Establish a Communication and Collaboration System Strategy
Collaboration should drive your collaboration tool selection.
- Communication and collaboration portfolios are overburdened with redundant and overlapping services. Between Office 365, Slack, Jabber, and WebEx, IT is supporting a collection of redundant apps. This redundancy takes a toll on IT, and on the user.
- Shadow IT is easier than ever, and cheap sharing tools are viral. Users are literally carrying around computers in their pockets (in the form of smartphones). IT often has no visibility into how these devices – and the applications on them – are used for work.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- You don’t know what you don’t know. Unstructured conversations with users will uncover insights.
- Security is meaningless without usability. If security controls make a tool unusable, then users will rush to adopt something that’s free and easy.
- Training users on a new tool once isn’t effective. Engage with users throughout the collaboration tool’s lifecycle.
Impact and Result
- Few supported apps and fewer unsupported apps. This will occur by ensuring that your collaboration tools will be useful to and used by users. Give users a say through surveys, focus groups, and job shadowing.
- Lower total cost of ownership and greater productivity. Having fewer apps in the workplace, and better utilizing the functionality of those apps, will mean that IT can be much more efficient at managing your ECS.
- Higher end-user satisfaction. Tools will be better suited to users’ needs, and users will feel heard by IT.
Member Testimonials
After each Info-Tech experience, we ask our members to quantify the real-time savings, monetary impact, and project improvements our research helped them achieve. See our top member experiences for this blueprint and what our clients have to say.
9.0/10
Overall Impact
$2,599
Average $ Saved
10
Average Days Saved
Client
Experience
Impact
$ Saved
Days Saved
Kappa Delta Sorority
Guided Implementation
10/10
$2,599
10
Scott was able to help with the bigger picture vision and sequencing of projects that will impact our communications and collaboration strategy. Al... Read More
City of Bloomington, IN
Guided Implementation
8/10
$2,599
10
Office Of The Comptroller Of The Currency
Guided Implementation
10/10
$14,259
10
The best part of my experience was reading through the clear overview on developing a collaboration strategy and realizing that we are halfway ther... Read More
Office of the Attorney General
Guided Implementation
9/10
$28,350
20
The analyst clearly understood the context and needs and provided solution that's very relevant to us
American Honda Motor
Guided Implementation
10/10
N/A
N/A
The experience was all positive, and the conversation touched on several aspects of communication and collaboration that are very relevant to our e... Read More
Aquarion Water Company
Guided Implementation
6/10
$16,899
3
Using a structured methodology for assessment thru decision making....
World Bank Group
Guided Implementation
10/10
$37,799
N/A
There was no "worst" part - Tom has been very helpful, proactive, pleasant and organized in his approach to our conversations.
Spin Master Ltd
Guided Implementation
10/10
$50,000
20
Canadian Institutes of Health
Guided Implementation
8/10
N/A
N/A
Ice Miller LLP
Guided Implementation
8/10
N/A
N/A
City of Alexandria, VA
Guided Implementation
10/10
N/A
N/A
New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services
Guided Implementation
9/10
N/A
N/A
Lots of good information and insight. Will need time to digest it all
Calgary Public Library
Guided Implementation
7/10
$8,000
10
Workshop: Establish a Communication and Collaboration System Strategy
Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.
Module 1: Identify What Needs to Change
The Purpose
- Create a vision for the future of your ECS.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Validate and bolster your strategy by involving your end users.
Activities
Outputs
Prioritize Components of Your ECS Strategy to Improve
- Defined vision and mission statements
- Principles for your ECS
- ECS goals
Create a Plan to Gather Requirements From End Users
- End-user engagement plan
Brainstorm the Collaboration Services That Are Used by Your Users
Focus Group
- Focus group results
- ECS executive presentation
- ECS strategy
Module 2: Map Out the Change
The Purpose
- Streamline your collaboration service portfolio.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Documented the business requirements for your collaboration services.
- Reduced the number of supported tools.
- Increased the effectiveness of training and enhancements.
Activities
Outputs
Create a Current-State Collaboration Capability Map
- Current-state collaboration capability map
Build a Roadmap for Desired Changes
- ECS roadmap
Create a Future-State Capability Map
- Future-state collaboration capability map
Identify Business Requirements
Identify Use Requirements and User Processes
Document Non-Functional Requirements
Document Functional Requirements
Build a Risk Register
- ECS business requirements document
Module 3: Proselytize the Change
The Purpose
- Ensure the system is supported effectively by IT and adopted widely by end users.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Unlock the potential of your ECS.
- Stay on top of security and industry good practices.
- Greater end-user awareness and adoption.
Activities
Outputs
Develop an IT Training Plan
- IT training plan
Develop a Communications Plan
- Communications plan
Create Initial Marketing Material
- App marketing one-pagers
About Info-Tech
Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.
We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.
What Is a Blueprint?
A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.
Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.
Need Extra Help?
Speak With An Analyst
Get the help you need in this 3-phase advisory process. You'll receive 9 touchpoints with our researchers, all included in your membership.
Guided Implementation 1: Identify what needs to change
- Call 1: Identify goals and vision.
- Call 2: Study the end user.
- Call 3: Distill user requirements.
Guided Implementation 2: Map out the change
- Call 1: Categorize tools.
- Call 2: Identify requirements.
- Call 3: Prioritize initiatives.
Guided Implementation 3: Proselytize the change
- Call 1: Create a training plan.
- Call 2: Identify top apps.
- Call 3: Create a communication plan.
Contributors
- Marianne Chester, President/CEO, mEnterprise Solutions, and Acting CIO, X-Gen Pharmaceuticals
- Diane Smith, CEO, ChoiceTel
- Jan Wenzelburger, Enterprise Program Management, X-Gen Pharmaceuticals
- Kurt Haas, Cloud/Mobile Architect, QuikTrip
- Cisco Systems, Inc.
- A special thank you to 29 anonymous contributors
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