Tips for collaborative writing

Software like wikis and change-tracking features can make it easier for groups of people to work together on reports and plans.  But the software can't help with the hardest part of collaborative writing -- the human side.

Team writing is hard because even similar people have different ways of communicating information, have access to different facts (which seem to come out at the last minute) and interpret the same information differently.  Also, some people are comfortable writing in an organized, step-by-step fashion, while others do their best work in what seems to others to be a mad and maddening rush.

Here are some tips that can help you work better with your co-authors, and more importantly, keep you from wanting to grab their pens and stick it...

1. The team should decide on a way to write collaboratively. If you use a wiki - a document that allows for multiple collaborators -- or software features like 'track changes' in Microsoft Word, be sure that everyone knows how to use the tools.  If a team member is not comfortable with a type of technology, it might be easier to pick someone to take that team member's work and upload it to the team document.  Once the team has selected an approach to collaboration, every member of the team is responsible for knowing how to use the technology.
   
   
2. The team should create an electronic library of shared documents that all authors can use as a resource for their writing.  The library should include all relevant plans, reports and memos, as well as raw information (such as data tables from government sources.)  There are a number of services that offer file sharing, either free or on a monthly subscription basis.
   
   
3. Ensure that all members understand their roles and responsibilities. Members of the writing team have to know whether they are providing data for someone else to write, writing portions of the document, reviewing other people's work, or making edits themselves.
   
   
4. Make deadlines clear, and make them at least 20% longer than what the authors say they need to complete their work.  No matter how well planned the writing project is, things are going to happen.  Somebody might get sick or have a work/family emergency. Somebody is not going to get things done in time for any variety of reasons.   Another reason for extending the deadlines is that the process of drafting -- or seeing others' drafts -- helps you see new connections and gaps and create new ideas.  An extra few days can help you create a much better product.
   
   
5. The team should pick a lead author and final editor. The lead author's role is to bring everything together.  The final editor's role is to make sure the work reads as if it were written by a single person.  If only one person can fulfill both roles, plan some time for the lead author to step away from the document and come back to it with a fresh set of eyes. Editing your own work is difficult, because you tend to see what you expect to see, rather than what's there.  That's why we can find typos and grammatical errors in others' writings, and miss them in our own.
   
   
6. Unless there is a good reason to do otherwise, the lead author should make the team document available to everyone to look at while it is being drafted.  It is everyone's responsibility to read their teammates' work, and to alert the lead author to any factual errors, inconsistencies or new ideas that come from connecting the dots in others' work.
   
   
7. Everyone should respect the fact that everyone else has a different way of working.  If you're the kind of person who can write over a long period and in steps, don't get so huffy about the people who get their bursts of inspiration under the stress of a deadline.  But, if you're a last-minute writer, and others need your work to complete theirs, waiting for the spark of inspiration is not artistic -- it's rude. As with any relationship, the more everyone talks about what they need, what they like and what ticks them off, the happier they will be.
   
   
8. When it's all done, enjoy and celebrate the hard work. Even if you feel like you never want to talk to the collaborator again, go have a drink or a cup together.  Whatever it was that drove you crazy about the other person's work, it probably wasn't that big a deal.
   
   
9. If you're going to work with the same people again, talk  with them about how things can be done better.  Remember to say first what you would do differently before you ask someone else to change their ways.  If you're going to work with different people, reflect on your experiences and help your next set of teammates to work better.

--Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

The Bloustein Online Continuing Education Program offers a number of courses on teamwork, writing and other aspects of professional practice.  Please see the course catalog for more on upcoming courses.

More sophisticated ways to use a team calendar

Many groups and organizations whose members use shared calendars.  They can be a great tool to keep busy team members informed, especially if the members aren't often in the same place at the same time.  But having a team calendar is not enough to keep everyone 'on the same page.'   Here are some tips, based on our experience, for making a calendar work better for your goals.

The Professional Development Institute and The Leading Institute together are a combination of retail-oriented continuing education center, technical assistance provider and research center with three team members and a project list that runs eight pages. We use a shared calendar (in our case Google Calendars).  Here's what works for us:

• Use a calendar that any team member can access through the Internet.  If team members having to be out of the office often for research, consulting or business development, having to go back to the office to check on others' availability is stressful.
• Get everyone to want to use a shared calendar.  Although the benefits may seem obvious, be aware that using a common calendar will inconvenience members who are partial to their own system.  (Also, a shared calendar make some people who are insecure about their status in the team feel even less empowered.)  Respect the individuals' preferences but make them responsible for sharing their information with their teammates.  Get into the habit of checking the calendar, rather than with individuals, when scheduling important meetings and activities. This creates a greater incentive to use the calendar.
• Encourage team members to post times when they do not want to be available as if they were meetings.  For example, I try to reserve the first few hours of the morning to catch up on emails, organize my day, and be creative.  
• Encourage team members to note their tasks as if they were scheduled meetings.  This will help managers and team members know what everyone is working on.  How much time do you spend in meetings just catching up?  When you see how team members are spending their time, you can get a better sense of how the project is progressing. Team members who may be skeptical of someone's contributions can see what that person is doing. As a fan of David Allen's organizing ideas, I schedule my tasks on the calendar the way I would meetings.  I find it helps me get things done better and with less stress.
• Use codes to let team members know if meetings or other activities can be moved.  At PDI-TLI, we use these codes:
• MV: Event or activity is scheduled, but can be moved.  
• TNT: Event is tentative (such as when you are holding several dates open while waiting for others to confirm their schedules.)
• _________ in (location):  This allows the calendar to be used as an in/out board.
• Make the use of a shared calendar part of the ethics of team work.  If your teammate is spending time trying to match your schedule with others, you are creating unnecessary work and stress for that person. 
• If you can't get the entire organization, department or division to use a shared calendar, start using it with trusted team members.  Then market your success to encourage others to use the calendar.

--Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

The Professional Development Institute and The Leading Institute offer a number of courses and programs to help you become a more effective manager and leader.  Consider getting a Professional Certificate in Leadership and Professional Practice; taking a Deep Learning course in project management, business development, and leadership; or building your leadership skills through Leading from the Middle.