Editing Collaboration tool (section)

== Classification based on dimensions ==

=== Asynchronous collaboration tools ===
A collaboration tool is asynchronous when its users are collaborating at a different time:<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url = https://sites.google.com/a/ghaea.org/aiw-iowacore-techintegration/synchronous-vs-asynchronous|title = Synchronous or Asynchronous Tools|date = 2012|website = Green Hills AEA|publisher = Green Hills Area Education Agency|last = Wahlert|first = Tina}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url = http://etec.ctlt.ubc.ca/510wiki/Synchronous_and_Asynchronous_Communication:Tools_for_Collaboration|title = The University of British Columbia, ETEC510 Design Wiki|date = 2014|website = University of British Columbia Design Wiki|publisher = University of British Columbia|last1 = Kask|first1 = Byron|last2 = Wood|first2 = Sarah}}</ref>

==== [[Email|E-Mail]], [[Mailing list|mailinglists]] and [[newsgroups]] ====
{{main|Email}}
[[Email|E-Mail]] is the best known asynchronous collaboration tool and the most common used<ref>{{Cite book|title = 2014 Mobile Behavior Report|publisher = salesforce.com|year = 2014|url = https://www.exacttarget.com/sites/exacttarget/files/deliverables/etmc-2014mobilebehaviorreport.pdf}}</ref> - it offers intuitive features for forwarding messages, creating mailing groups and attaching documents. Furthermore, information can be automatically chronologically sorted and assigned to tasks or calendar events.

==== [[Online calendar|Group calendar]] ====
{{main|Online calendar}}
Through group calendars meetings can be scheduled, projects managed and people coordinated. It is a great tool to help a person overlook their deliverables and deadlines. A group calendar includes functions such as the detection of conflicting schedules with other people in a team or organization or coordination of meeting times that suit everybody in a team. Besides the positive effects of group calendar there is also controversy about privacy and control that might influence a person's productivity.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Use and Implications of a Shared, Forecasting Calendar|last1 = Tullio|first1 = Joe|publisher = Georgia Institute of Technology|year = 2007|url = https://research.cc.gatech.edu/ecl/sites/edu.ecl/files/C.64-Tullio-INTERACT-2007.pdf|last2 = Mynatt|first2 = Elizabeth D.}}</ref>

==== [[Workflow management system|Workflow systems]] ====
{{main|Workflow management}}
With workflow systems files or documents can be communicated to the organization by following a strict and organised process. They provide services for routing, development of forms and support for roles. As current workflow systems are controlled from one point, individuals within an organization normally do not have the permission to manage their own processes so far - this should be changed by implementing collaborative planning tools to current workflow systems.<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Future of Workflow Technology: Collaborative Planning|last = Swenson|first = Keith D.|publisher = Fujitsu Open Systems Solutions Inc.}}</ref>

==== [[Hypertext]] ====
{{main|Hypertext}}
Hypertext technology connects our files to each other and makes sure that always the latest version is available to us. When people work on different documents the system automatically updates the information of other people.<ref>{{Cite book|title = A Manifesto for Collaborative Tools|last = Kim|first = Eugene Eric|year = 2004|pages = 1–3|url = http://gerrystahl.net/hci/kim.pdf}}</ref>

=== Synchronous collaboration tools ===
[[File:Moseley Hall Collaboration Space.jpg|thumb|A room designed to encourage collaboration.]]
A collaboration tool is synchronous, when its users are collaborating at the same time:<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

==== [[Whiteboarding|Shared whiteboards]] ====
{{main|Whiteboarding}}
Shared whiteboards give its users the capability to work efficiently on a task through a web-based platform. They can be used for informal discussions and also for communications that need structure, involve drawing or are in general more sophisticated. This might also be very useful in to realise [[Distance education|virtual classrooms]].<ref>{{Cite book|title = Enhancing Learning Systems by using Virtual Interactive Classrooms and Web-based Collaborative Work|last1 = Premchaiswadi|first1 = Wichian|publisher = Siam University|pages = 3|url = http://phditsiamuresearch.pbworks.com/f/026.pdf|last2 = Tungkasthan|first2 = Anucha|last3 = Jongsawat|first3 = Nipat}}</ref>

==== [[Voice over IP|Video communication systems]] ====
{{main|Voice over IP}}
Video communication systems offer two-way or multi-way calling with a live videostream. It can be best compared to a telephone system with an additional visual element.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Successful Video Communication|last = Kandola|first = Pearn|publisher = Cisco Systems|year = 2009|pages = 6–8|url = http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2009/ekits/Video_Communication.pdf}}</ref>

==== [[Online chat|Chat systems]] ====
{{main|Online chat}}
Chat systems allow people to write and send messages in real-time. They are usually structured in chat rooms which show usernames, number of people, location, discussion topic and more.

==== [[Decision support system]]s ====
{{main|Decision support system}}
Decision support systems support groups to manage the decision making process. They give people the ability to exchange their brainstorming, analyzing their ideas and even are used for voting.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Decision Support Systems|last1 = Marek J.|first1 = Druzdzel|publisher = University of Pittsburgh|year = 2002|pages = 3|last2 = Flynn|first2 = Roger|url = http://www.pitt.edu/~druzdzel/psfiles/dss.pdf}}</ref> Decision making is becoming more and more a core function of modern work. According to studies 50% of organizational decisions fail.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/decfail.htm|title=Half Of Business Decisions Fail Because Of Management's Blunders, New Study Finds|website=researchnews.osu.edu|access-date=2016-04-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160406235101/http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/decfail.htm|archive-date=2016-04-06|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==== [[Multiplayer video game]]s ====
{{main|Multiplayer video game}}
Computer games are a good example of how a multi-user situation could look like in the future. They are constantly developed and expanded with features such as chat and video systems.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Designing Collaborative Multiplayer Serious Games for Collaborative Learning|last1 = Viktor Wendel1, Michael Gutjahr2, Stefan Go ̈bel1, and Ralf Steinmetz|first1 = Viktor|publisher = Technische Universität Darmstadt|year = 2012|isbn = 978-989-8565-07-5|location = Darmstadt|pages = 1–3|last2 = Gutjahr|first2 = Michael|last3 = Steinmetz|first3 = Ralf|last4 = Göbel|first4 = Stefan}}</ref>