ActionBase Structures Unstructured Conversations for SharePoint
More often than not these days, I’ve seen SharePoint function moving towards the platform of group collaboration activity. In August, for example, Spigit moved its innovation management platform onto SharePoint, bringing prediction and idea markets to the group platform. Now a new software package from ActionBase will do the same for unstructured conversations.
Released last month, ActionBase for Microsoft SharePoint extends the value organizations get out of their SharePoint deployments. Today most SharePoint customers rely on the platform for document storage. Consolidating applications onto the SharePoint infrastructure focuses an enterprise’s efforts onto a single platform, which can simplify deployment, adoption, and maintenance.
Initially, duplication of features and functionality between applications will probably be quite common, but over time, the power of the platform is likely to increase quite a bit as those add-on vendors begin to use the management and administration framework within MOSS.
What makes ActionBase so intriguing, though, is that it brings the sort of "water cooler conversations" into the SharePoint framework. Before, I may have fired off an email to a team member asking them to perform a task.That email, whether to one individual or CC’d to a list, is not easily tracked.Others on the team may never see it. More often than not, they may never know the details of what is being done on their own project.
ActionBase offers an automated way for the entire team to see when the task was issued, who is responsible for its completion, who requested action, the expected outcome, and the status of ongoing tasks.The infrastructure tracks the data and allows users a comprehensive overview.In the screenshots, you will notice that there are a host of user action options, as well as the ability to instantly view shared documents, task and date lists, team discussions, and more.Team members can view a list of ongoing or recommended tasks.It is invaluable in tracking and organizing, but still allows for a natural flow of information.
The base price for ActionBase for Microsoft SharePoint is about $5,000 depending on configuration. ActionBase is offering a free trial designed to allow businesses to overcome specific challenges in relation to regulation, auditing, and organization, as well as track and control human-driven processes.