5 Top Tools for Collaboration
...and tips on how to use them!
TNM's day-to-day operations wouldn't be possible without our own Global Coordination Angel, Nicola Mansell, and the cool, collaborative tools she finds, implements and keeps organized for us.
We're spread out across 19 countries on four continents and work virtually. Infrastructure is crucial. Nicola is a Master at finding the right tools for the work we do. Here are five of our favorite online collaborative tools and how we use them:
1.
Backpack for Organizing
Nicola's job is like herding a wild bunch of travelling cats. She schedules everything with Backpack. We each have personal pages with training schedules. All the detaills for each trip are there. We upload our receipts, important course-related documents and invoices in the same place.
Backpack has a great calendar function, too, with automated reminders. It's great for keeping things straight. We use the newsroom function to communicate with each other and upload a variety of materials to share on pages we create at will. Nicola manages the chaos we create with myriad pages.
2.
Doodle for Scheduling
Doodle is a polling tool Nicola uses to schedule meetings. She sends a link, we click, enter our names and indicate which times work. She can see at a glance who's available and who's not. I find Doodle perversely fun... because I know how many emails and how much time it saves!
3.
PBWiki for Creating
We've recently switched to PBWiki for creative collaboration like designing new programs. We were using Backpack for that, too, and find the creative process flows more smoothly on a wiki. See this post for some basic tips on effective use of wikis. The way we use it, PBWiki's free.
4.
Rypple for Feedback
Our clients often tell us they want to create a Feedback Culture -- here's your chance! Rypple is a free tool for gathering anonymous feedback. Just ran a project and want to gather impressions on how work flow was handled? Be sure you're ready to hear whatever they have to say! Another fabulous free tool.
5.
With Skype and Free Conference Talk is cheap!
http://www.skype.com and http://www.freeconference.com
In our facebook discussion on this topic, Damien Churton suggested the radical notion that conversation is a tried and tested tool for collaboration. At TNM we do a lot of talking! Free tools like Skype and freeconference.com mean we can talk all day no matter where we work! (We also record those calls for podcasts. Free! This one is a Skype call.)
Let us know what tools you use and happy collaborating!
P.S. Here are a few of my personal favorites. I use them almost every day and wouldn't want to leave them out:
- At SlideShare you can see PowerPoint presentations on nearly any topic. Many creators share their design work and copy freely.
- Find me and TNM Coaching on facebook.
- Follow us on Twitter: Rebecca's at XpatAdventures. Find TNM at TNM Coaching.
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