Working collaboratively using formal document systems, such as Microsoft Office, is notoriously frustrating. For anyone who has ever tried to work with a team on a single document will understand the difficulties involved: multiple versions saved in different places, not knowing which is the most up to date, and having to email drafts between colleagues are just the tips of many document-shaped icebergs.
The trouble is that while formal document systems can be excellent tools for complex functions, they are primarily designed to be used by one person at a time. They are simply not built for team working. That’s where team collaboration software, such as HighQ Collaborate, comes in. One of its core features is the wiki, an open but secure online space, perfect for working collaboratively on ideas and projects and a great tool for storing and sharing information.
Supporting remote collaboration
The original purpose of wikis was to enable multiple authors to edit content in a public forum across the internet. They provided the perfect platform for knowledge sharing and ideation for people in different parts the world.
This concept translates perfectly to the modern-day business world, as companies become increasingly global and more people work from home or on the move. Subsequently, there is growing demand for tools which enable colleagues to work together remotely. Enterprise social collaboration breaks down these geographic barriers with a holistic solution, providing an arena for communication, collaboration and file sharing between colleagues and clients.
Working with wikis
Wikis serve as repositories for ideas, data and information that can be easily picked up and used by those that need it. They provide an online space for creating, editing and storing documents, brainstorming ideas and gathering reference material, such as meeting notes, that is far more flexible, accessible and collaborative than formal document systems. Here are 12 reasons why wikis make team working easier:
1. Eradicate file duplication. Instead of multiple working copies of a document, wikis keep everything in one easy-to-find place.
2. Work simultaneously. Unlike documents, it is easy for two or more people to work on a wiki without having to create multiple copies.
3. Changes remain visible. Rather than having to talk through changes or use an unwieldy review changes tool, wikis keep previous copies with the changes visible so it is easy to compare versions.
4. Don’t lose previous versions. It happens to everyone – accidentally saving over a document and losing what was in the previous version. Wikis keep all previous versions in one place, with the latest version ‘on top’.
5. Work off the network. Anyone who is part of your collaboration site can read or edit a wiki with you from anywhere with internet access, perfect for remote working or working with a disparate team.
6. Anyone can contribute ideas. Documents are closed and private, meaning you can miss out on valuable input. Wikis allow people who may not be part of your project to contribute ideas (as long as they’re part of your site).
7. Co-authors are notified of changes. It is difficult to see if someone has made a change to a document, but with wikis all contributors will receive notifications if someone has made an edit, cutting down on time wasted by alerting colleagues or sending updated files to one another.
8. Communications are in one place. In addition to editing them, contributors can also comment on wikis, which keeps all communications associated with the wiki together for ease of reference.
9. Reduce emails and phone calls. Using email when working collaboratively has major drawbacks that can be avoided by using team collaboration software. Working with international project teams, it can be impractical and expensive to call one another, which makes wikis even more valuable.
10. Always keep up to date. With wikis, you can always be sure that you’re looking at the most recent version, without losing or deleting previous versions.
11. Find information easily. Wikis can be tagged and searched instantly, so you never have to dig through emails or shared folders to find what you’re working on.
12. Format your work. Enterprise collaboration tools make it easy to format wikis in rich text format and embed images, making them flexible for multiple uses. Final drafts can be transferred to documents without losing formatting.
If you want to know more about how wikis and enterprise social collaboration software can help your company, contact us.
