“In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.” — Charles Darwin
Collaboration- the art of working together towards common goals- has always been an essential part of human society. From hunter-gatherer tribes to modern corporate offices, we thrive when we work together. In today’s fast-paced, interconnected world, this simple idea has gone through equally dramatic change that it has brought upon the world.
In this article, we’ll trace back the footsteps of collaboration from the days of traditional face-to-face interactions to the cutting-edge project management tools we use today.
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Collaboration in the pre-internet era
The office, as we know it today, doesn’t look like anything it used to be before the internet. With the rise of global trade and business during the Industrial Revolution, data and paperwork grew.
Traditionally, the office served as a distinct space, separated from factories and production facilities, where the flow of information and administrative tasks were centralized.
In those days, collaboration meant face-to-face meetings. Colleagues gathered in the same room to brainstorm ideas, plan projects, and have discussions.
These methods were no doubt efficient but slower, leading to a paper trail of letters, memos, and reports sent back and forth via postal mail.
When remote collaboration was needed, audio conference calls bridged geographical gaps. Physical items and documents were sent through postal services and couriers.
Then came the facsimile (more commonly known as fax), the first upgrade facilitating effective document sharing at long distances.
The fax had a crucial impact on how information was communicated across offices. Easy to use and cost-efficient, the fax quickly rendered the telegraph obsolete.
But, things were about to change dramatically.
The early digital shift with Email
Email, as a concept, had its humble beginnings in the 1960s. Yes, even before the internet was a thing.
In 1971, the first electronic mail server was invented, allowing the exchange of virtual messages across different computer systems. Little did the BBN engineer, Ray Tomlinson, know that his invention would alter the landscape of workplace communication forever.
Fast forward to the dot-com boom in the 1990s, and the world witnessed a dramatic change.
The launch of the World Wide Web in 1993 brought the concept of electronic mail into the mainstream, now commonly referred to as “email.”
At its inception, email was perceived as a passive tool, merely a means to facilitate conventional offline communication. Employees initially upgraded their existing communication practices to this new online system. Soon, it became the new water cooler where all the gossip was happening.
Here are some of the benefits email added to workplace collaboration.
Benefits of email
1. Ease of use
Email was fairly easy to use. Since it was pretty much like writing traditional letters, there was little to no need for the workforce to go through training programs.
2. Wide reach
With the increasing globalization, this came as an invaluable advantage in modern workplace communication. Email allows you to communicate and share information almost anywhere in the world.
3. Fast communication
Project managers could easily communicate with stakeholders, enabling swift response and informed decision-making. This allowed teams to handle the urgent matters.
4. Cost-effectiveness
Email turned out to be a cost-effective solution because of the reduced cost of postage and paper. Also, it was cheaper to send an email over large distances than to make a phone call.
5. Easy storage
Email significantly reduced the presence of long file cabinets within the organization. There was no longer a need to keep track of all the conversations with external collaborators using letter threads.
However, with all these benefits, collaboration became more chaotic as people were doing it in a sort of haphazard way. They were sending fast messages that all ended up in one big pile inside the inbox. This way was fast for communicating, but it wasn’t very organized or effective.
Soon, limitations of email technology began to surface.
Limitations of email
1. Scattered information
One of the most common challenges that teams faced with email was disorganized information. With people using email for all sorts of purposes, it soon became a headache to find relevant important information within the long list of unnecessary emails.
2. Difficulty in tracking progress
Keeping tabs on the status of jobs and projects through email was difficult. It was challenging to see the big picture and know where things were at, which sometimes caused delays and deadlines to be missed.
Since the necessary information was spread across various email accounts, it was tough to find what was needed and when it was needed. This resulted in poor communication among teams and problems in projects, like spending more money than planned and not delivering on time.
3. Lack of real-time collaboration
Though email made a significant leap in making communication faster, It has a fair share of challenges in facilitating real-time communication. Team members had to draft a long email just to update the status. Plus, the likelihood of important messages getting lost or important information getting misinterpreted was huge. Above all, it was difficult to track file versions using emails.
4. Ineffective file sharing
The email had a file size limit on sharing. You could not send bigger files. Also, if you accidentally deleted a file the data retrieval was nearly impossible.
5. Security risks
With everyone using email from personal to professional use, email soon became a natural target for phishing and data breaches.
As you can see, most of the challenges associated with using emails for collaboration were centered primarily around data management. These challenges were later addressed by the advancements made in data storage and retrieval technologies.
Data management was also evolving in parallel to communication.
Back then, on-premise software was the norm. All teams were able to create, store, and share their data and collaborate on projects with computers connected to a workplace server. It was a significant upgrade from files, cabinets, and drawers; but just like email, it had its drawbacks.
To begin with, personal resources couldn’t be readily shared. They could only be saved to a shared folder accessible by everyone in the office. If you needed someone or your team to work on a document you had, and you didn’t want anyone else to access it, you had to go through the process of physically sharing it with them.
Yes, we’re talking about the era of transferring files through physical storage devices, a rather unimaginable process by today’s standards.
Also, the limited access issue.
If you weren’t on your computer, and your system wasn’t on with open access, no one else could access the information present on your system.
Above all, the major risk with this architecture was that of data loss. The collaboration was dependent and limited to the workplace server. If something went wrong with the server, the entire operation could fall apart.
It wasn’t uncommon for companies to have backup storage devices, but their maintenance was inconsistent, which meant they weren’t always reliable. Even if you did have a backup, there was no guarantee that it contained the most up-to-date version of your files.
These shortcomings gave birth to the concept of cloud computing.
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The cloud revolution
Cloud computing is recognized as a monumental leap in the history of workplace collaboration.
The cloud in cloud computing means that the data, information, and even the computing power, can be delivered to you whenever and wherever you need it.
It revolutionized collaboration by providing a secure, easily accessible, and scalable platform for managing data. With cloud computing, your documents, data, and resources are no longer confined to a single computer or network.
One of the most significant advantages of cloud computing is its ability to allow for real-time collaboration. Multiple users could access, edit, and share documents simultaneously. Changes are reflected instantly, eliminating the need for sending files back and forth via email or worrying about the latest version.
The data was no longer tied to a single server that could fail; it was replicated across multiple data centers, ensuring redundancy and data availability. With automatic backups and version history, companies could rest assured that their work was safe and accessible at all times.
The emergence of cloud computing, along with its advanced accessibility and flexibility, opened new doors to workplace collaboration. Teams were no longer limited by physical proximity or office hours. They could collaborate in real time, no matter where team members were located.
This transformation gave rise to the conceptualization of virtual workspaces and collaborative work environments. These environments allowed teams to work together smoothly, even if they were spread across different geographic locations.
The impact of virtual workspaces and collaborative work environments
The shift towards virtual workspaces and collaborative work environments marked a fundamental change in how work was organized and executed. New methodologies, like Agile, were also sprouting in parallel and played a significant role in adapting to these new collaborative practices.
As teams became more distributed and collaborative, Agile principles provided a framework for managing projects with efficiency and adaptability. The Agile approach prioritized communication and close collaboration among team members, which aligned well with the capabilities of cloud computing and virtual workspaces.
More and more companies were turning to cloud services for file storage and real-time collaboration. These advancements paved the way for integrated project management and team collaboration tools.
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Rise of project management software
Project management software is the latest addition to the evolution of collaboration that brings everything together. These platforms integrated cloud-based collaboration features, allowing teams to work together efficiently from one convenient location.
Project management tools offered a centralized space for teams to collaborate, share resources, and manage tasks, creating a collaborative ecosystem that streamlined the entire process.
With the advent of personal computers and networking, low-cost PCs grew leaps and bounds. This growth resulted in organizations investing in cloud-based project management tools that can multitask and efficiently manage even the most complex projects.
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Collaboration in the modern world: the new norms
The modern workspace is no longer confined to physical boundaries; it thrives on connectivity and adaptability, driven by the evolution of collaboration tools in recent years.
The adoption of cutting-edge technologies, such as project management and collaboration tools, was already on the rise for many organizations; however, the abrupt shift in workforce dynamics brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic served as a catalyst. It made their integration into the modern workplace necessary.
It also accelerated the adoption of video conferencing tools, facilitating real-time communication and collaboration.
According to Gartner, there was an astounding 44% surge in employees utilizing collaborative software since the onset of the pandemic.
Surprisingly, these collaboration solutions continue to hold sway, even in the post-pandemic world. It’s not solely due to the widespread trends of remote and hybrid work models, but also owing to other factors too.
Several organizations have now realized the correlation between robust collaboration and increased revenues.
Earlier, employees spent over 3 hours a day managing their emails, sifting through inboxes, and navigating lengthy reply-all threads. However, studies reveal that by using collaboration tools, users save an average of 90 minutes daily, equating to a substantial 7.5 hours per week.
Moreover, a recent survey by McKinsey & Company found that organizations with effective collaboration tools and practices are 2.2 times more likely to outperform their peers in terms of financial performance.
This underscores the tangible impact that these tools can have on a company’s bottom line.
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Wrapping up
The evolution of technology has changed the way we approach work.
As project management and collaboration tools continue to evolve, a glimpse into the future reveals a set of profound challenges and transformative shifts that will impact the very core of how we collaborate.
Tomorrow’s projects are expected to be larger and more complex, demanding innovation, efficiency, and collaboration without bounds. Teams becoming increasingly diverse and geographically distributed, the emergence of new automation and artificial intelligence (AI) technology, and gradually increasing speed-to-market, tend to bring more innovative and efficient methods of collaboration.
