Recent years have shown a sharp increase in the use of digital collaboration tools. This is of course easily explained by the fact that hybrid and asynchronous working – i.e. from different places and at different times – have become increasingly popular. An easily accessible tool, such as Microsoft Teams, is ideally suited to enable online collaboration, both between colleagues and with external contacts. Video calls and meetings, file sharing, digital one-to-ones or group sessions… it’s all super easy and accessible to everyone. After all, the tool is ‘open’ by default.
Een laagdrempelige tool, zoals bijvoorbeeld Microsoft Teams, is bij uitstek geschikt om online samenwerking mogelijk te maken, zowel tussen collega’s als met externe contacten. Videobellen- en vergaderen, bestanden delen, digitaal overleggen… het is supersimpel en voor iedereen toegankelijk. De tool is tenslotte standaard ‘open’.
“How do you tackle the security vulnerabilities in a way that doesn’t compromise the productivity of the collaboration tool?”
But therein also lies the danger. For example, how can you avoid a tangled mess of online workspaces in the tool? How do you guarantee the security of data and documents shared via the tool? How do you make firm agreements without compromising user-friendliness at the risk of employees dropping out? In other words: how do you tackle the security vulnerabilities in a way that doesn’t compromise the productivity of the collaboration tool? This blog includes practical tips that you can use right away.
Who takes the lead?
Step one on the way to optimal management of the collaboration tool is to put together a small group of employees who are closely involved in the implementation and commissioning of the tool, and periodically meet afterwards to discuss progress. This is the so-called Governance Team. Be sure to choose a cross-representation of the organization, i.e. from a range of department levels and different types of projects.
The purpose of the Governance Team meetings is to discuss usage statistics, work agreements, objectives and any new functionalities. In addition, it is important to regularly ask for feedback from the various departments and teams, so as to not only have an overview of what is going well, but also get a clear picture of any areas for improvement.
A Governance Plan keeps you focused
The implementation and progress must of course be measurable. That is why it is important to record all agreements in a so-called Governance Plan. It covers a variety of topics, such as:
- use-cases – which functions of the tool will your organization use?
- werkafspraken – such as rules for creating new workgroups
- gebruiksdoelen – what does your organization aim to achieve with the tool?
What matters is that everyone in the organization understands who can use the tool and for what purpose, but also how the tool is used and what its objectives are. This ensures a solid foundation that regulates the use and security of the tool.
“Did you know that QS solutions can not only provide usage statistics to measure the objectives set, but can also help you with workshops to optimize user adoption?”
Getting the team on board
Of course, putting together a Governance Team and drawing up a Governance Plan are merely the beginning. To make it as easy as possible for end users to make maximum use of the collaboration tool, it is important to provide hands-on training as well as periodic progress updates. This way, everyone within the organization remains involved and gets the most from the tool.
Experience shows that this is not a given in all organizations. That is why at QS solutions, we offer all kinds of support that is based on years of experience with Microsoft Teams and similar collaboration tools. We know what works, what’s workable and measurable. We are happy to help you with best practices and workshops. But also with ready-made use cases that can serve as a basis for your organization. In addition, we offer advice during the implementation phase of the tool as well as at the points of interim monitoring once it has been put into use.
White paper ‘Work Securely’
In our white paper ‘Work Securely: Improve Security, Increase Productivity’ we take a closer look at the challenges and opportunities of online collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams. Practical, useful information that you can apply immediately.
PortalTalk is also addressed here: the tool that QS solutions developed to make online collaboration easier, faster and simple to manage, with great convenience for the end user as well as the IT administrator.
This is the best way to not only achieve the organizational objectives with the tool, but to also ensure maximum security and sustainable user adoption.
Would you like to know more?