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The BSCW Shared Workspace System
OrbiTeam Software GmbH & Co KG
http://www.orbiteam.de/
Bonn, GermanyDecember 2007
2
History
1994: BSCW research project at GMD-FIT (now: Fraunhofer-FIT)
First entirely web-based groupware system world-wide
1995: first public release (Version 2.0)
1995: public BSCW server, free of charge http://bscw.gmd.de
(still in operation)
1996: BSCW wins European Software Innovation Prize (ESIP ’96)
1998: professional marketing and support by Spin-Off OrbiTeam
1996 – today: numerous European research projects around BSCW(CoopWWW, CESAR, ITCOLE, CYCLADES, MILK, MOSAIC, COMIST, IPerG, ECOSPACE, CoSpaces...)
September 2007: release of BSCW 4.4
3
Excursion: Groupware
software to support communication, cooperation and coordination
for a group of people – across time and space
communication– messaging, conferencing– end-user centered
users are geographically dispersed or at same place communication synchronous or asynchronous
cooperation – shared information spaces– joint synchronous editing
– time-deferred (asynchronous) group cooperation
coordination– time scheduling, process planning– execution of group activities in compliance with causal and temporal dependencies
4
„3C“-Classification
cooperation
communication
coordination
document managementshared workspacesdecision supportmeeting supportdiscussion forums
audio/videoemailchat/IMconferencing
project managementworkflow managementtime scheduling
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audio/video– convergence of telephony and Internet (VoIP)– examples: Skype, GnomeMeeting, Netmeeting
email– a „classic“, ubiquitiously available to just anyone– from text-only format to multi-media content– media flogged to death (?)– examples: MS-Outlook/Exchange, Mozilla Thunderbird
chat– text-based synchronous communication– indicates availability
(Presence & Awareness and Instant Messaging systems)– examples: ICQ, OpenScape, AOL/Yahoo/MSN Messenger
etc.
Communication Tools
6
Document Management Systems (DMS)– central repository, individual access– document classification and search tools– examples: network drives (Samba), „classic“ DMS tools (FileNet, Saperion)
Shared Workspace Systems (SWS)– shared workspaces: shared information space– access to heterogeneous articfacts: documents, appointments, addresses,…– provides awareness about other users‘ actions– examples: BSCW, LiveLink, e-Rooms, SharePoint, Notes
discussion forums– originally text-based exchange of opinions, persistent to others– recent developments allow for multi-media contents– examples: classic forums (Usenet News), WiKis, Blogs
meeting support– in situ: meeting room equipment, support of team meetings and brainstorming– distributed: synchrone Kommunikation, shared whiteboard, application sharing– examples: MindMaps, SmartBoards, Web-Conferencing (WebEx, Netmeeting,
Marratech, PlaceWare)
Cooperation Tools
7
Coordination Tools project management
– resource management, planning and tracing – coordination of miles stones and work packages– examples: Timeline, MS-Project / project server
workflow– structured processes– step-by-step directives following process definition– ranges from rigid processes to flexible, variable processes– examples: Aris, COSIMA, Prominant, X-Flow, Ultimus
time scheduling– appointments in private and shared calendars– negotiation of appointments– inspection of private calendars (free/busy time slots)– examples: MS-Outlook/Exchange, Lotus Notes, Schedule+
8
BSCW – Shared Workspace System BSCW – Basic Support for Cooperative Work
– document management, time management, coordination– supports team work by using shared workspaces– focus: document management in work groups
BSCW is …– platform for cooperation in distributed groups
– generic tool, not a specific application
BSCW facilitates …– project work across sites– networking and exchange of knowledge– central document management– group management and group awareness
9
BSCW – Shared Workspace System
BSCW – Basic Support for Cooperative Work– web-based groupware system – document management, time management, coordination– supports team work by using shared workspaces– focus: document management in work groups
platform for distributed cooperation– cooperation in closed teams– exchange of data with external partners
not just a „standard DMS product“– BSCW supports project teams geographically dispersed– BSCW supports self-organizing work groups– BSCW provides extensive group awareness
10
Where does BSCW fit?
cooperation
communication
coordination
document managementshared workspacesdiscussion forums
ad-hoc workflowsproject managementtime scheduling
emailchatpresence
11
Use BSCW to cooperate and to coordinate your work as a Document Management System
– central repository, individual access– hierarchical folder structure plus search tools
as a Shared Workspace System– shared workspaces: shared information space– System bietet shared workspaces: gemeinsamer Informationsraum– access to various artifacts: documents, appointments, contacts, links,...– management of membership and access rights
as a mediator– awareness of group activities: who did what when and how?– extensive notification functions
as a coordinator– time scheduling – coordination of appointments– group calendars– flow folders for simple and sequential processes– planning and execution of complex business processes
12
BSCW improves team work by…
employing only wide-spread technology (Web)
facilitating usage across organizational boundaries
quick start-up, ad-hoc usage
self-organization and group awareness
group management and access control
improving exploitation of existing knowledge(Knowledge Management)
support of flexible organizations (virtual teams)
13
Functionality – Whats‘s in BSCW?
Document Management – including version management and locking mechanisms
document editing– direct editing of Web and MS Office documents
self-organized group management– Benutzer können neue Benutzer einladen
fine-grained access control – by a flexible role concept and pre-defined default roles
coordination of business processes– electronic flow folders granting sequential access to documents
– ad-hoc, ‚user defined‘ workflows to coordinate business processes
– shared management of appointments
14
What else is in BSCW? polls and discussion forums annotations and rating of documents event history of user activities email notification of activities in shared workspaces distribution of documents via email synchronization of central server and local workstation document conversion and archiving mobile access via PDA and mobile phone archiving of shared workspaces into standard formats, e.g., zip interfaces to email, fax, SMS and synchronous communication tools support of standards,
e.g., LDAP, XML-RPC, iCal, vCard, SSL, WebDAV, X.509
15
How does BSCW work? access to central BSCW system
– from local workstation using standard Web browser (z.B. Internet Explorer, Firefox)
– authentication using user name and password– no additional software needed
access to documents– upload and download
via browser– documents reside
on central BSCW server– multiple object types
can be stored
16
User Interface
self-organizing groups
documents
event indicators
access control
adaptable interface
contacts
contextualized menu based control
folder hierarchy
17
Shared objects in BSCW document
note
URL (Link)
folder
search folder
calendar
discussion forum
project
flow folder
task
community
poll
contact list
document set
18
Main Functionality - Overview
Document Management communication via blogs
and discussion forums access control and
membership management awareness & event notification coordination support
19
Document Management
shared workspaces– basic means of organization– documents structured hierarchically– folders grant access to one or several members
document access– document upload using Web browser– built-in 'drag and drop' upload feature– alternative using 'Web Folders' (WebDAV access)
access control– roled based access control model– manager defines roles– members are invited to workspace with specific role
20
Document Management shared workspaces
– documents structured hierarchically – folders grant access to one or
several members attributes of documents
– edit document attributes– add individual annotations and ratings
simple upload of documents– drag ‚n‘ drop documents
21
Document Management via BSCW document attributes
– meta data (name, description etc.)– tags (≥ version 4.4)– search for meta data
version management [1.0]– replace or revise documents– older versions remain in system
document locking
– locks prevent conflicts of concurrent access
– lock can be set by user before s/he edits document
coordinated access– access control and roles– final documents can be ‚frozen‘
22
tags– keywords of documents– pinned on documents
like labels
tags in BSCW– pin tags on documents,
folders or blog entries– tags are displayed
in folder views– search for related
documents using tags
Tags – Information in Context
23
Alternative Access to Documents (via WebDAV)
integrated into MS Windows– open shared workspaces as ‚Web Folder‘– access content using standard file explorer
upload document by copy and paste or drag ‚n‘ drop
directly open document by double clicking it
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Document Upload
via „web folder“in file explorer (WebDAV)
via dedicated upload application(BSCW Desktop)
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Document Editing
standard web editing: download, edit, upload– download (and lock) document from BSCW– edit on your PC, e.g., using MS-Word– upload document, replacing it or creating new version
integrated editing– integration of MS Office in MS Internet Explorer– directly edit document using integrated „edit“ action in BSCW
(simple edit cycle requires WebDAV) direct editing
– directly edit web documents (HTML format) in BSCW– prepare set of documents as website folder– Wiki-like, document centered
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Website Folder „mini website“ in BSCW
– collection of linked documents– direct editing of documents in web browser– integration of BSCW system functionality into web
documents(e.g., date of last change, links to event history,...)
adapted view of BSCW folders– a website folder is presented in two ways
as list of objects (default BSCW view) web view (adaptable, same for all workspace members)
27
Website Folder
web view defined by – layout template
layout template defines general appearance all web documents (=HTML pages) in website folder are displayed
using layout template– index page
index page is entrance (=home page) into folder
content – document collection = set of editable documents– adapt documents using Wiki-like syntax– comfortable editing by integrated HTML editor tool
add BSCW elements and links to other pages format content and design attractive look and feel
28
Website Folder: Example
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Document Management
application areas– document repository in shared workspaces
storage of ‚final‘ documents shared access to ‚living‘ documents
– shared document editing coordinated editing of documents
(under version control)– document collections using website folders
e.g. minutes, shared glossaries, FAQs,...
limitations– editing of documents requires special editors, e.g. MS Word
30
Main Functionality - Overview
Document Management communication via blogs
and discussion forums access control and
membership management awareness & event notification coordination support
31
Discussion Forums
discussions– contain Notes
note = subject + text– independent objects in a workspace (forum)– comparable to short messages on a white board– can be attached to documents (lilke post-its)– only workspace members can read and annotate notes
discussion threads– notes referring to other notes– view can be customized to display threads
members may…– create notes, read notes– reply to notes– attach documents and links to notes
32
Blogs – Online Diaries
blog = web log– personal website – Internet: diaries or blogs related to a particular subject– displayed in reverse chronological order
blogs in BSCW – create and publish blogs– blogs can also be edited cooperatively– blog entries can be annotated by BSCW users– blogs are integrated into BSCW (≥ V4.4)– customizable views
33
Blogs – Online Diaries
34
Synchronous Communication – Online Status & Communication Tools
display online status (≥ BSCW 4.4)– who is currently available and online?– displayed in a BSCW workspace:
active/all members configurable contact attributes
for direct communication with other users– e.g., Instant Messaging– via menu: „Change Profile“– contact details on user‘s info page
35
Communication via Blogs & Forums
application areas– forums: informal coordination in a team
e.g., to prepare decisions and to form opinions– blogs: document processes in project context
e.g., as a project diary– online status: directly contact team
limitations– blogs & forums: asynchronous communication
(time deferred)– online status: integration of external (synchronous) tools
(no integrierted chat tool in BSCW!)
36
Main Functionality - Overview
Document Management communication via blogs
and discussion forums access control and
membership management awareness & event notification coordination support
37
Access Control
secure access to data– user name and password (login)– encrypted data transfer (SSL, optional)– authentication using X.509 certificates (optional)
self-organization – membgers invite new members– workspace manager controls access
roles and access rights – access rights defined by roles which members are
assigned to– inviting member assigns role to new member– scope of roles: systemwide or for a workspace only– pre-defined roles
manger, member, restricted member additional pre-defined roles possible
38
Invite New Workspace Members invite other users and define their role in shared
workspace invite
– registered users
– new users(via email)
new users– register
with BSCW
39
Changing and Assigning Roles each role can be changed individually
each member of a workspace can be assigned a different role or additional roles
40
Member Management
personal address book– management of BSCW users– automatically updates when new users are invited– makes finding and inviting new users easier– direct access to contact data of users
workspace members – list of authorized members– displays role(s) of members– easy adding or removing
of members
41
Member Management
workspace members – list of authorized members– displays role(s) of members– easy adding or removing of members
42
Member Management – Example
workspace members– members are invited to „main
(upper) folder“ – members are granted access to
entire folder sub-structure– members hold role(s)
individual views on structure – each user only perceives
„his/her“ workspaces– new workspaces appear in
personal home area
JohnDoe (manager)
workspace X
documents
contracts
offers...
workspace Y
documents
templates
letters
WandaWoe (member)
WandaWoe (manager)
TimToe (member)
43
Access Control & Member Mgt.
application areas– set-up of team spaces
(shared workspaces)– invitation of external partners– management of access rights based on roles
limitations– workgroups are tightly coupled with workspaces
(basic concept of BSCW)
44
Contacts
manage shared contacts– special folder „contact list“– contact list contains contact data – one entry per contact person(not the same as list of „workspace members“!!!)
contact data– personal data
(name, telephone, address)– easy to edit– categories
(e.g., personal, business) import/export
– via vCard format („name.vcf“)– transfer to/from MS-Outlook
45
Main Functionality - Overview
Document Management communication via blogs
and discussion forums access control and
membership management awareness & event notification coordination support
46
Awareness & Notification Features
goals– information about activities in your workspaces– reminders about important appointments and re-
submission of documents in the future– history of events on all objects (who did what and
when?) advantages
– increased transparency– easier coordination at less costs
47
Event History information about activities
– events record activities– changes in system are signalled– processes can be permanently tracked via event history – changes/events can be confirmed individually
events contain– date and name of user– more details (e.g., where an object originally came from)– event icons:
new object changes made to object object was read changes in sub folders
48
Notification of Changes
BSCW provides awareness by– daily/direct email messages– event history– RSS feed
49
Activity Tracking: BSCW Monitor
Monitor Applet– additional tool
in separate window– displays information
on active users current events
– advantages supplies up-to-date
information enables direct reaction
50
reminders of appointments– remind yourself or all participants
re-submission of documents– re-submit document
at certain points of time
– users receive email messagecontaing link todocument
Reminder Features
51
Notification Features
application areas– keep being informed at all times
by event history or activity tracking by daily email notification
– ‚subscribe‘ to selected areas via direct email notification (event filter) via RSS feeds
– be reminded of documents and of appointments
limitations– RSS reader must provide means of authentication
(authentication with BSCW server using name/password)
52
Main Functionality - Overview
Document Management communication via blogs
and discussion forums access control and
membership management awareness & event notification coordination support
53
Coordination Support
calendar– personal calendar– group calendar
project management– projects and dependencies of time
flow folders– documents and distribution slips– sequential processing and branching
task management– tasks and responsible persons– personal to do list
54
Group Calendar
organize personal and group appointments
various views (day, week, month,...)
notify invitees via email attach documents to
appointments (e.g., agenda) define recurring
appointments (e.g., ‚jour fixe‘)
remind yourself or others of appointments
55
Flow Folders metaphor for sequential workflows
(„interoffice mail“)– workspace: shared repository,
accessible at anytime– flow folder: sequential access according
to task list
application areas– coordinated access along
pre-defined task list– simple, linear processes
(may include branches) (mini workflow)
flow folder in BSCW– creator defines
task list and persons responsible
– additional comments upon task completion
– forwarding by members in order defined by task list
56
Projects and Processes
simple project planning
define milestones of project
e.g., start and end date
dependencies
between milestones
bar chart of
chronological process
negotiation of delays
no resource
management
57
Workflow: Task Management user-defined workflow
– concept: requestor/contractor
– input and output data fields
– documents attached
how to use workflows– creator defines task and contractor
– contractor accepts task
– task is listed in personal task list
– contractor completes task and defines output fields (if any)
– requestor accepts result
– task completed!
58
Coordination Support
application areas– coordination of appointments in group calendars
by invitation and by individual confirmations/refusals– coordinated access by flow folders
Dokumente (mit Aufgaben) in Umlauf bringen– task management
assign tasks and work on own tasks– project planning
define dependencies of time between milestones limitations
– calendar: no peeking into personal calendars– projects/tasks: no resource management– projects: no formal milestones, simple overview
59
More Features Search
– for users, documents, objects, in web… templates
– make arbitrary objects available as templates document encryption
– encryption and digital signature maps of document events
– visualization of user-document relations communities and public areas data synchronization – import/export links and bookmarks polls/surveys
60
create copy from template templates: any BSCW object
documents, tasks, folders, polls, ...
templates are placed in template folders
‚scope‘ of templates – for personal use only– for entire workgroup– for all users in BSCW system
Templates
61
Document Event Maps visualize events
– relation ofusers anddocuments
62
Document Encryption
application – user encrypts document (optional)
locally, before upload to BSCW system– encryption via electronic keys
private key group key
– encryption key determines who else may decrypt document
increased security– exchange of keys via BSCW server (optional)
technical basis: PGP (public/private key method) features in BSCW
– key management, encryption, document upload– BSCW Desktop client
63
Document Encryption BSCW Desktop client
– key management create, import, export keys
– document encryption electronic en-/decryption and digital signature
– document upload upload of (encrypted) documents to BSCW
requirements– BSCW Desktop client application (optional)– automatic installations
via BSCW via Java Webstart
– requires Java Runtime (≥ Java 5)
64
Communities
communities in BSCW– grants equal access to data spaces to very large groups of
users (potentially open in contrast to closed workspaces) various ways of subscription
– open communities visible to all registered BSCW users registered users can decide to join community
– closed communities visible to all registered BSCW users registered users must ask community manager before joining
– hidden communities not visible except to members membership only upon explicit invitation by community manager
65
Public Data Area
single public area per BSCW server– contains all objects which are public– anonymous access for general public
- no authentication needed create public data area
– any workspace can be made ‚public‘ – by default: read-only access for anonymous user
(other actions can be allowed)– public submissions may be subject to moderation
objects submitted by anonymous user at first are not visible to others publication only by explicit ‚release‘ by member of workspace
control of public access– special group icon – special user „anonymous“ is member
66
any user can set up polls– poll: one or several questions– various types of questions and answers – start/end dates or open-ended polls
polls can be public– participation by non-members
polls are automatically evaluated– answers remain anonymous
results are visibile to participants– always or never or– visibile only after having voted
Polls
67
Data Synchronization & Import/Export
data synchronization– synchronization of BSCW server and local PC– documents: synchronization using briefcase tool– appointments/contacts: synchronization
with MS Outlook import/export
– appointments: vCalendar format – contacts: vCard format– documents: archiving formats (e.g., zip/tar)
68
BSCW Briefcase – Synchronization
briefcase– personal area for synchronization– synchronization of documents with
local computer
how to use the briefcase tool– select workspace for synchronizationOrdner – start synchronization– edit documents on local computer (e.g. offline)– repeat synchronization on regular basis
requirements– Windows operating system– browser is Java enabled (plugin)– no installation required!
69
Synchronization with MS Outlook
extension of BSCW calendar– synchronize appointments with Outlook
extension of BSCW contacts – synchronize contacts with Outlook
features– synchronization of BSCW contact folder or
BSCW calendar with an Outlook folder requirements
– Windows operating system, MS Outlook– web browser and Java plugin
(≥ Java 5)– no software installation required– no Outlook plugin!– ≥ BSCW Version 4.4
70
Application Areas
Virtual teams, ad-hoc formation of teams– improves project work across sites– particularly suited for small and medium teams
E-Learning
Projekts, communities, expert networks– spontaneous communication– exchange of documents and other vital information
Intranet– internal document repository in work groups
Telework and start-up companies
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Why BSCW? In a Nutshell
features– documents are stored centrally and are always up-to-date– all changes are traceable– simple exchange of information in flexible work groups– reduction of coordination effort and of document exchange via email– no more „version chaos“
from a user‘s point of view– access to vital information anytime from any platform
(Windows, Mac, Unix)– no additional installation of software– easy to use, steep learning curve
from a system administrator‘s view– installation quick and easy– next to no administration effort– many server platforms
72
Example of Use: eLearning
university of Bern (CH) 5.000 users teachers and students exchange of teaching
material
73
Services Provided by OrbiTeam marketing and support
system development– long-term development and maintenance– in close cooperation with Fraunhofer FIT
consultancy with installation and operation
training
– training courses for end-users
and system administrators
server hosting (ASP model)
customer projects– development and customization– competent, demand-oriented, at short notice
74
More Information
OrbiTeam Software GmbH & Co. KG
www.orbiteam.de
BSCW system www.bscw.de
bscw.fit.fraunhofer.de