Editing Collaborative software (section)

==Design and implementation==
The complexity of groupware development is still an issue. One reason is the socio-technical dimension of groupware. Groupware designers do not only have to address technical issues (as in traditional software development) but also consider the organizational aspects <ref>D'Atri A., De Marco M., Casalino N. (2008). “Interdisciplinary Aspects of Information Systems Studies”, pp. 1-416, Physica-Verlag, Springer, Germany, Doi 10.1007/978-3-7908-2010-2  {{ISBN|978-3-7908-2009-6}}.</ref> and the social group processes that should be supported with the groupware application. Some examples for issues in groupware development are:

*Persistence is needed in some sessions. Chat and voice communications are routinely non-persistent and evaporate at the end of the session. Virtual room and online file cabinets can persist for years. The designer of the collaborative space needs to consider the information duration needs and implement accordingly.
*Authentication has always been a problem with groupware. When connections are made point-to-point, or when log-in registration is enforced, it is clear who is engaged in the session. However, audio and unmoderated sessions carry the risk of unannounced 'lurkers' who observe but do not announce themselves or contribute.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130605033257/http://www.mitre.org/news/the_edge/june_98/transfer.html A Case Study in Technology Transfer of Collaboration Tools]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130912234901/http://www.mitre.org/news/the_edge/june_98/second.html Collaborating securely - Can it be done?]</ref>
*Until recently, bandwidth issues at fixed location limited full use of the tools. These are exacerbated with mobile devices.
*Multiple input and output streams bring concurrency issues into the groupware applications.
*Motivational issues are important, especially in settings without pre-defined group processes in place.
*Closely related to the motivation aspect is the question of reciprocity. [[Clarence Ellis (computer scientist)|Ellis]] and others<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Clarence A. |last1=Ellis|first2= Simon J. |last2=Gibbs |first3= Gail |last3=Rein |year=1991 |title=Groupware: some issues and experiences. |doi=10.1145/99977.99987 |volume=34 |journal=Communications of the ACM |pages=39–58|s2cid=13597491|url=http://www.cs.nott.ac.uk/~tar/DBC/groupware-ellis.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.cs.nott.ac.uk/~tar/DBC/groupware-ellis.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live }}</ref> have shown that the distribution of efforts and benefits has to be carefully balanced in order to ensure that all required group members really participate.
*Real-time communication via groupware can lead to a lot of noise, over-communication, and [[information overload]].{{citation needed|date=September 2018}}

One approach for addressing these issues is the use of design patterns for groupware design.<ref>Till Schümmer and Stephan Lukosch. 2007. Patterns for Computer-Mediated Interaction (Wiley Software Patterns Series). John Wiley & Sons. {{ISBN|978-0-470-02561-1}}</ref> The patterns identify recurring groupware design issues and discuss design choices in a way that all stakeholders can participate in the groupware development process.

===Levels of collaboration===
Groupware can be divided into three categories depending on the level of [[collaboration]]:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.intranetjournal.com/faq/lotusbible.html |title=Groupware - Communication, Collaboration and Coordination |publisher=Lotus Development Corporation |year=1995 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713051554/http://www.intranetjournal.com/faq/lotusbible.html |archive-date=July 13, 2011 }}</ref><ref>Casalino N., Draoli M. (2009), “Governance and Organizational Aspects of an Experimental Groupware in the Italian Public Administration to Support Multi-Institutional Partnerships”, in Information Systems: People, Organizations, Institutions, and Trchnologies, D’Atri A., Saccà D. (Eds.), Physica-Verlag, Springer, Heidelberg, Germany, pp. 81-89, {{ISBN|978-3-7908-2147-5}}, doi 10.1007/978-3-7908-2148-2_11</ref>

# '''Communication''' can be thought of as unstructured interchange of information. A phone call and an [[instant messaging]] discussion are examples.
# '''Conferencing''' (or collaboration level, as it is called in academic papers) refers to interactive work toward a shared goal. Brainstorming and voting are examples.
# '''Coordination''' refers to complex interdependent work toward a shared goal. A good metaphor is to think about a sports team; everyone has to contribute the right play at the right time as well as adjust their play to the unfolding situation - but everyone is doing something different - in order for the team to win. It is complex interdependent work toward a shared goal.

===Collaborative management (coordination) tools===
Collaborative management tools facilitate and manage group activities. Examples include:
* [[Document collaboration]] systems &mdash; help people work together on a single document or file to achieve a single final version
* [[Electronic calendar]]s (also called [[time management]] software) &mdash; schedule events and automatically notify and remind group members
* [[Project management]] systems &mdash; schedule, track, and chart the steps in a project as it is being completed
* [[Online proofing]] &mdash; share, review, approve, and reject web proofs, artwork, photos, or videos between designers, customers, and clients
* [[Workflow system]]s &mdash; collaborative management of tasks and documents within a knowledge-based business process
* [[Knowledge management software|Knowledge management systems]] &mdash; collect, organize, manage, and share various forms of information
* [[Enterprise bookmarking]] &mdash; collaborative bookmarking engine to tag, organize, share, and search enterprise data
* [[Extranet]] systems (sometimes also known as 'project extranets') &mdash; collect, organize, manage, and share information associated with the delivery of a project (e.g., the construction of a building)
* [[Intranet]] systems &mdash; quickly share company information via internet to members within a company (e.g., marketing and product info)<ref name="Intranet">{{cite book|last1=Chaffey|first1=Dave|title=Groupware, Workflow, and Intranets: Reengineering the Enterprise with Collaborative Software|date=1998|publisher=Digital Press|location=Boston}}</ref>
* [[Social software]] systems &mdash; organize social relations of groups
* [[Online spreadsheet]]s &mdash; collaborate and share structured data and information
* [[Client portal]]s &mdash; interact and share with clients in a private online environment{{citation needed|date=November 2016}}