Collaborative projects need collaborative management systems and processes

Most projects don’t fail because of a lack of charts, stats or report. They fail because of a lack of communication. Where the participants are located apart in distance and the conversation about the project are held asynchronously, then there is a high possibility of poor project outcomes unless specific project systems are put in place.

Collaborative project management (CPM) is a methodology that can be applied in these circumstances. It requires a different way of working and the use of project management (PM) tools that are familiar yet used in different ways. To overcome the distance / time issue the majority of CPM methodologies use online systems to support the project team. These range from a small use to cover some gaps through to completely managing the project using sophisticated yet simple to use online systems. To continue to run collaborative type projects without using CPM techniques will likely mean reduced productivity, less documentation of progress, overuse of emails and lost time due to a higher number of face-to-face meetings.

I've listed below a few of the online systems that may be helpful in co-ordinating collaorative projects.


http://www.veoproject.com/home.aspx full online system for projects with templates, gantt charts, roles, tasks etc.

http://www.manymoon.com/auth/login more simplified online project management that combines with Google documents

www.huddle.net good for virtual team working though note specifically project management related

http://www.workflowmax.com/features/jobtracking.html a bit different to project management though useful if you have a number of people on the same project and need to keep track of inputs and outputs

http://www.basecamphq.com/ simple to use and one of the earliest online systems

http://www.teamdirection.com/ lots of features and an MS Project add-in which is useful. Also syncs with Sharepoint. Not specifically online but can support CPM

http://www.trackeroffice.com/tracker_project.html is an Outlook import that integrates with existing software and helps personal as well as group project productivity. Can also be provided on a web basis

http://www.kalmstrom.com/products/Outlook/TimeCard/ an Outlook import that can monitor time spent on a project (productivity / reporting rather than project management)

If you want to use a wiki then there is a wiki on how to do this! http://projectmanagementdemo.pbwiki.com/ Although this can be customised to suit your purposes it feels a bit clunky when compared to the tools available

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Simple online feedback system to help you improve: Rypple

I'm impressed. That doesn't happen often, but here is one of those online products that is incredibly simple to use and which can have an extraordinary impact. So you want to know how your project is progressing, how people feel about a change process, what the participants thought of your presentation etc?

www.rypple.com is a simple system where you ask a question and invite people to respond. Their answers are anonymous and you are also able to track your feedback by a graph and see a trend.

My one concern is if it does take off I may be beset by queries from people for feedback - on the other hand that may actually be a good thing.

Online collaborative mindmapping

If you use mindmaps as a way to gather and sort information, for generating new connections and ideas or for making summaries of work, then you may find the online mindmapping sofwtare available at http://www.mindmeister.com/ just excellent.

The main advantage of this software is that mindmapping moves from being a singular individual activity to one of collaboration and community. It's a fab way to scale up your mindmapping activities.

Collaborate online for productive project management

There are many online collaboration tools. One I have found that is specifically for managing projects is www.veoproject.com

The system provides all the usual collaboration tools though what I specifically like is the emphasis on project planning. Some of the features look a bit like Microsoft Project in the type of planning that is available. The gantt type pictures are particularly excellent. I think this would be good for large and complex projects involving multiple individuals and organisations.

Send text sms messages for free, in the USA

Unfortunately this is available only at the moment in the USA, however, if you want to send a text message for free to a USA cell phone then go to www.foreversms.com

All you need to enter is your email address, the receipient's phone number and your message. You do need to know their communications provider but if you're not sure then the system will autodetect this for you.

Simple and free.

Convert video file format online and easily

If you're like me you may find you end up with the wrong format video for your media player or maybe you just want to convert your video file to a different format so you can share it more widely.

You can do this online at www.catchvideo.net It is a simple process; just put in the URL of your video you want to convert and then choose your version from the 12 offered. Then go make a cup of tea - my broadband is a bit slow so the conversion does take a while.

How to spy on social media conversations

Sometimes you just need to find out who is saying what about a topic and you prefer not to have to log on and become part of the social media systems. www.spy.appspot.com lets you type in a topic (I tested it with "NHS") and then it will search Twitter, Friendfeed, Flickr, Blog Comments, Yahoo news, Blogs and Google Reader to find out what is in the social media conversations on your topic.

I found it quite riveting to find out who is saying what. I expect many organisations could use this to assess their online profile.

Revolutionising the dictionary: Wordia.com

The Open University is sponsoring a new form of online dictionary based on user-generated definitions. Gone are the antique and dusty versions of what a word means. Instead, anyone can pick a word and then upload a short video explaining your version of its meaning.

www.wordia.com is where you can participate in a dynamic form of language. Just going through the word of the day is quite riveting.

What word do you dare define?

Using smart-survey.co.uk for online surveys

I used to use monkey-survey for my online surveys but I was finding the whole process just a tad too complex. It has many features, however, the interface felt clunkyand cumbersome. So I have moved to using www.smart-survey.co.uk and it is markedly easier to use - well, it's sort of dummy proof really.

Creating a survey was easy as was the whole production effort (or non-effort). It took me no more than 15 mins to design and produce a 6 question survey from scratch. Then 5 mins to get it online and to mail out the invitations to respond.

Checking on results is easy and all the steps are clear and straightforward.

I'm going to keep up my commitment to let go of the sofwtare and hardware that no longer seem to be productive and take the time to switch to ones that suit me better.

New way of searching; where search meets research

I am finding the new search engine http://www.middlespot.com really helpful in turning my regular web searches into something a lot more practical and useful.

The added features increase productivity when working alone and also helps me share my findings.

The search results come up as a summary as well as screenshots (makes you concentrate on how you show info on a page if you are a web designer!). You can then save your choices to an online workpad, thus coordinating what you are collecting. If you then want to share your results with someone else you can, very easily.

Under "tools" there is a browser bar you can download and add to Internet Explorer, Firefox or Mozilla, so you can search directly.

If you're interested in productivity then this is a useful tool.

Online chart builder; create picture or embed into website

One of the key activites for an improvement leader is displaying data graphically through the use of charts. While most of us are comfortable using the regular software packages like Microsoft and in some cases more sophisticated stats packages, sometimes we need something a little different.

I've been looking for ways to embed charts into my website - or blogs. Of course these can be embedded as pictures though this is less flexible. Also, how do I create a chart when I am using my netbook with web access and no software on it?

There is an online charts builder at http://charts.hohli.com. It takes a little while to wrap your head round it, but if you follow the instructiosn it is quick, easy and very flexible. I'll be using it as a way to create embeddable charts and as an alternative to PC based software.

Use Glance for a quick way to share your screen

I've been testing this system for a few weeks now and it is proving invaluable. So far I have used it to share my screen as part of a training session (I was on a conference call with a group and then directed them to my screen), used it to show someone in IT what was happening when I tried to use their new system and used it in a coaching session where I could dircet someone how to log on to a new system we're using.

I like it because the other party has no software to install and is very quick to set up. I reckon it takes me 15 seconds to set up a sharing session and it seems to take about 30 seconds for the other user to then get access to my screen. What I like is the fact I can choose to share at a moment's notice and it works.

You just click on the G button on your taskbar and you are automatically given the session ID which you tell to the other person, along with your bespoke web address for the session. They go there, put in the session ID and they get to see your screen.

I have two screens and the Glance system chooses to share the main one. This was a key test for me because most other screen sharing systems get confused and I have to go through (the nightmare) of resetting my screen settings (and then remembering how to get the second screen up and running again...).

www.glance.net if you want more info and to download a trial.

Online collaboration with ease using Scribblar

If you need a place where a group of you can get together in a virtual room and share conversations, text and audio, place stuff for comments, use a whiteboard together etc. then Scribblar may be for you.

There are many of these types of systems available. You can create your own room and use it for free. So if you'd like to test out the possibilities from working int his way then this could be helpful. What I like was the PRO edition which enables you to build this software into your existing website including branding it to suit your own needs. Sounds like a quick, efficient and cost-effective way to get up and running with online collaboration without spending time and money on in-house solutions.

Test it out here: http://www.scribblar.com/

Top 10 gadget sites

Drawers full of gadgets tend not to make us productive improvement leaders, instead it is how we use them. For those of you who like to keep up to date with the latest technology and then find inventive ways to use it, then Fastcompany.com have summarised what they believe are the Top 10 Gadget Sites. You can access their review here: http://www.fastcompany.com/articles/2008/09/ten-gadget-sites.html?partner=fasttake


Me? I liked the Geek Sugar site http://www.geeksugar.com/ - designed for lady geeks...

Hold web meetings for free

There are some good systems available for holding online meetings. However, many of these have a significant cost and if you're still in that phase of testing out whether these processes will be useful for you why pay money to test? There are some excellent freebie systems available with some of them having more features and flexibility that the pay-for versions.

I like to use http://www.dimdim.com/. Why? Apart from the fact it is free it one of the key factors for me is that the attendees do not have any software to download. You just set up the session and they log in and we're sharing and collaborating. Many organisations limit the downloading of software so this is a quick and easy way to test how the technology can work without stressing the IT department.

There are other freebie systems available so do some searches if you're looking for alternative to the pay-for options.

Tips for sharing information via the web

I'm always looking for quick and efficient ways to share information. Here are three that I use and find really helpful. There is some crafty webware available to help the process and it's changing all the time.

1. Social Bookmarking. I use http://www.del.icio.us.com/. If you're still bookmarking to your browser then consider using social bookmarking. Want to know what I am bookmarking then find me on this site - my username is sfraser881. You can find others who might be bookmarking things like you - it is a whole new world of search, discovery, annotation and sharing. You will find links to various social bookmarking sites if you click on the "share this" button on the pages of many sites - have a look at my own website www.sfassociates.biz and down the bottom righthand side of the home page you will find the button to access social bookmarking.

2. Highlighting. Ever found a great paragraph in a website and wanted to point that out to someone? You end up sending an email to a friend with a long winded note explaining what it is all about. No more - use the tool from http://www.awesomehighlighter.com/. Easy to use, you go to the web page you want, use the highighter and it then prompts you to either email the link or share. Here is an example from my book reviews blog http://awurl.com/cpmju01061133.

3. Google notebook. If I'm collecting a variety of resources from the web on a specific topic and then want to share those resources often I'm stuck. I now use Google notebook (sign up on iGoogle). You find the web page, right click, add to notebook and it then saves to the notebook you want. When you're ready you can then share that notebook with anyone else. They can then see your web research as well as any comments you may have in there.

Huddle.net for virtual team and project working

Virtual consultancy, virtual team and project working have all been priorities for me and my company (see our website for more details on virtual working and why... our environmental policy http://www.sfassociates.biz/)

Always on the look out for secure, safe and easy to use systems to support especially team and project working, I have found http://my.huddle.net/ to be far better than other (more-expensive) systems. It is encrypted (useful when working with government agencies), incredibly easy to use and has many features all designed to reduce your email in basket! I like the way you can choose to get updates by RSS feeds, you can add comments to documents (and then decide who needs to be notified about the comment) and the front overview for each workspace gives you an instant update about who is doing what.

Software tools like this really enable leaders, of all sorts, especially project improvement leaders, to be efficient, effective and make productive use of their time.

I wonder now how any project, virtual or not, gets on without it.

Medically orientated elearning & games

Whether you're seriously looking to improve your knowledge of things medical or whether you're just interested in testing out some excellent quality elearning - then have a look at this:

http://www.theonlinelearningcenter.com/registereduserevents/clinicalchallenge_new2.aspx

Free online elearning of good quality

I needed to update my skills on Microsoft Access and found www.alison.com provided an excellent elearning system. The quality of the course was good and it met my needs in that it was flexible in access, easy to use and I learnt lots of new things.

While I was about it, I went through the office safety and a number of other courses that they offer.

For staff who need some digital literacy updating then this is a really good place to start, and maybe even finish.

Social networking site takes on knowledge management

There are hundreds of social networking sites around but this new one looks interesting and if it works it could reshape how we share knowledge and learn from, with and among our online friends.

www.ileonardo.com is where social networking meets a social form of knowledge management. You can upload content and create notebooks where you can collaborate with other users. You can see the information that your friends are working on. In this new era of open source knowledge and rapid dissemination, this feature has some significant advantages. It could rewrite the concept and dynamics of what is traditionally known as the opinion leader.

What I like about this site is how it moves on the concept of spreading good practice. It forces us all to think about how much we want to to share and with whom.

Why use a text dictionary? Be inspired with visuwords

Still on the theme of being visual I am in awe of www.visuwords.com. Once you've got over the wibbles and wobbles of the way the words appear on the screen it is fascinating how the relationships and patterns between words are shown. It made me think about how I use the meaning of words. Once you start exploring it is difficult to stop and before you know it you've learnt something.

Search Engine for Visual Learners

Google has its place, though sometimes I need a visual fix, something a little more 3D in nature and a touch more inspirational. Something that shows me the connections. When I saw
www.kartoo.com it felt like it connected with my brain - but then I know I am a visual learner. If you look at this and go "yawn" then feel free to indulge yourself with Google.

If you're in business then you'll find it fascinating to see how this meta search engine displays the connections and patterns for the keywords you provide. I am sure you will learn something new about your organisation and its online identity.