A Tight Wrap

Janis is an award-winning journalist and editor who has covered many industries beyond project management, including health care, financial services, higher education and retail sales.

  Communications Management   ProjectsAtWork  

In the middle of a three-year SAP implementation, the IS department at a polypropylene wrapping manufacturer is connecting through a new project management tool that fosters tighter collaboration and swifter communication in a modern, social-media manner.

Even the most skeptical technophobes have to admit there’s something to the social networking trend. When the proper name of a product makes the leap in the lexicon to create new verbs, it’s a phenomenon that can’t be ignored. Who hasn’t used or heard the action words “Facebooking” or “tweeting” at least a few times this week?

Scrolling down the posts of friends and relatives provides a sense of instant satisfaction and connection. And that’s great for one’s personal life. Now imagine the transfer of business knowledge and project status that way. What impact could that have on a project team?

Applied Extrusion Technologies Inc. is finding out, says Jim Burger, director of information services in Terre Haute, Indiana. Burger says the IS team for the manufacturing company, which makes polypropylene film for everything from cheese to DVDs, has an easier way to collaborate and communicate due to its use of LiquidPlanner, a project management tool that integrates elements of social media, such as Workspace Chatter, a Twitter-style feature.

The impetus…

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