Page 106 - Using MIS

74 Chapter 2 Collaboration Information Systems

account. Save the document. Now, sign out of your e. Sign in on your second account. Reopen the shared
second account and sign back in with the first ac- document. From the File menu, save the docu-
count. Now attempt to open the memo. (If you are ment as a Word document. Describe how SkyDrive
using two computers, perform these same actions processed the changes to your document.
on the two different computers.)

CollaBora tion exerCiSe 2

In this exercise, you will first build a collaboration IS and then Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Microsoft SharePoint,
use that IS to answer four questions in a collaborative fashion. or some other facility.
You might want to read the four questions (in item 4 below) be- c. Implement the tool and server in step a.
fore you build your IS. d. Write procedures for the team to use when man-
Until you answer question 2-5, you’ll have to make do aging tasks.
with email or face-to-face meeting. Once you’ve answered 2-8. Using your new collaboration information system,
that question, use your communication method to answer answer the following questions:
question 2-6. Once you’ve answered question 2-6, use your a. What is collaboration? Reread Q1 in this chapter,
communication and your content-sharing method to answer but do not confine yourselves to that discussion.
question 2-7. Then use the full IS to answer question 2-8.
Consider your own experience working in collab-
2-5. Build a communication method: orative teams, and search the Web to identify other
a. Meet with your team and decide how you want to ideas about collaboration. Dave Pollard, one of the
meet in the future. Use Figure 2-8 as a guide. authors of the survey on which Figure 2-1 is based,
b. From the discussion in a, list the requirements for is a font of ideas on collaboration.
your communication system. b. What characteristics make for an effective team
c. Select and implement a communication tool. It member? Review the survey of effective collabo-
could be Skype, Google Hangouts, or Microsoft Lync. ration skills in Figure 2-1 and the guidelines for
d. Write procedures for the team to use when utiliz- giving and receiving critical feedback, and discuss
ing your new communication tool. them as a group. Do you agree with them? What
skills or feedback techniques would you add to
2-6. Build a content-sharing method: this list? What conclusions can you, as a team, take
a. Meet with your team and decide the types of con- from this survey? Would you change the rankings
tent that you will be creating. in Figure 2-1?
b. Decide as a team whether you want to pro- c. What would you do with an ineffective team mem-
cess your content using desktop applications or
cloud-based applications. Choose the applica- ber? First, define an ineffective team member.
tions you want to use. Specify five or so characteristics of an ineffective
c. Decide as a team the server you will use to share team member. If your group has such a member,
your content. You can use Google Grid, Microsoft what action do you, as a group, believe should be
OneDrive, Microsoft SharePoint, or some other taken?
server. d. How do you know if you are collaborating well?
d. Implement your content-sharing server. When working with a group, how do you know
e. Write procedures for the team to use when sharing whether you are working well or poorly? Specify
content. five or so characteristics that indicate collab-
orative success. How can you measure those
2-7. Build a task management method: characteristics?
a. Meet with your team and decide how you want to e. Briefly describe the components of your new col-
manage tasks. Determine the task data that you laboration IS.
want to store on your task list. f. Describe what your team likes and doesn’t like
b. Decide, as a team, the tool and server you will about using your new collaboration system.
use for sharing your tasks. You can use Google