Groupware, Workflow and Intranets: Reengineering the Enterprise with Collaborative Software
How groupware and workflow technologies can improve organizational efficiency.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Groupware, Workflow and Intranets: Reengineering the Enterprise with Collaborative Software
Chapter 10: Designing for the Future
Overview
Groupware and workflow systems are relatively new software technologies, although PC based groupware has been used by some organizations for nearly ten years. Given this, and their ever increasing usage in business, there are many ways in which they will develop further. Key influences are likely to be the growth in use of the Internet and distributed computing and the role that software objects play in this. We also will see more incorporation of groupware features into all types of software applications whose primary function is not group working. For example, accounting software was traditionally software for individuals. Today it has functions to enable accountants to work together as a team.
In This Chapter
We look into the future by considering the likely future of groupware and workflow software separately. We then consider significant technologies and techniques for the future. These include the Internet, software objects and artificial intelligence. When looking into the future, the intention is to identify technologies which are likely to become extensions to the current systems in business. This should help in building systems which can grow with the business. Finally, I present a set of tips to plan for the future which will help to avoid building in obsolescence to current systems.
The Future of Groupware
In Chapter 1 we started by reviewing the evolution of groupware. We now try to predict future trends and ask where do we head next? Figure 10.1 shows the current and near future situation. The most significant trend...
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