting.

Is Groupware an Accountable Document Manager?

In other words, as a document manager, can groupware account for the documents and their versions? Can it answer the who, what, when, where, and how questions that inevitably arise? Finding groupware that utilizes Digital Thread technology informs users where a document is saved and which version they are viewing. All tracking information is then collected into a digital flow chart displaying the version history of the document.

Is Groupware an Accessible Document Manager?

Often, document manager software systems require IT infrastructure and limited usability. Unless everyone with whom a user collaborates is a user too, the groupware isn’t very beneficial. However, groupware technology uses existing IT infrastructure and opens up accessibility to everyone with whom a user collaborates. Digital Thread still ties together document versions made by non users. Non-users receive digital signatures with attached document versions. Non-users cannot, however, access a version history, nor can they receive digital signatures in projects with other non-users.

Is Groupware an Affordable Document Manager?

The easy answer to that is “yes, it can be.” In other words, groupware packages are produced in the business market in the millions. Just check out the search engine results page of any search engine after searching “groupware.” As of today, Google results include 4,870,000 indexed pages, Yahoo yields 4,820,000 indexed pages, and MSN yields 961,866 indexed pages.

Sifting through these results is impossible, though this article hopes to simplify that process through helpful information about effective features and technologies needed to meet today’s business needs without costing too much. Groupware without an expensive IT infrastructure is available with simple installation and affordable set up. The cost of time, training, and setup are minimal. Groupware is meant to work for the business. Don’t get stuck looking for products that work the other way around.

Joe Miller is an online advertiser and author of informational articles on business software. More information on Groupware or Document Manager is available at NextPage.com.

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