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Collaborative tools (including distributed project management (DPM) tools) are built by engineers; it is important to have an engineering metaphor to explain collaboration so that the collaborative software designers take it into account when they build new products.
I have taken the liberty of modifying the seven-layer ISO/OSI model by adding three more layers at the top to extend the metaphor from the physical, through software, and into the domain of human interactions (see Figure 1). I will assume that you, the reader, already know about the first seven layers (the application layer and below). The eighth layer looks at how the application layer interacts with the user (and is called the user interface layer). For example, can the user access the application through a browser or some mobile device? Are they interacting with the data or are they just downloading it to be modified by the application? Often the user interface has its own ergonomics, and can take up to 80% of the resources in application development. The user interface is critical in collaborative applications as it not only has to deal with individual users and has to support two or more users interacting with each other. This means that the common context that the collaborative application provides must be intuitive for each of the users in the interaction.
Figure 1 The ninth layer I like to call the "collaborative layer". This layer deals with human-to-human interactions through the OSI stack and the applications software. In the eighth layer, we are looking at how the data is presented to the user (i.e., a portal), but in this ninth layer we look at how the people interact around the data/content. DPM software can encompass both the eighth and ninth layers, but people do not interact around data for no reason. They usually interact in a specific way called a process (layer ten). It is through this process that one can develop the metrics to determine ROI (usually cycle time). It is only in the last year or so that we have seen collaborative vendors acknowledge this trend. In a recent briefing from the management at NextPage, they showed us that they, more than most other vendors in this space, understand the relationship of people, process, and technology to generate collaborative ROI. The Expanding Market In our initial report on DPM tools, done in 2000, we looked at the tools from 18 different vendors. That number expanded to 30 vendors in the 2001 update. We are currently working on developing vendor and product profiles for the 2002 update and currently have 40 vendors (a 33% increase over 2001). In addition, we have expanded to a second volume to look at DPM in specific industries and processes, and will profile ten vendors in each of four categories (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC), IT and Software Development, New Product Development, and Professional Service Organizations). The vendors that we will be profiling in the 2002 DPM update are listed in Tables 1 (general tools update) and 2 (second volume, specific industries and processes). Table 1
Table 2
Conclusions We are seeing two major trends in an expanding DPM market space. The first is the shift from project manager (individual)-based tools to team-based project management tools (usually Web-based). The second is the fragmentation of the DPM market along vertical industry and critical process directions. As a user of these tools, it is important to know first that the tool meets your needs and second that the vendor will be around to support the tool for at least the next few years (and hopefully longer). As a vendor of DPM tools, it is important to see who your competition is, how you are seen, and what are some of the new trends in this market. All of these questions are answered in the 2002 DPM update (2 volumes). For more information on this report, please see www.collaborate.com, or contact us at 877/209-2455 (US only) or 415/282-9197 (worldwide). Note: If you are a vendor in one of the DPM areas listed in the tables in this article and we do not have you listed, please contact us immediately! David Coleman is the Founder and Managing Director of Collaborative Strategies LLC and the editor of "Inside Collaboration". He is the author of two books on groupware, and many of the monthly Hot Tips on the collaborate.com Web site as well as this newsletter. When he is not consulting for vendors or users of collaboration technologies, David is often engaged in both in-person and Web-based presentations to educate all types of organizations about the benefits and successful techniques for collaboration. He is also working on a new book on e-collaboration. He welcomes your comments, questions, and requests, and can be reached by e-mail at davidc@collaborate.com, on AOL Instant Messenger at davidc121, or by telephone at 415/282-9197.
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