History, Today and Future of Collaborative (OA) Software

The history of collaborative (OA) software

The development of collaborative (OA) software is basically consistent with the development of the Internet. From the beginning, there were mail, electronic bulletin boards, BBS, the emergence of independent websites, classified search sites, portal sites (Yahoo, Sina, Netease), and global search The emergence of engines, the emergence of blogs to enhance personal sharing, the emergence of social microblogs for real-time personal sharing, and the current rise of WeChat, the development of social Internet has been driving the development of collaborative (OA) software. The development of the Internet is from point-to-point, point-to-face, face-to-face, face-to-point, point-to-point until the return to the application with everyone as the core! So is OA! Below we review the development process of collaborative OA from several different dimensions:

1. Development of collaborative (OA) software by application

1st stage: electronic document (1991-1997)
2nd stage: the popularity of email (1998-2003)
3rd stage: the official document and internal network construction as the core (2003-2008)
4th stage: Workflow Management as the Core (2007-2013)
5th stage: Information portal (integration as the core) (2012-2017)
6th stage: organization target management, with the core of the organization’s strategic target implementation guarantee system (2016-2021)

2. Development of collaborative (OA) software by deployment model

1st stage PC application (2001-2013) 2nd stage: mobile device applications (2012-2020) 3rd stage: cloud-based applications (2016-2025)

3. Development of collaborative (OA) software by Management focus

1st stage: Managing Static Information-Documents (1998-2006) 2nd stage: manage dynamic events-process (2005-2013) 3rd stage: return to the core of “PEOPLE” (2012-2017) 4th stage: the core of employee self-value realization and management-social dynamic management (2013-2021)

The Present of collaborative (OA) software

In the enterprise, in addition to the office automation system, there are management systems such as finance, inventory, production, sales, and manpower. Due to the construction of a large number of information islands, the systems are rarely closely coordinated. Users often need to exit one system and then enter another system, and often find that the data is inconsistent … Therefore, the information of collaborative (OA) software The advantages of portal and information synergy, the integration of the concept of building a job portal and the object-oriented OA concept began to prevail. At the same time, collaborative (OA) software is also the first to bear on mobile information. And with the change in the organizational model brought by mobile internet, the need for social management has begun to emerge, and collaborative (OA) software is also entering a period of self-transformation. (Integration, mobile, social management and other topics will be discussed separately below) As the most fundamental features of collaborative (OA) software at the moment, we can summarize them as follows:

1. Organization-based

At any time, the development of an organization is fundamental to collaborative (OA) software. In the current mobile Internet environment, the organization’s management model has begun to transition to socialization, and the release of individual value in the organization is more urgent than ever. The focus of managers has also begun to move from control to release. The management idea of ​​taking people as the center and releasing individual values ​​is beginning to sprout and develop.

2. Web-based

Considering current user skills, acceptance, and system maintenance costs, web application models are still mainstream. And with the construction of mobile networks becoming more complete and advanced, mobile office requirements are becoming more common anytime, anywhere. The development of mobile apps and cloud OA is also becoming a mainstream trend.

3. Process-based

As for the process, anyone familiar with OA software will think of the process of sending and receiving text. That’s a very complete, hierarchical, but inefficient process. As for how to optimize this process, if we are stuck in the original thinking mode and knowledge field, we cannot get more. We must optimize business processes based on modern process management ideas and current integration technology and mobile technology to maximize it. Limits serve the organization’s goals and serve people’s daily office.

4. Knowledge-based

In the era of knowledge economy, we are all knowledge workers. This requires that collaborative (OA) software must have knowledge content, or be based on knowledge. Collaboration (OA) software provides the most basic IT tools, knowledge repositories and knowledge exchange places required for knowledge management, as well as knowledge-based job requirements and evaluation systems, and ultimately serves the daily office of everyone in the organization.

5. Integration-based

After the explosive growth of information on the Internet and the full opening of information sharing within the organization, another problem inevitably brought about is the effective organization, use and push of information. How to make information better for people, the answer must be integrated, mobile, and customized.

In general, the focus of most users of collaborative (OA) software is focused on: process management, knowledge management, information portal, communication assistance, and mobile applications. At this stage, mainstream manufacturers of collaborative (OA) software are mostly working. The process is at the core; however, history is always a dynamic development. At present, there are still many users paying attention to: administrative office, mail management and internal information release; some former users have paid great attention to information portals and business data integration, mobile office Furthermore, some manufacturers are starting to create information portals, process engines, content management, target tasks, mobile engines, fusion integration, and reporting engines that focus on job goals as the core to guide collaborative (OA) software to socialize!

The Future of collaborative (OA) software

Most users of collaborative (OA) software care about applications such as process management, knowledge management, information portals, and communication and collaboration. The mainstream collaborative (OA) software has also formed a consensus centered on the work process, and based on this, began to introduce Objective performance, planning tasks, management reports and other content and solutions related to organizational management and daily office work; at the same time, the platform integration concept marked by the personal work portal and the mobile office platform relying on mobile internet began to lead collaborative OA Future development trends, such as mobile apps, WeChat enterprise account integration applications, etc.

But the future of collaborative (OA) software must be like this:

  1. Mobile applications as the first medium
  2. The organization of strategic goals is the first priority
  3. Process Engine, Content Engine, Integration Engine, Reporting Engine, Modeling Engine, and Message Engine
  4. Cloud acquisition and deployment of various applications: reduce deployment costs and strengthen intelligence exchange
  5. Platformization is the mega trend: effective unification of personalization and standardization
  6. More emphasis on human-centered social self-management model
  7. Flexible organization, expanding organizational boundaries: from organizational application as the core to personal development as the core model-anyone has their own unique online office space ID and can be docked with any enterprise organization at any time (currently, slack abroad has Such a possibility)

 

With the advancement of human computer technology, collaborative (OA) software must be developed in a direction that restores the natural appearance of collaborative work:

  1. If I want to ask for leave, reimbursement, or business trip, just talk to my mobile phone.
  2. If I want to gain some experience, someone immediately jumps out on my phone and tells me the key points to do this well—I can leave him alone, and he will tell me how to do it.
  3. If I want to hold a meeting, everyone can immediately meet and communicate through mobile devices. The system automatically helps sort out the minutes of the meeting and automatically reminds everyone what to do.
  4. Anyone’s work can be recorded automatically through mobile devices and quickly fed back to everyone’s work goals and performance every day, and inform the consistency with the company’s goals and promote effectiveness
  5. The handheld device can automatically record my thoughts and judgments on the incident, and provide some information basis and personnel support for these thoughts and judgments
  6. The hard form of OA no longer exists, it has become you electronically in every working hour

 

The future collaborative (OA) software must not exist: the concept of forms, processes, documents, tasks, and assessments. As long as any information is entered by voice, it will automatically help you to form the required format and attributes, and automatically push to the need to pay attention and need attention Analysis report. System intelligent identification information, classification information, analysis information and provide decision support information! In the near future, there will be an electronic ecosystem (e-cology) that fully reflects the physical state of the real organization: a self-adaptive, self-renewing and viable electronic ecosystem, the management vitality of each organization can Get continuous development!

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