Collaboration Tools

Email: Mailgroups
Interlinear editing and commentary
Personal, searchable archive
IFS: Shared folders for archives, assets, notes, etc. (ACLs)
CTools: Rich tool options (e.g., searchable common email archive) but somewhat limited control
Web: Collective pages for resources, results, examples, etc.
Access controls for copyrighted materials, drafts, etc.
(at U-M, see ITCS Online Help under "Restricting Access to Your Web Pages":
http://www.itd.umich.edu/itcsdocs/s4293/)
Word: Comment (Annotation) for text commentary (and audio in Word 2003 and Tablet PC 2007)
Track Changes to make visible editorial changes
Protect Document... to allow multiple simultaneous editors
Compare and Merge Documents to gather suggestions from multiple editors
Compare and Merge Documents to work with just two documents
Outlining for overview and distribution of tasks and, in Word 2007, Master and Subdocuments
Master Document and Subdocuments for distribution of tasks (Word 2003)
PowerPoint: Insert Comments
Divide tasks by asset types
Flash: Divide tasks by movie clips and/or scenes
Divide tasks by asset types
Dreamweaver: Templates
Site management and collaboration (Check In and Check Out)
Design Notes
Databases: Flat (e.g., Excel)
Relational (e.g., Access)
Group Organization: Every group needs a chairperson (coordinates communications)
Every group needs a secretary (creates and/or edits and posts and/or disseminates collective materials)
Every group needs a taskmaster (kicks butt)
(Note: the three functions above may be performed by one, two, or three people at any given time. The key point is that the roles are known and accepted by all in the group. With that understanding, the people who fulfill those roles at any given time can be changed.)
Every group needs a charge (in the case of website development, a site definition including a statement of audience&purpose)
Every group needs an outcome sketch (in the case of website development, a site storyboard)
Every group needs resources (in the case of website development, explicit information architecture)
Every group needs a task timeline, including deadlines
Every task needs a named executor
Every task needs a named reviewer
Every group needs periodic collective review of the state of each member's work
Every group needs periodic collective review of charge, outcome sketch, resources, and timeline
Every group needs objective consultation (in the case of website development, frequent usability tests are crucial)