Built on Collaboration

This is the final part of my argument against relying on email as a project communication tool. To summarize, email is fine for what it's intended for - personal communication - but it is completely insufficient for project correspondence management. Thankfully collaboration tools, although not perfect, offer a superior, more sophisticated alternative. Here are some of the main benefits of using a project collaboration tool to manage project mail:

Assured delivery - The sender can be sure that every intended recipient has access to the mail. There is no uncertainty about spam filters or oversized attachments, and no room for excuses or disputes.

Retrieving mails - All incoming and outgoing mail is indexed so that it can be searched for using project-related criteria such as status, keywords (subject or body text), attributes, date ranges, sender and recipient details, organization and mail types. This is far more relevant to the industry's needs and means people can find what they're looking for in a fraction of time it would take using a standard email program.

Transparency - All project mail can be accessed by any authorized team member. This is particularly valuable when people leave projects as mail cannot be deleted or lost. Individual email inboxes are the enemy of good collaboration!

Configurable to the project - Mail types, auto-text, standard forms and being able to attach attributes save time by automating tasks and making it easy to retrieve and categorize project mail.

Data storage - Many online collaboration tools provide unlimited data storage to encourage widespread use, so there is no risk of mail bouncing due to excessive file size. Email's limitations on attached file sizes make it an impractical tool for an industry that routinely transmits massive drawings and other documents.

Security - With the best collaboration providers, project information is stored and backed up in independent data centers and there are multiple physical and technical measures to protect the integrity of the information. Anyone who has had a laptop stolen is only too aware of the flaws in the email security model.

Reporting - Collaboration tools can generate reports on correspondence to aid decision making and provide accountability. For example, within a few clicks, a list of all outstanding RFIs can be generated. Managers can run reports on all mail sent and received so there are never any doubts around what has been committed to or requested by each company.

Some other benefits of online project collaboration over email include:

• Automatic filing of all outgoing & incoming mail
• Enforcement of agreed communication protocols (how often is an email sent with no subject line?)
• Use of approval functionality to control the issue of mail e.g. by junior staff.

Looking at the bigger picture, the real benefit of using a collaboration tool instead of email can be measured in terms of peace of mind. There is much better risk management with reduced exposure to disputes, information loss, delays and litigation, any of which can derail a project by impacting on time, cost and quality.

Labels: Good practice