CoDocs: An electronic document management system supporting effective collaborative work

A ll of us have encountered businesses that operated as if the right hand didn't know what the left hand was doing. Or called an 800 number for information or to get something fixed and had to repeat the request and other tedious background information to two, three or even four different people. Whenever that happens, it's hard not to wonder, " Don't these people ever talk to each other? " But while it's easy to criticize, the old adage " People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones " is worth keeping in mind. Just about any group that takes a critical look at how it does business winds up concluding that it needs to do a better job of communicating—internally as well as to customers, clients, distributors and suppliers. That is why corporate reengineer-ing and Total Quality Management (TQM) efforts, for example, often result in the establishment of highly focused market-driven teams and workgroups, which are characterized by efficient workflow and communication processes. The essence of what members of workgroups do is known as " collaborative " work. Workgroup members need to overcome barriers of time zones and geography to document what's been accomplished and to update each other on progress, problems, successes and new ideas. They need to be able to brainstorm and debate with one another, even if some or most of the team aren't physically located within the same room. Communications networks and information technology are the tools that make " working together apart " possible, and here are just a few examples of how this is happening today: ■ Every evening, ComputerLand uses Lotus Notes software to distribute current pricing and product availability information to its sales force. The same data are also used in internal meetings of the workgroup and in sales presentations to customers. ■ Viacom, which owns and operates the cable channels MTV and Nickelodeon, links its advertising agencies to its programming centers via a private internetwork. Simultaneous use of graphics workstations and the telephone system enables artists, programmers and advertisers to match commercials to the most appropriate television timeslots. ■ In the New York City office of Chiat/Day, an advertising agency that had over $800 million in billings in 1993, about half of the employees no longer have permanent desks. Instead, when they arrive for work each day, they are assigned ROLMphone 900 wireless handsets (part of the ROLMphone …