Collaboration Tools for Project Managers: How to choose, get started and collaborate with technology

Collaboration Tools for Project Managers: How to choose, get started and collaborate with technology

by Elizabeth Harrin
Released April 2016
Publisher(s): Project Management Institute
ISBN: 9781628251456

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Book description

In Collaboration Tools for Project Managers, Elizabeth Harrin builds upon her 2010 book, Social Media for Project Managers, by providing the latest information, success stories, and an easy-to-follow guide to implementing online collaboration tools and helping to overcome obstacles.

In order to communicate faster, work virtually with people across the globe, and get better business results, project teams should explore how online collaboration tools can deliver project success and improve business value.

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Table of Contents
  5. Acknowledgments
  6. Foreword
  7. Introduction
    1. The Reason for This Book
    2. Considering Collaboration Tools: Project Management Software Evolved
    3. How the Book is Organized
    4. Is this Book for you?
  8. Part 1: The Context for Collaboration
    1. Chapter 1: Why we are Leaving Behind Old Working Practices
      1. 1. Project Timescales Require Frequent Collaboration
      2. 2. Virtual Teams Need Better Tools
      3. 3. Being Digital and Social Drives Business Results
      4. 4. It’s the Way Business Works Today
      5. Beyond Project Teams
      6. Summary
    2. Chapter 2: Online Collaboration - The New Normal
      1. Communicating Online: A Brief History
      2. Moving your Team Online
        1. 1. Community
        2. 2. Communication
        3. 3. Access to Data
        4. 4. Connectivity
      3. Technology for Collaboration
        1. Virtual Factor 1: Geography
        2. Virtual Factor 2: Electronic Communication
        3. Virtual Factor 3: Culture
      4. The Limitations of Online Collaboration
      5. Summary
    3. Chapter 3: Collaboration Tools 101
      1. 1. Instant Messaging
        1. Why should I use this Feature?
        2. Pros
        3. Cons
      2. 2. File upload
        1. Why should I use this Feature?
        2. Pros
        3. Cons
      3. 3. File Versioning and Collaboration
        1. Why should I use this Feature?
        2. Pros
        3. Cons
      4. 4. Create Groups/Teams
        1. Why should I use this Feature?
        2. Pros
        3. Cons
      5. 5. Share Updates
        1. Why should I use this Feature?
        2. Pros
        3. Cons
      6. 6. Search
        1. Why should I use this Feature?
        2. Pros
        3. Cons
      7. 7. Reports
        1. Why should I use this Feature?
        2. Pros
        3. Cons
      8. 8. Workflows
        1. Why should I use this Feature?
        2. Pros
        3. Cons
      9. 9. Notifications and Alerts
        1. Why should I use this Feature?
        2. Pros
        3. Cons
      10. 10. Liking and Gamification
        1. Why should I use this Feature?
        2. Pros
        3. Cons
      11. The Disadvantages of Collaboration Tools
      12. Summary
    4. Chapter 4: Communication and the Project Management Life Cycle
      1. The Project Management Life Cycle: The Communication View
        1. Initiation Phase
        2. Planning Phase
        3. Delivery Phase(s)
        4. Closure Phase
      2. Communication Challenges for Project Managers (And how you Can Address Them)
        1. 1. Communicating up and out to Stakeholders and Sponsors
        2. 2. Managing Miscommunication
        3. 3. Communicating for Team Building
        4. 4. Managing the Team’s Communication Preferences
      3. Summary
    5. Chapter 5: Team Management and the Project Management Life Cycle
      1. The Project Management Life Cycle: The Team Management View
        1. Initiation Phase
        2. Planning Phase
        3. Delivery Phase(s)
        4. Closure Phase
      2. Team Management Challenges
        1. 1. Managing Dispersed Teams
        2. 2. Managing Across Cultures
        3. 3. Managing Part-Time Team Members
        4. 4. Managing People who don’t Work for you
      3. Summary
  9. Part 2: Making It Work
    1. Chapter 6: Strategy First
      1. Strategy Before Tools
      2. Developing a Strategy
        1. Step 1: Identify the Problems
        2. Step 2: Identify Stakeholders
        3. Step 3: Define your goals
        4. Step 4: Identify Possible Solutions
      3. Defining What you Want from your Software
        1. 1. Functional Requirements
        2. 2. Nonfunctional Requirements
        3. 3. Vendor Fit
        4. 4. Cost
        5. 5. Other Strategic Elements
      4. The Question of Gamification
      5. Summary
    2. Chapter 7: Is your Team Ready to Work Online?
      1. Four Dependencies for a Successful Deployment
      2. Team Culture: Is your Team Ready?
        1. Using Social Technographics for Profiling
      3. Project Culture: How are you Going to Pilot your Software?
        1. The Timescales
        2. The Criticality
        3. The Objectives
      4. Organization Culture: What Else is your Company Doing?
        1. Appetite
        2. Current Activity
      5. Personal Culture: How Much Time do you have to Dedicate to Making this Work?
        1. Managing the Time Required
        2. Your Level of Commitment
        3. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
      6. Summary
    3. Chapter 8: Winning Over Management
      1. Prepare the Ground
      2. Identifying Risks
      3. Measure Success
      4. Dispel Myths
      5. Myth #1: It’s a Big Change
      6. Myth #2: Anyone can do Anything
      7. Myth #3: Wikis are Problematic
      8. Myth #4: No More Face-to-Face Meetings
      9. Myth #5: It will Waste Time
      10. Myth #6: We can Monitor Individual Activity
      11. Dealing with Lack of Support
      12. Summary
    4. Chapter 9: How to Choose and Use the Right Tools
      1. First…Decide
      2. Developing a Business Case
      3. The Alternative to a Financial Business Case
      4. First Steps for Implementation
      5. Planning your Pilot
        1. Treat It Like a Project
        2. Plan and Schedule
        3. Review Configuration Options
        4. Going Live
      6. Making it Easy to use
      7. Evaluating the Benefits
      8. What Happens If Take-Up is Poor?
        1. Is There a Culture of Sharing?
        2. Stakeholder Mapping: What are they Missing?
        3. Easier Access to the Tool
        4. Are There Other Issues in the Team?
        5. Set a Good Example
        6. Make it Fun
        7. Make it Useful
        8. Buddy Up
        9. Blend Old and New
      9. Summary
    5. Chapter 10: Getting Started With Collaboration Tools: Using Wikis
      1. Wikis Explained
        1. The Advantages of Wikis
        2. Wiki Disadvantages
      2. Wikis as Organizational Knowledge Repositories
      3. Wikis for Lessons Learned
      4. First Steps With Wikis
        1. Choose and Install your Tools
        2. Look and Feel
        3. Empower your Authors
        4. Review Regularly
      5. Dealing With Revisions
      6. Subscribe
      7. Search
      8. Wiki Mistakes
        1. Anonymity: The Big No-No
        2. Perfection: Don’t Bother
        3. Topics: Step Back when Necessary
        4. Irrelevance: Letting the Wiki Go Stale
      9. Wiki Best Practices
      10. Summary
    6. Chapter 11: Managing Online Culture Shock: Risk Mitigation Strategies for Collaborating Online
      1. Managing the Overload
        1. Filtering
        2. Segment the Conversations
        3. Promoting Value
      2. Managing the “Experts”
        1. Relevancy
        2. Giving a Voice to the Many
      3. Managing the “Always On” Culture
        1. Mobile Solutions
      4. Managing the Lack of Control
      5. Managing Expectations
      6. Online Etiquette
      7. Summary
    7. Chapter 12: Keeping your Project Data Secure
      1. Start at the Beginning: Usage Policies
      2. Policies on Archiving
      3. Educate your Team
      4. Legal Issues
      5. Addressing Security Concerns
        1. 1. Access Control
        2. 2. Back Ups
        3. 3. Audit Trails
        4. 4. Abuses of the System
        5. 5. Unauthorized Software
      6. Summary
  10. Part 3: The Bigger Picture
    1. Chapter 13: Building Personal Online Credibility
      1. Getting Started
      2. Creating an Online Profile
        1. Photos
        2. Nothing is Private!
        3. The Risk of Digital Sharecropping
      3. Social Media for Continuing Professional Development
      4. The Power of Twitter
      5. Social Recruiting: The Job Search Moves Online
        1. Help with Interview Preparation
      6. Being Credible
        1. The Company you Keep
      7. Pay Attention to the Little Things
      8. Summary
    2. Chapter 14: Conclusions: The Future of Work
      1. Looking Forward: Seven Future Trends
        1. 1. Project Analytics
        2. 2. Digital PMOs and the Role of the Digital Leader
        3. 3. The Culture of Collaboration
        4. 4. Interoperability
        5. 5. Interoperability of Methodology
        6. 6. Archiving
        7. 7. Predictive Software
      2. Summary
  11. Appendix: Project Management Resources Online
  12. Glossary
  13. References
  14. Suggested Reading
  15. About the Author
  16. Praise for Collaboration Tools for Project Managers

Product information

  • Title: Collaboration Tools for Project Managers: How to choose, get started and collaborate with technology
  • Author(s): Elizabeth Harrin
  • Release date: April 2016
  • Publisher(s): Project Management Institute
  • ISBN: 9781628251456