Why Google Wave Is The Future Of Collaboration

Google Wave

IT’S EARLY DAYS YET AND I KNOW ITS A BIG CALL BUT ANY TECHNOLOGY THAT CAN SHORTEN MEETINGS AND LET US GET ON WITH WORK IS A HUGE ADVANTAGE

I was fortunate enough to attend a presentation by Dr Wave last Thursday and all I can say is WOW! Definitely geek heaven.

Would you like to have:

• shorter meetings?
• less redundant talking and more ACTION?
• clearer communication?
• influence a meeting productively without arguments?
• better meeting minutes?
• be a “fly on the wall” at other meetings?

Google Wave can definitely deliver that. I will go through these one by one

Imagine posting an agenda for a meeting on Wave for all attendees. Let’s say its

• update all members – is project X competed so we can move on with project Y?
• work out what is the best way to tackle problem A
• who else needs to be at this meeting
• Prepare what we will say to our boss (attending) project X

If this agenda went out to everyone in the team then some people might add

• Can we also discuss issue B?
• Project X is done – update everyone. Let’s talk about project Y

Well the meeting organiser would have to firstly read the email, collate all the agenda changes, then update everyone in the team (again) and hope everyone has read the latest email before the meeting starts.

SHORTER MEETINGS

If the agenda is on the Wave everyone can add or delete information necessary/relevant to the agenda. Only 1 email needs to be sent. Everyone can get the latest information on the Wave AND contribute. Brainstorming before the meeting even begins can mean relevant information can be collected. Adjustments/contributions can be sorted out before the meeting even starts.

Google Wave means

• The boss doesn’t even need to attend – saving him time (because he can watch the wave progress, contribute and monitor the whole meeting without being there)
• Relevant people can be called into the meeting so the answers can be gained at the meeting rather than afterwards
• A problem may be raised and solved before the meeting even starts

LESS TALKING MORE ACTION

Imagine if a problem could be raised and partially resolved before the meeting starts. People can add their issues and concerns before the meeting starts, so then the meeting can be used to discuss solutions rather than tell everyone what the concern/issue is during the meeting. It stops long explanations because they are documented before the meeting and allows solutions to be discussed.

Google Wave means:

• We can shorten explanations and talk more about solutions. Even with people not present

CLEARER COMMUNICATION

If all issues/concerns/solutions are documented in writing before, during and after the meeting then everyone can be on the same page for the whole project cycle. Additionally, non-attendees (if invited) can watch and PLAY BACK the whole Wave sequence with play/forward/rewind buttons. If everyone takes notes in the wave (rather than on their laptops/notepads) then the collective knowledge of the group can be captured and used. There is no excuse for missing a point in the meeting

Google Wave means:

• We can follow meetings as they progress
• We can capture all knowledge in one place

INFLUENCE THE MEETING WITH NO ARGUMENTS

If you could add to the agenda or get solutions resolved faster during the meeting (or even before) by collaborating beforehand, would that be valuable? You could add agenda items, discuss them and prepare for them. So during the meeting you could find solutions rather than say “this was not on the agenda”.

Google Wave means:

• We could know what exactly is going to be discussed in the meeting
• We could eliminate irrelevant agenda items before they even are discussed

BETTER MEETING MINUTES

If everyone uses Wave to write their notes (you can also add audio/video/maps/URLs etc) then the collective knowledge of the project is all in one place. Everyone can edit update each others notes (with permission) so the most current document is “live”. There is no re-typing the minutes up afterwards with action steps.

Google Wave means:

• We can have complete histories of discussion
• We can have multimedia notes
• We can attend meetings remotely and still contribute
• We can all see the latest project info and meeting notes
• Others can see who owns what action items

BE A “FLY ON THE WALL”

If you can’t be at the meeting ie the boss is busy or a staff member is at a clients, you can play back every item in the Wave both forward and backward AND contribute during or after the meeting. That way you can see the sequence of events as they evolve. You can also understand the process of thinking in the group. You could even update/add to the knowledge in the Wave after the meeting

Google Wave means:

• We can attend locally or remotely
• We can watch the dynamic of conversations as well as the results
• We can monitor and contribute to the project/meeting before, during and after the event

CONCLUSION

I hope this makes sense. Its hard to desribe without seeing it all happen in real time. Let me know in the comments if you want clarification. I know Google Wave has a huge future. It could replace Instand Messaging, Email, and Knowledgebases. At the same time it could ease collaboration and capture “side conversations”.