There is no denying that collaboration can be the key to enabling creativity and innovation on a global scale. However, as the role of the marketing team continues to be spread across departments and locations, many teams are under pressure to choose a platform that will best suit their organisation and, at the same time, ensure a smooth and seamless integration. But, amongst the myriad of platforms and complex connectivity, how can businesses make sure their platform implementation is a success?
Here are the five best practices to follow when embracing collaboration:
1) Choose the right tool for the job - Most teams would say email is their primary collaboration tool, but the reality is, it’s not a collaboration tool at all and trying to use it as one is extremely inefficient. Similarly, spreadsheets are static, offering very little tracking to understand who made what changes, with versioning issues that quickly spiral out of control. Instead of trying to make another tool into something it’s not, choose a purpose-built platform that’s designed work management and collaboration.
2) Get executive-level support for adoption - Simply put, there has to be buy-in from the top. People are naturally change-averse, and they have to see that management supports the initiative in order to understand its importance. That also means that respect for the chosen tool has to first come from the management team. For example, if you establish a process and require that all work requests must be made within the tool, management cannot use their power and authority to override it. That will only undermine the entire system.
3) Don’t automate bad processes - Start by examining your current manual processes to make sure you’re doing it the right way to begin with. Automating a poorly designed process with a work management or collaboration platform won’t make it better – in fact, it will only make it spiral downward faster.
4) Commit to collaboration - Don’t allow work to happen outside the tool or platform. For example, if only 80 percent of work is done in the platform, you’re still missing that 20 percent, which could be very important. It has to be all or nothing. Typically, once the team starts to reap the benefits, there won’t be any problem getting everyone fully on board.
5) Take advantage of the vendor consultation - Just choosing a vendor and trying to conduct your own implementation can be a costly shortcut and a quick route to failure. Make the most of your investment by working with a platform provider that understands how to build appropriate processes and implement a platform that works the way you do, rather than trying to force your work to fit a pre-determined mold.
Choosing the right collaboration platform for your organisation is crucial and it is important that once this choice is made you can ensure that integration is simple and seamless. By committing to the solution, taking advantage of expert consultation and guaranteeing that the tool meets the needs of employees from graduate to board members, business can maintain a creative and collaborative culture, fuelling innovation and growth for a prosperous future.
By Joe Staples, Chief Marketing Officer at Workfront.
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