Getting ready for Cloud based project collaboration tools - some things to think about
1. Technical Readiness
1.1. HTML 5 compliant browsers on desktops
1.2. Able to access streaming media on desktops - for 'how to videos' provided by supplier - technical ability and security permissions
1.3. Mobile device deployment if App available
1.4. Are you able to deploy or allow installation of productivity add-ins for MS Office that will come with the tool? i.e. document editing, task synchronisation?
1.5. Can you use whatever virtual conferencing tools that might come with the product or be an add-on (GoToMeeting, Webex, or other online meeting tools)?
1.6. What is your existing document collaboration solution (and I emphasise collaboration) and can it be integrated?
1.7. Attachment audit - one month snapshot (sets a baseline for one or more metrics of success and stops IG staff worrying about implications of a Cloud Tool when they see the current lack of control!) e.g...
1.7.1. Total volume of attachments
1.7.2. Total number of attachments
1.7.3. Attachments in storage on email server
1.7.4. Attachment volumes sent within the organisation
1.7.5. Proportion of attachment volume that is duplicated
1.7.6. Attachment volumes sent outside the organisation
1.7.6.1. To @nhs.net
1.7.6.2. To other public sector @gov.uk
1.7.6.3. To other domains - in particular hotmail and gmail accounts
1.7.7. A neat tool for Exchange environments for this is NodeXL with the Exchange spigot. If you run this tool and then use a separate dump of all message IDs for messages with attachments together with the attachment meta-data to add in a couple of data columns then you get an interesting graphical SNA view
2. Capability Readiness
2.1. Do you have in place a standard change model or improvement methodology i.e. Model for `Improvement, Lean etc? - that the project tool needs to align with and which you use for the implementation of the tool?
2.2. Do you have a standard project methodology aligned with the standard change cycle model i.e. Agile, SCRUM etc? which the tool needs to align with and which you use for implementation of the tool?
2.3. Do staff routinely use tasks and delegated tasks within Outlook for example?
2.4. Can staff add calendar ICS feeds to their desktop calendar applications?
2.5. Are staff used to using document collaboration solutions?
2.6. Are staff familiar with online conferencing tools?
2.7. How does your training and support infrastructure align?
3. Change Readiness - suggest you use a Premortem methodology to mitigate optimism bias! I am using the NHS Change Model as a framework
3.1. Shared Purpose
3.1.1. Is there a clear narrative about why we want undertake this project, the journey that will be experienced and the benefits we expect?
3.2. Leadership for Change
3.2.1. Is there a executive and clinical leadership group who will immerse themselves and lead by example. For example refusing to accept attachments from within the organisation?
3.2.2. Is the project team responsible for this project prepared to act as the pathfinders in the use of the tools to support its roll out (i.e. no attachments, full task usage etc)?
3.3. Engagement to mobilise
3.3.1. Is there clarity about engagement and mobilisation - the narrative, the engagement and learning model etc
3.3.2. are you encouraging pathfinders in different parts of the organisation?
3.4. System Drivers
3.4.1. What are the incentives for successful adoption - how do we recognise and celebrate success?
3.4.2. What are sanctions for not using the system - for example leaders refusing to accept attachments, only accepting to-dos as tasks on the platform, only participating in project discussion through the medium of the platform and not through email.
3.5. Transparent Measurement
3.5.1. What are your key metrics and have you baselined them?
3.5.2. How do you publish and promote metrics?
3.5.3. Are the key metrics of usage reviewed by the Exec team as a minimum.
3.6. Rigorous Delivery
3.6.1. Are you using the tool to support implementation and using all elements that you expect staff to use?
3.6.2. Are you using
3.7. Improvement methodology
3.7.1. Are you using the standard change model and/or improvement methodologies which the tool is designed to support, as part of implementation
3.8. Spread and adoption
3.8.1. What is your staff experience of the use of IT - most NHS staff have very low expectations of IT and are very poorly trained in getting the most out of routine Office applications.
3.8.2. Have you a clear approach for spreading the use of the tool? Viral, spread, vectors, linked to improvement projects, CIPs
3.8.3. How are users trained and coached in exploitation?
4. Examples of Project Collaboration Tools (follow the links to the sites)
4.1. Government Digital Market Place (IL2 and IL3 compliant)
4.1.1. Huddle
4.1.2. Kahootz
4.1.3. ProjectPlace
4.2. Other project centric good tools - and there are lots out there
4.2.1. Basecamp
4.2.2. Wrike
4.2.3. Asana
4.2.4. Redbooth
4.2.5. Trello
4.2.6. ProjectSquared