Enterprise Systems
CT107-3-2 and VD1
Collaborative Systems &
Workflow
Topic & Structure of The
Lesson
• Communication & Collaboration
• Reason of Collaboration
• Business Benefits of Collaboration
• Tools & Technologies for Collaboration
• Evaluating & Selecting Collaboration
Software Tools
• Workflow
CT107-3-2 Enterprise Systems Collaborative Systems & Workflow Slide ‹2› of 9
Learning Outcomes
• Explain what collaboration is.
• Understand the reason of collaboration.
• Understand the business benefits of
collaboration.
• Know how to evaluate and select
collaboration tools and technique
• Explain what workflow is and the role of
workflow application.
CT107-3-2 Enterprise Systems Collaborative Systems & Workflow
Key Terms You Must Be
Able To Use
• If you have mastered this topic, you should be able
to use the following terms correctly in your
assignments and exams:
Collaboration Workflow
Communication
Tools
CT107-3-2 Enterprise Systems Collaborative Systems & Workflow Slide ‹4› of 9
Communication &
Collaboration
• One of the reason why information
systems in organizations have become so
powerful and important is the ability to
interconnect, allowing internal and external
constituents to communicate and
collaborate with each other.
CT107-3-2 Enterprise Systems Collaborative Systems & Workflow
Collaboration
• Working with others to achieve shared and
explicit goals.
• Example: collaborate with colleague in
Tokyo having expertise on a topic.
• Could be short-lived, lasting a few minutes,
or longer term, depending on the nature of
the task and the relationship among
participants.
• Could be one-to-one or many-many
CT107-3-2 Enterprise Systems Collaborative Systems & Workflow
Reason of Collaboration
• Changing nature of work
– Change of the way of daily work. Eg. from
manual to computerize.
• Growth of professional work
– More coordination and collaboration
– Professional jobs require substantial
education, and the sharing of information and
opinions to get work done.
CT107-3-2 Enterprise Systems Collaborative Systems & Workflow
Reason of Collaboration
• Changing organization of the firm
– Today, work is organized into groups and
teams, who are expected to develop their own
methods for accomplishing the task.
– Expertise has been pushed down in the
organization, has have decision-making
powers.
CT107-3-2 Enterprise Systems Collaborative Systems & Workflow
Reason of Collaboration
• Changing scope of the firm
– Changed from a single location to multiple
locations (region, nation, globe).
– Close coordination of design, production,
marketing, distribution, and service.
• Emphasis on innovation
– Most innovations derive from collaboration
among individuals in a lab, a business, or
government agencies.
CT107-3-2 Enterprise Systems Collaborative Systems & Workflow
Business Benefits of
Collaboration
Benefits Rationale
Productivity People working together can complete a complex
task faster than the same number of people
working in isolation from one another. There will be
fewer errors.
Quality People working collaboratively can communicate
errors, and correct action faster, when they work
together than if they work in isolation. Can lead to
reduction in buffers and time delay among
production units.
CT107-3-2 Enterprise Systems Collaborative Systems & Workflow
Business Benefits of
Collaboration
Benefits Rationale
Innovation People working collaboratively in groups can come
up with more innovate ideas for products, services,
and administration than the same number working
in isolation from one another.
Customer service People working together in teams can solve
customer complaints and issues faster and more
effectively than if they were working in isolation
from one another.
CT107-3-2 Enterprise Systems Collaborative Systems & Workflow
Business Benefits of
Collaboration
Benefits Rationale
Financial As a result of all the above, collaborative firms have
performance superior sales growth and financial performance.
(profitability,
sales, and sales
growth)
CT107-3-2 Enterprise Systems Collaborative Systems & Workflow
Tools & Technologies for
Collaboration
• E-mail and Instant Messaging (IM)
– Operates on computers, cell phones, and
other wireless handheld devices
– Share files, transmitting messages, real time
conversations with multiple participants
simultaneously.
• Social Networking
– People to share interests and interact
– Eg. Facebook, Linkedin
CT107-3-2 Enterprise Systems Collaborative Systems & Workflow
Tools & Technologies for
Collaboration
• Wikis
– Makes it easy for users to contribute and edit
text content and graphics without any
knowledge of Web page development or
programming techniques.
– Ideal tools for storing and sharing company
knowledge and insights.
– Eg. Wikipedia
CT107-3-2 Enterprise Systems Collaborative Systems & Workflow
Tools & Technologies for
Collaboration
• Virtual Worlds
– Online 3-D environment populated by
“residents”. They meet, interact, and
exchange ideas.
– Eg. Second Life
CT107-3-2 Enterprise Systems Collaborative Systems & Workflow
Tools & Technologies for
Collaboration
• Internet-Based Collaboration
Environments
– There are now suites of software products
providing multi-function platform for
workgroup collaboration among teams of
employee.
– Virtual Meeting Systems, Google Apps /
Google Sites, Microsoft SharePoint
CT107-3-2 Enterprise Systems Collaborative Systems & Workflow
Tools & Technologies for
Collaboration
• Virtual Meeting Systems
– Company to adopt videoconferencing and
Web conferencing technologies to reduce
travel cost.
– Use for product briefing, training courses,
strategy sessions, inspirational chats.
CT107-3-2 Enterprise Systems Collaborative Systems & Workflow
Tools & Technologies for
Collaboration
• Google Apps / Google Sites
– “Free” online service
– Google sites allows users to quickly create
online, group-editable Web sites.
– Google apps works with Google Sites and
includes the typical desktop productivity office
software tools (word processing,
spreadsheets, presentation, contact
management, messaging, and mail)
CT107-3-2 Enterprise Systems Collaborative Systems & Workflow
Tools & Technologies for
Collaboration
• Microsoft SharePoint
– A browser-base collaboration and document
management platform, combined with
powerful search engine that is installed on
corporate servers.
– Close integration with everyday tools such as
Microsoft Office desktop software products.
– SharePoint stores and organizes information
in one place, users can find relevant
information quickly and efficiently.
CT107-3-2 Enterprise Systems Collaborative Systems & Workflow
Evaluating & Selecting
Collaboration Software Tools
• Time/space collaboration matrix is a
framework used for evaluating and
selecting the collaboration software tools.
CT107-3-2 Enterprise Systems Collaborative Systems & Workflow
Evaluating & Selecting
Collaboration Software Tools
• Focus on two (2) dimensions:
– Time
– Space
• Four (4) matrix:
– Same Time & Same Place
– Same Time & Different Place
– Different Time & Same Place
– Different Time & Different Place
CT107-3-2 Enterprise Systems Collaborative Systems & Workflow
Workflow
• A defined process that identifies the
specific set of steps involved in completing
a particular project or business process.
• May be a written set of rules of a set of
rules that exists in an Information System.
– Example: When an insurance company
receives a claim from a customer, a workflow
in the insurance company defines how the
claim is validated, processed, and paid.
CT107-3-2 Enterprise Systems Collaborative Systems & Workflow
Workflow Application
• A program that assists in the management
and tracking of all the activities in a
business process from start to finish
Enterprises use workflow applications to
assist in defining complex workflows.
• Workflow applications also enforce the
rules of the workflow once the workflow is
defined and in place.
CT107-3-2 Enterprise Systems Collaborative Systems & Workflow
Quick Review Question
• What are the benefits for virtual
collaboration?
• How workflow able to assist in
understanding the business processes?
CT107-3-2 Enterprise Systems Collaborative Systems & Workflow Slide ‹24› of 9
Summary of Main Teaching Points
• Collaboration is working with others to
achieve shared and explicit goals.
• Virtual collaboration is the method
of collaboration between virtual team
members that is carried out via
technology-mediated communication.
• Workflow identifies the specific set of
steps involved in completing a particular
project or business process
CT107-3-2 Enterprise Systems Collaborative Systems & Workflow Slide ‹25› of 9
Question and Answer
Session
Q&A
CT107-3-2 Enterprise Systems Collaborative Systems & Workflow Slide 26 of 26