tricks of the trade for working with a global, virtual project team?
March 8, 2010 3:48 AM Subscribe
A 35 person project team from almost as many countries needs a web 'team room' to post documents, comments (discussion board), schedule calls, etc. What are the best resources, strategies, etc?
Top priority is a place to post new material, allowing folks to comment on updates or session notes, view upcoming events, etc.
Free sites come to mind, such as Google groups, but Mefites often have experience with emerging/lesser known tools. Are there other worthwhile options there are for non-free sites, and what are their comparative advantages?
Is there a template which is more conducive to interactive, threaded discussions?
What is the easiest way to get them onto/signed into the site on a regular basis? I've seen lots of team room sites go unused because folks want to, but simply cannot handle managing another log-in/password/new environment.
We have a global call line, with remarkably little delay. The principle nodes of the group are in Japan and Europe. Group members have worked together prior for the same entity- small groups over phone and email, but not web, and not all at once.
Also, is there a site that can help folks express availability for meetings, that can handle all these time-zones somewhat gracefully?
Is it clearer to refer to GMT or a specific city to help others get their date/time right? What are other tricks that you have picked up when trying to work across multiple time zones?
Top priority is a place to post new material, allowing folks to comment on updates or session notes, view upcoming events, etc.
Free sites come to mind, such as Google groups, but Mefites often have experience with emerging/lesser known tools. Are there other worthwhile options there are for non-free sites, and what are their comparative advantages?
Is there a template which is more conducive to interactive, threaded discussions?
What is the easiest way to get them onto/signed into the site on a regular basis? I've seen lots of team room sites go unused because folks want to, but simply cannot handle managing another log-in/password/new environment.
We have a global call line, with remarkably little delay. The principle nodes of the group are in Japan and Europe. Group members have worked together prior for the same entity- small groups over phone and email, but not web, and not all at once.
Also, is there a site that can help folks express availability for meetings, that can handle all these time-zones somewhat gracefully?
Is it clearer to refer to GMT or a specific city to help others get their date/time right? What are other tricks that you have picked up when trying to work across multiple time zones?
Seconding Basecamp. You might also want to look into google wave too... I have invites if you like.
posted by simplesharps at 4:52 AM on March 8, 2010
posted by simplesharps at 4:52 AM on March 8, 2010
SharePoint would fit the bill. If you have a windows server the basic version (WSS, Windows SharePoint Services) is free, if not there are many hosting providers.
I don't think you'll find any collaboration software that can be used by such a disparate group of folks that doesn't require log-in.
SharePoint includes really tight integration with the Office suite which may or may not be a selling point.
posted by askmehow at 6:16 AM on March 8, 2010
I don't think you'll find any collaboration software that can be used by such a disparate group of folks that doesn't require log-in.
SharePoint includes really tight integration with the Office suite which may or may not be a selling point.
posted by askmehow at 6:16 AM on March 8, 2010
Now let me answer the rest of the question --
re: scheduling - Tungle looks like a good one. It seems to support synchronization across a wide variety of clients.
I've been working remotely for the past 3 months (13 hr time difference), and I was able to simply do the time conversion in my head. I think if the team settles on HQ time, then the various team members can do the conversion accordingly.
That said, I think Tungle does time-zone conversion for you.
posted by askmehow at 6:25 AM on March 8, 2010
re: scheduling - Tungle looks like a good one. It seems to support synchronization across a wide variety of clients.
I've been working remotely for the past 3 months (13 hr time difference), and I was able to simply do the time conversion in my head. I think if the team settles on HQ time, then the various team members can do the conversion accordingly.
That said, I think Tungle does time-zone conversion for you.
posted by askmehow at 6:25 AM on March 8, 2010
Thirding Basecamp. It provides several of the things you are looking for in a single environment.
posted by PhillC at 7:58 AM on March 8, 2010
posted by PhillC at 7:58 AM on March 8, 2010
We've started using Alfresco for this internally. I hadn't heard of it before, but I'm enjoying using it compared to Basecamp.
posted by SpecialK at 10:30 AM on March 8, 2010
posted by SpecialK at 10:30 AM on March 8, 2010
This is basically what I've been doing for work for the past 18 months, running a website to collaborate multiple offices and time zones on a contract. Besides looking at a platform/product, the issues that have been critical for me. Looking at the actual technology/product is the easy part, getting people to think critically about what the tool actually needs to do for them in order to efficiently do their work is another thing altogether.
* Storage space - what types of documents/files does this group use and what is the potential largest size? The size/amount of data could be an issue if: a) The vendor you go with charges you for additional disk storage space and b) Your group is working with large/oversized data files. Besides potential additional costs of storage, there's also the issue of how much time/bandwidth it takes to upload and download a file. People seem to have a thresh hold of not wanting to wait more than 30 minutes. The produce we've been using charges a "convenience rate" for disk storage space that's a mark-up. I bought a 2nd web storage account with Dreamhost that's been a lot cheaper and has also enabled me to set up a ftp site for oversized items.
* User Roles/Behavior - besides the issue of "not another password to memorize," but who will have access to the site and what are their roles in the project? Some of it's basic database management, but who needs to have access to what information? If some people in the group are managers, clients, vendors (who can sometimes be competitors) - you'll need the functionality to set up groups and tweak permissions specific to each team member's roles and responsibilities for the project.
* Core functions/activities for the project For example, the tool I used now has a calendaring/scheduling function. But I've found that it's a "nice to have" function because my coworkers are already in the habit of scheduling their meetings/work responsibilities with the e-mail/calendar tool our company already has. It's redundant (and not an effective use of project time) to expect them to use a 2nd scheduling tool just for that one specific project.
As for timezones, my group is here in the US and 3 different zones. So I tend to use that the majority of team members (PST) are in as a point of reference.
posted by green_flash at 12:07 PM on March 8, 2010
* Storage space - what types of documents/files does this group use and what is the potential largest size? The size/amount of data could be an issue if: a) The vendor you go with charges you for additional disk storage space and b) Your group is working with large/oversized data files. Besides potential additional costs of storage, there's also the issue of how much time/bandwidth it takes to upload and download a file. People seem to have a thresh hold of not wanting to wait more than 30 minutes. The produce we've been using charges a "convenience rate" for disk storage space that's a mark-up. I bought a 2nd web storage account with Dreamhost that's been a lot cheaper and has also enabled me to set up a ftp site for oversized items.
* User Roles/Behavior - besides the issue of "not another password to memorize," but who will have access to the site and what are their roles in the project? Some of it's basic database management, but who needs to have access to what information? If some people in the group are managers, clients, vendors (who can sometimes be competitors) - you'll need the functionality to set up groups and tweak permissions specific to each team member's roles and responsibilities for the project.
* Core functions/activities for the project For example, the tool I used now has a calendaring/scheduling function. But I've found that it's a "nice to have" function because my coworkers are already in the habit of scheduling their meetings/work responsibilities with the e-mail/calendar tool our company already has. It's redundant (and not an effective use of project time) to expect them to use a 2nd scheduling tool just for that one specific project.
As for timezones, my group is here in the US and 3 different zones. So I tend to use that the majority of team members (PST) are in as a point of reference.
posted by green_flash at 12:07 PM on March 8, 2010
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For scheduling meetings across time zones, you can try TimeBridge. I believe it integrates into google calendar as well.
posted by Danniman at 4:08 AM on March 8, 2010