Another thing I've been thinking about when using external sites for things like wikis, blogs, and other collaborative tools is that, although you may be able to control access rights on a user level, it probably doesn't work as well as you think. Here are some examples:
* you grant access to anyone who has the same corporate domain email ID that you do ("@xyzcompany.com"). Whenever someone tries to access your information, the system validates that their account has that domain. However, it doesn't check to see if that domain is currently valid, just that it was originally. In other words, if someone creates an account on this system, using a corporate email account, it's only validated then. Never again.
* you grant access to someone whose account ID looks like the person you mean ("Joe Abercrombie" = "jabercrombie"). It turns out to be someone else.
* you've granted access to your co-workers. A new person joins the team, but you only remember to add her to 5 out of your 6 on-line tools.
* if you use a corporate directory/ ldap system internally at your company, you are probably used to being able to grant access to groups like "Sales," "U.S.-only," and "Managers." No such luck on external systems.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Where to Sit?
This week the San Jose Mercury News had a couple of articles on what workspaces should look like:
I’m thinking there are three options on where to sit for work:
1. In a company location with your coworkers (teammates).
Ideally, I think that looks like a plush corner office for each, with an open area with tools for collaborating:
2. In a company location without your coworkers.
But, why come into work if there’s no one there to work with? I’m not sure about this one, when I do this for some reason (go into an office when none of my coworkers are there), I usually just wind up sitting in a “closed office” so I can close the door when I’m on the phone. Sometimes, if I’m mostly going to be in face-to-face meetings that day, I might just go sit in our “Work Café.” This is a very open area, so it doesn’t work very well when I’m on the phone. But, if others I know are around, I might run into them. I can at least watch people walking by.
3. Not even in a company location (working from home, car, coffee shop).
While I think, for me, #1 would be my most productive (and probably enjoyable) location, I haven’t been in the same geographical area with my coworkers in a few years. On my current team, only one other member of my team is even in California (I’m in the Bay Area). So #1 isn’t possible for me with my current workgroup and project list.
However, I do sometimes come into an office, usually when my coworkers are here for some reason. On those occasions, while I may do my own work in a Work Café or reserve a space to sit in, when we meet up to discuss our work, I’d like all of those collaborating tools listed above. And, when I’m not in a company location, how can I have a similar experience as in #1?
I now wonder if some of the projects, and teammates, I’ve had have just been because of where I sat?
I’m thinking there are three options on where to sit for work:
1. In a company location with your coworkers (teammates).
Ideally, I think that looks like a plush corner office for each, with an open area with tools for collaborating:
- comfy chairs
- white boards
- table
- projector for laptop plus display device/ area
- electrical & network outlets for laptops when necessary
2. In a company location without your coworkers.
But, why come into work if there’s no one there to work with? I’m not sure about this one, when I do this for some reason (go into an office when none of my coworkers are there), I usually just wind up sitting in a “closed office” so I can close the door when I’m on the phone. Sometimes, if I’m mostly going to be in face-to-face meetings that day, I might just go sit in our “Work Café.” This is a very open area, so it doesn’t work very well when I’m on the phone. But, if others I know are around, I might run into them. I can at least watch people walking by.
3. Not even in a company location (working from home, car, coffee shop).
While I think, for me, #1 would be my most productive (and probably enjoyable) location, I haven’t been in the same geographical area with my coworkers in a few years. On my current team, only one other member of my team is even in California (I’m in the Bay Area). So #1 isn’t possible for me with my current workgroup and project list.
However, I do sometimes come into an office, usually when my coworkers are here for some reason. On those occasions, while I may do my own work in a Work Café or reserve a space to sit in, when we meet up to discuss our work, I’d like all of those collaborating tools listed above. And, when I’m not in a company location, how can I have a similar experience as in #1?
I now wonder if some of the projects, and teammates, I’ve had have just been because of where I sat?
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