Tools are only the beginning

Charlie Alsmiller Dallas, Tx, United States

So your team is now using an online collaboration and communication tool. You have worked hard to assemble the best team possible from your partners and customers to bring your new product to market faster. You can "communicate and collaborate" online with instant messaging, online meetings, shared document repositories and discussion threads. Now all you need to do is get to work, right? Wrong.

You have a completely new organization with no group culture or norms defined. Groups need common vocabulary and processes for working together. Many distributed, fledgling project teams flounder for weeks while defining norms and boundaries. Technology can help, but it goes way beyond online communication and collaboration.
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Posted: Feb 27, 2001 11:32 AM

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Geoff Choo Trento, Italy

Hi Charlie,

I couldn't agree with you more.

I've seen more than my fair share of organizations who spent copious amounts of money, time, and resources on the latest PM software tools, in the hope that it would bring about exponential improvements in organizational processes.

Technology can act at the catalyst for organizational improvements, but it is still business and management fundamentals that drives the processes. You know, fuzzy, real-world things like managing team dynamics, open communications, and problem resolution.

thankx, geoff

Posted: Mar 3, 2001 1:44 AM

Brad Alston Senior Program Manager| LDS Church Salt Lake City, Ut, United States

I agree that there will never be a replacement for good old fashioned "fuzzy"" stuff when managing projects. However, I would propose that there are technologies that provide effective fuzzy stuff facilitation...and they wouldn't necessarily be labelled as PM tools. Even though I lean towards the belief that EVERY tool can be used as a PM tool, when I look up PM tools I usually don't see things like online meetings, chat, knowledge bases, etc.

Maybe that the term "PM tools" is too narrowly defined?

Posted: Mar 7, 2001 11:16 AM

Mark Mullaly President| Interthink Consulting Incorporated Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Charlie:

I agree completely with your observation that the implementation of new collaboration tools results in the creation of completely new cultural and group norms.

I'd be interested in your thoughts on how these processes can be accelerated in moving to new collaboration models.

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Posted: Mar 7, 2001 12:43 PM

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Tools are only the beginning

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