Collaboration scenario: updating the contacts list

You probably have noticed that I find the concept of spreadsheet collaboration fascinating. Well (surprise, surprise), here is another post on collaboration.

The simplest collaboration process I can think of is a task that plagues almost every secretary in the world: updating the office’s contacts list.

Let’s see how this task is performed today:

  1. Using an Excel template, secretary prepares contacts list.
  2. Contacts list is sent to employees by e-mail. Each employee is requested to fill in his or her details and send it back to secretary.
  3. Request is ignored by everyone.
  4. Secretary nags employees for two months. Finally gets details from everyone.
  5. Since it’s been two months since secretary started collecting details, they need updating again. Begin again at step 1.

In my ideal world of spreadsheet collaboration, the same process would happen like this:

  1. Secretary logs in to collaboration-enabled, Web-based contacts list spreadsheet (CEWBCLS).
  2. Secretary updates list of office personnel and presses automatic update button.
  3. CEWBCLS sends an e-mail to each employee requesting him to log on to CEWBCLS and update his own details.
  4. CEWCBLS nags those employees that do not comply with the original e-mail and keeps reminding them (gently but firmly) of their obligations until they update their entry in the contacts list.
  5. CEWCBL sends daily progress reports to secretary.

Posted on September 25, 2006 by Yoav Ezer 
Filed Under Collaboration

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