Three levels of collaboration
Groupware is sometimes divided into three categories depending on the level of collaboration. They are communication tools, conferencing tools, and collaborative management tools.
- Electronic communication tools send messages, files, data, or documents between people and hence facilitate the sharing of information. Examples include:
- e-mail
- faxing
- voice mail
- Web publishing
- Electronic conferencing tools also facilitate the sharing of information, but in a more interactive way. Examples include:
- data conferencing - networked PCs share a common “whiteboard” that each user can modify
- voice conferencing - telephones allow users to interact
- video conferencing (and audio conferencing) - networked PCs share video or audio signals
- discussion forums - a virtual discussion platform to facilitate and manage online text messages
- chat rooms - a virtual discussion platform to facilitate and manage real-time text messages
- electronic meeting systems (EMS) - a conferencing system build into a room. The special purpose room will usually contain a large screen projector interlinked with numerous PCs.
- Collaborative management tools facilitate and manage group activities. Examples include:
- electronic calenders (also called time management software) - schedule events and automatically notify and remind group members
- project management systems - schedule, track, and chart the steps in a project as it is being completed
- workflow systems - collaborative management of tasks and documents within a knowledge-based business process
- knowledge management systems - collect, organize, manage, and share various forms of information
Collaborative software can be either web based (such as