SharedPlan Connect, February 24, 2006
“Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?”
~Winnie the Pooh
Last month, I wrote
about communication and collaboration, and stated the following:
Webster’s dictionary defines collaborate as “to work jointly
with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor.” Although the word communication does
not appear anywhere
in this definition, the majority of collaborative tools (including
ours) focus on improving communication to enhance collaboration.
I received the following response from Rob in Australia (who also bemoaned his
countrymate’s creative use of the Queen’s language that I quoted last month):
The
difference between the Oxford English Dictionary and your Webster's
quote is very
interesting. Oxford defines collaboration as: "working
jointly, especially in a literary or artistic production,” where
both
literature and art are all about, first and foremost, communication.
Since
Webster’s is an American dictionary, and Oxford is an English
dictionary, does this
mean that Americans have abandoned the literary or artistic endeavors
of the English in favor of the intellectual? Or, as Rob points
out,
“it’s almost as though Webster's intellectuals can collaborate with
each other but can't communicate with outsiders ... which is quite
true in some senses!”
Stuff on the Web
This whole topic of communication, collaboration, and improving project success is something that I spend
a lot of time thinking about.
When I surf the web on the topic, I can find a lot of good material on
project management and on
collaboration, but it’s not as easy to find much on the intersection of
those two. For instance, why isn’t someone writing about
the direct connection between collaboration and project success, or
about the many different aspects of collaboration as it relates to
project
management? Do I have to do everything around here?
In the past I have referred you readers to the Projects@Work website which, although it requires (free) registration, has lots of good project management
content. Recent articles I enjoyed include:
- The Role Of Tools
The author describes when it
makes sense to apply a tool. One should “look for a tool that
will magnify people’s effort on the mundane activities, allowing
them to spend less time on them, and more time on the more challenging
aspects of their work.” I think SharedPlan software fits that
description.
-
Sacre Bleu! Napoleon, Project
Manager? I’m not sure I buy this treatment of Napoleonic history (not that I’m very knowledgeable), but it’s an
interesting read. It highlights to what creative lengths people will go to write about project management.
- Top 10 Project Strategy Mistakes
This is the best of the
three. Although it’s focused on IT, this list is broadly
applicable. More importantly for me, several of these items are
things we
at SharedPlan are directly trying to address.
One collaboration site that I enjoy is www.collaborationloop.com, although it tends to be a little too focused on tools rather than the broader
topic of collaboration itself.
SharedPlan Central Early Access
One
final thought ... SharedPlan Central has entered its Early Access
program with a limited number of
customers. When it is released it will be free to all Pro
licensees. We think this is about the coolest thing on the planet
and it is
another step towards providing you with the tools your projects and
teams needs. (According to Roger, the coolest thing on the planet
may be
James Blunt's latest, "Back to Bedlam," but that's subjective.)
Obviously, we're not biased when we state that we're sure Central will
change
the way you and your team plan.
Just thinking,
Tracy
