Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Workgroup Application Software
Workgroup application software
is designed to support teamwork, whether people are in
the same location or dispersed around the world. This support can be accomplished with
software known as
groupware
that helps groups of people work together effectively. Microsoft
Exchange Server, for example, has groupware and e-mail features. Also called
collaborative
software
, the approach allows a team of managers to work on the same production problem,
letting them share their ideas and work via connected computer systems. The “Three Cs”
rule for successful implementation of groupware is summarized in Table 4.7.
workgroup application
software
Software that supports teamwork,
whether in one location or around
the world.
Table 4.7
Quality
Description
Convenient
If it's too hard to use, it's not used; it should be
as easy to use as the telephone.
Ernst & Young's “Three Cs” Rule for
Groupware
Content
It must provide a constant stream of rich, relevant,
and personalized content.
Coverage
If it isn't easy to access, it might never be used.
Examples of workgroup software include group scheduling software, electronic mail, and
other software that enables people to share ideas. Lotus Notes from IBM, for example, lets
companies use one software package and one user interface to integrate many business pro-
cesses. Lotus Notes can allow a global team to work together from a common set of
documents, have electronic discussions using threads of discussion, and schedule team meet-
ings. As the program matured, Lotus added services to it and renamed it Domino (Lotus
Notes is now the name of the e-mail package), and now an entire third-party market has
emerged to build collaborative software based on Domino.
The Web-based software described in the previous section is ideal for group use. Because
documents are stored on an Internet server, anyone with an Internet connection can access
them easily. Google provides options in its online applications that allow users to share doc-
uments, spreadsheets, presentations, calendars, and notes with other specified users or
everyone on the Web (see Figure 4.18). This makes it convenient for several people to con-
tribute to a document without concern for software compatibility or storage.
Figure 4.18
Google's Online Applications
Google applications are designed to
share documents, presentations,
spreadsheets, calendars, and notes
with specific users or everyone on
the Web.
An increasing number of software applications are moving online to support group doc-
ument and information sharing. Google applications let users share notes, calendars, docu-
ments, spreadsheets, and presentations. At
tadalists.com
, users can share to-do lists with others
in a group. Microsoft offers Office Live Workspace for sharing documents, spreadsheets, and
other Office files with Office users online. If you have digital information you wish to share,
it is likely that some online service has been set up to allow you to put it online and control
who can access it.
