Working with SharePoint and Office 365 is largely about collaborating on and with documents. Multiple employees jointly draft proposals, contracts or tenders. They give each other feedback and approval. To do that efficiently through Microsoft’s tools requires a change in the way we work. From I work on to we work together on. In this blog, I discuss the evolution of collaboration and the practical options Microsoft now offers.
Working together on a document is a fairly new area. Previously, you worked on a file, such as a Word or Excel file, on your computer and then shared it on a floppy disk, USB stick or by e-mail. With the file server, which is still in at many organizations, came an environment where everyone could access the same documents. Collaboration was possible. But with different versions: draft version 2, feedback Dennis, final version, very last version… We have seen them all. Even these versions were then mailed around, as still happens a lot today. This also happens in companies with SharePoint, where SharePoint mainly takes the glorified role of web-based file server.
To provide feedback, the file is printed and penciled with all sorts of scratches and comments. As a collector of feedback, you then get a pile of leaves to compare. Fortunately, Word itself is increasingly being used for editing and feedback. That ranges from text in red, strikethrough text to the built-in control functions Track Comments and Track Changes. Even then, you still get several versions in the mail for processing. No wonder some employees choose to ask for and process feedback on an individual basis, even though it can take weeks! Of course, that can be done more efficiently tod
Mocht bovenstaande je vooral als ervaringen uit een vorig leven klinken, prijs jezelf dan gelukkig, want dit is voor veel mensen echt nog de dagelijkse, vastgeroeste praktijk. Zo werken we nou eenmaal. Terwijl het eigenlijk gaat om het leren kennen van de beschikbare tools en het bekijken van hoe je nou precies wilt samenwerken. Bespreek daarom de volgende verbeteringen eens in de volgende vergadering:
When it comes to approval processes, SharePoint offers a comprehensive workflow, but I’d recommend proceeding with caution in the beginning. Start by collaborating online on documents first, because jumping straight into an approval workflow can be counterproductive. If your team already has some experience with online document collaboration, you can then identify which specific documents require formal approval, such as contracts or tenders. Approval workflows are built into modern team sites, complete with various features and notifications.
Additionally, and this is something to consider at a later stage, you can utilize minor and major versions in SharePoint. These are useful for managing the different phases of a document, such as drafting and finalizing. You can even freeze a file as a record using records management.
If your organization recognizes the benefits of online, synchronous, and real-time collaboration, start simple and take small steps. Transition from working individually on documents to collaborating together on documents. Keep in mind that document collaboration is a crucial part of daily work, and changing the way you work requires attention. At QS solutions, we offer a wide range of tools to support user adoption, including guides and instructional videos for standard scenarios and best practices.
Want to learn all about document collaboration? Watch our webinar via this link!
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