Selecting an Appropriate Tool

Further Resources

More guidance on choosing the correct software tool is available from our System Selection infoKit

There is much advice and guidance available on procedures for choosing the correct software or tool and some of the trial projects followed a procedure during the project lifetime; for example plan, implement, observe, reflect and revise. However, at the start of the trials some had already been through the process or followed a pragmatic approach of choosing a tool that they were already familiar with (often the same procedure but not documented as such).

Security was high on the list for some of the trial projects as they were holding sensitive data or working on potentially commercially important product design. This, in turn, has implications for the hosting of the collaborative tool.

It is frequently reported in the press that some colleges and universities do not allow access to social software such as Facebook, some wiki sites and externally hosted systems such as Elluminate; however sometimes it is an external partner that does not allow access. This may be for commercially sensitive reasons or, as in the case of National Health Trusts, patient confidentiality. It is possible to work around these situations but these are not sustainable solutions.

While researching which tools are available for collaborative online activities, it is important to include those tools that at first glance are not designed for such activity. Innovative use of these tools can produce surprising results. It is also useful to investigate those tools in use by professional bodies or other external partners.