The Digital Thread literally threads document versions together, so that all of them are tracked and none of them get lost. Information is placed in metadata of document you are working on. This metadata is traceable and identifies various versions of documents, changes made, and locations stored, proving groupware to be an effective document manager.

Digital Signature

A Digital Signature opens up in emails sent and received, which displays location of most recent document and version you are currently receiving. The Digital Signature takes guesswork out of document collaboration.

Version History

As mentioned before, document versions are sent back and forth throughout document collaboration; however, groupware that utilizes Version History creates and displays a flowchart of where document has been and when it was there.

Version History is an essential groupware tool, especially when merging time rolls around. Version History puts everything in its proper place in order to eradicate normal confusion of ad hoc document collaboration.

As a content management tool, groupware utilizes these three tools not only to track ad hoc collaboration but also to help piece document back together again with simplified merging procedures.

Unlike Turkey Bowl, collaboration with groupware will make a team play - even if it is ad hoc-successful.

Joe Miller is an author of informational articles and online advertisements on business, technology, and health. Information on Groupware is available at NextPage.com.

When?

You will find with a content management tool that as you open sent and received emails with attachments of changes made on a document that a Digital Signature will eliminate this question. It informs you exactly what digital thread has tracked, including when last set of changes were made.

What?

A good content management tool eliminates monotony and pure tedium involved in copy editing a document, comparing it against its previous version, to find changes. Tracking changes is already done for you with Digital Thread – you can easily compare one document against another.

Who?

Digital Thread has already done genealogy of document for you. Using Version History, content management tool will now display for you flow chart of document version. You always know who received what version.

How?

This trickiest of all collaboration questions is also taken care of with right content management tool. Merging changes is simple as you view changes and simply click. Copy editing and monotony are all eliminated while your precious time is restored.

A word of caution: The market understands need for a content management tool. This is obvious to anyone who attempts to sift through 20 million indexed pages under “content management tool” in Google. Not all of content management tools are created to handle ad hoc business collaboration process. In fact, most are created to manage, store, and file documents. The technologies and information mentioned in this article should simplify sifting and introduce you and your business to a new way of answering confusion of ad hoc with 5 essentials of communication.