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IoT, being a network of connected devices that co-exist in the same environment by sharing data with one another, involves a lot of processes in terms of developing a product. With the advancement of technology, huge amounts of data are being collected and processed by IoT companies. With that being said, the rapid growth of the global economy and the increasing need for effectively functioning products have created opportunities for collaboration between teams in IoT organizations.
A collaborative environment where various teams are involved will help to accelerate the process, reduce costs and improve productivity. A collaborative environment also ensures that team members from various teams can work together from anywhere at any time, sharing the same common goals and ideas in developing a product.
How collaboration between teams improve productivity
According to statistics, it is found that employee engagement has increased by 50% as a result of a collaborative work environment and 83% of the employees depend on technology for collaboration. During these unprecedented times, 53% of the organizations have found smart business rooms to be helpful in continuing the business processes. Some of the ways in how collaboration helps with increasing productivity are mentioned below.
As mentioned earlier, IoT product development consists of a series of complex steps that involves various teams with expertise in each of the respective areas. The whole development plan has to be discussed with all the teams involved as all the steps are interdependent. By breaking down the requirements, the team members can communicate across all the teams. This will ensure that all the teams are on the same page and reduces any friction in the development process while also satisfying the product requirements.
Extending the collaboration and communication with third-party business vendors and suppliers will help gather requirements seamlessly. With proper communication between the customer-facing teams such as sales and marketing, the company can understand the current demands of the customers and approach them accordingly in a cost-effective manner.
Exchanging real-time information between the teams is highly important to stay updated with the development process. This will enable the teams to rectify any errors that could potentially affect productivity and customer experience. The real-time information can be done by drafting down all the information in a word or a PDF file. These documents can later be converted from PDFs to PNG for easier accessibility using online converter tools.
By providing real-time data on planning, scheduling, budgets, etc…the necessary information can be shared quickly and precisely between the teams. This will accelerate the execution of projects and ideas and thus reduces the time-to-market by properly using the shared information and resources. Additionally, by collaborating and sharing resources, the teams come up with effective solutions to solving a problem.
Features to look for in a collaboration tool
Many project collaboration tools are available in the market these days to improve productivity and ensure that all the teams are focused on the same end goal. Below are some of the key factors that a company should consider while selecting a collaboration tool.
Cloud-based application
Almost all companies today are adopting cloud technology. Cloud-based services are cost-effective and efficient and also save a lot of time and effort in storing and processing data. By implementing cloud solutions, necessary data can be accessed by the employees from anywhere at any time.
Real-time data sharing and integration
The application must enable employees to share and receive data such as files, PDFs, documents and other forms of media seamlessly and integrate with their systems to reduce the amount of manual data sharing. The application must also synchronize with employees’ calendars to effortlessly schedule and organize meetings with teams.
Platform independent
The application must have the ability to work as intended in all types of devices such as smartphones, laptops and tablets under all types of environments like Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and IOS. Such platform-independent tools will enable the teams to stay connected.
Fast backups
A collaborative tool that handles all of the organizations’ data must have minimized yet effective backup time. As downtime is few major factors that affect productivity. In uncertain times, the application must also provide a proper recovery plan and comprehensive backup of important data.
Security and accessibility
Since sensitive data are being over the application, it must provide security by adopting newer cybersecurity protocols while staying compliant with industry regulations. Highly secure data must be provided with access control so that only the people with authorization access can view, modify and share the data.
Selecting the right collaboration tool for your IoT Organization
In addition to the above-mentioned details on features to look for in a collaboration tool, there are other important factors to consider while selecting a tool that is best suited for the company. Such as, the tools must be able to satisfy all the business requirements, provide all necessary features for seamless collaboration and provide quality support while being cost-effective as well.
Selecting the right collaboration tool for the IoT company would ensure that the process is carried out smoothly and eliminates high-risk factors. By minimizing the overall time taken for the development, the collaborative tool will also ensure the success of the business cost-effectively.
