Collaborative software is a computer program designed to help people involved in a common task achieve their goals. Think of a basketball team. Although each of the five members of a team are individuals, coordinating their efforts is the path to achieving the best results. Similar situations occur in business organizations. A group of software engineers may be working on the same project. Collaborative software helps them coordinate their effort to achieve the best possible outcome. The benefit of most collaborative software systems is a function of the value their use creates and the ease with which people use them. The ultimate test of a system is whether it allows its members to coordinate their work effectively. Back to the basketball example—the members of a basketball team must execute the right play at the right time, without running into each other, as well as adjust their play as the game unfolds. That is exactly what the members of a group at work must do. The purpose of collaborative software is to facilitate the process.....

Discussion Questions:

1. How large do you think a startup needs to be to take advantage of collaborative management programs? Along with full- and part-time employees, should companies include interns, freelancers, and virtual assistants on projects that use collaborative management programs? Why or why not?
2. If you set out to select a collaborative management program for a business you are building, how would you go about selecting the program that would work the best for your business?
3. Imagine that you started a home remodeling business.
Discuss the advantages of using a collaborative management program such as Buildertrend from the outset for your business.
4. The “Opening Profile” focused on AirGarage, a startup that provides parking management services to clients. Discuss how Air Garage could benefit by using a collaborative software program such as Basecamp.