At what point do collaboration tools just get in the way of collaboration? After you read this you might think I am against collaboration tools or software in general and that is absolutely not true. Software is my business and I think the benefits of it are immense. It is not, however, a panacea for our collaboration, systems and project problems.
There are so many neato keano tools out there for managing your ideas and projects either for yourself or for your teams, I especially love the SaaS freebies that are great for individuals or cheapskate companies. Everyone can benefit from these minimum versions and if the product has features we need we will buy the upgrade. Mind Meister, Smartsheet, Box, Slide Rocket, etc….And then there are all the brands you can pay for; SharePoint, Project etc… on that list too.
The one common factor in the failure of all of these programs they rely on users to use them. All of these tools offer some great collaboration features and they are quite good but they only work if everyone involved is following the process and using them. I’ve learned so many different collaboration tools and I try to go into each one with vim and vigor and am usually disappointed when my colleague’s just can’t be bothered to figure it out. And so the tool languishes with half finished projects and I’m back to emailing, calling and general harrassing for information (until someone suggests a new tool that will solve all our collaboration problems). That isn’t the software’s fault obviously.
When you are trying to solve a problem make sure you are solving the real problem. That means you are going to have to be really honest about your work habits and those of your teammates and either you decide as a group to change or you acccept that people aren’t going to change and work around their habits. In some cases that might mean that one person does all the interfacing with the tool (as inefficient as that may be) or you skip the tool altogether and work the way everyone naturally works. There are times when the change fight is worth it and times when it isn’t. A good dose of honesty and a really smart project manager can figure this out.
