Sabine Kolvenbach

Support for workflows in a ministerial environment

ABSTRACTThis paper presents the P OLI Team solutions andexperiences with the support of ministerial workflows byelectronic circulation folders. An application scenario ispresented that illustrates the user actions and cooperationthat occur during the processing of a ministerial workflow.This scenario is afterwards examined to identify essentialrequirements for a computer based support of suchprocesses. Based on that this paper describes the design ofan electronic circulation folder and how this is augmentedby a support for digital signatures, the integration of paperdocuments and a video conferencing system to satisfy themajor user requirements.K e y w o r d sw o r k f l o w , electronic circulation folder, shared workspaces,digital signatures, participatory designINTRODUCTIONThe decision of the German parliament to move the capitalfrom Bonn to Berlin increases the demand for a computerand telecommunication based support of ministerialprocesses within and between dislocated governmentdepartments. In this context four projects have beenlaunched by the German research ministry in theframework of the POLIKOM [6] initiative. Each projectfocuses on specific aspects from the wide range ofcooperation support that is needed in this application field.The central objective of the P

POLITeam bridging the gap between Bonn and Berlin for and with the users

Supporting the cooperation of people in large organizations which are distributed geographically is one of the great challenges for the CSCW research. With POLIKOM, the German Federal Ministry of Education, Science, Research, and Technology launched a framework in which telecooperation applications will be developed to support the distributed government in Bonn and Berlin. POLITeam is one project embedded in that framework. Its aim is to support asynchronous cooperation in administrative or industrial settings by an integrative groupware system that applies the metaphors of electronic circulation folders and shared workspaces. The development process is based on the approach of using an existing groupware system that is evaluated and redesigned in close cooperation with selected pilot partners. This paper describes the initial design, our development approach and the first experiences of the POLITeam project.

Presenting Activity Information in an Inhabited Information Space

A group of people that work together in the same spatial environment relies on various possibilities to observe the activities of partners, to monitor the progress of a project or to recognise the development of group structures. Such activities are often recognised peripherally; nevertheless, they stimulate spontaneous and informal communication. Although the computer supported co-operative work (CSCW) research area yielded a number of systems and solutions that enable and support distributed co-operation processes, distributed work is still significantly more difficult to manage than co-located work. A significant reason for this is the missing perception of the activities and actions within a distributed group. Therefore, distributed groups often suffer from a lack of awareness of the common activities. Co-operation partners are often not aware of activities of other co-operation partners that are relevant for their own work. The synchronisation problems resulting from this often lead to decision problems, misunderstandings or duplicated work. Thus, effectiveness, spontaneity, and social orientation possibilities in distributed teams are limited. The social forces which facilitate the behaviourmilieu synomorphy in an environment – that is, in a behaviour setting (Barker, 1968) – are very limited in electronic spaces. Awareness support can make the difference between an electronic behaviour setting and a pure electronic space (Pankoke-Babatz, 2000). Apart from the lack of awareness of actions that could be co-operative, there are limited opportunities for chance meetings. In the local working environment, coincidental meetings often initiate communication and the exchange of experience and knowledge. Prussak (1997) describes this phenomenon very appropriately: “If the water cooler was 011

Enhancing workflows by web technology

This paper presents a hybrid approach for the support of workflows in a ministerial environment that integrates a Web-based interface into a groupware platform. A scenario of the application area is examined to identify the basic requirements for an adequate user support. The basic PoLffeam approach for the support of workflows by electronic circulation folders is introduced. Focal point of the paper is the design of the Web-based interface for the interaction with electronic circulation folders and its seamless integration into the groupware platform.

Supporting the Distributed German Government with POLITeam

In the context of the POLIKOM research program novel telecooperation tools to support the distributed German government are being developed. POLITeam is one of the projects resulting from this program, aiming at the development of a system supporting cooperation in large, geographically distributed organizations. Main area of research is asynchronous cooperation, based on the metaphors of electronic circulation folders and shared electronic workspaces. The design process of POLITeam is based on the continuous improvement of an existing groupware system in close cooperation with selected pilot users. This paper discusses our methodological design approach, the design of the POLITeam system, and the experiences our application partners made in the course of using the system at work.

From Groupware to Social Media — Extending an Existing Shared Workplace System with Social Media Features

Abstract This paper investigates major differences between organizational cooperation and social media platforms to identify ways for the evolution of a cooperation platform into a social media platform. This analysis starts with an investigation of existing social media application to identify important characteristics related to organizational cooperation. This is followed by mapping these to traditional cooperation platforms using BSCW for illustration. Zusammenfassung

CloudTeams: Bridging the Gap Between Developers and Customers During Software Development Processes☆

Abstract The main challenge addressed by the EU-funded project CloudTeams is bridging the communication and collaboration gap between software developers and end users during the whole software development process in order to develop better accepted software. CloudTeams solves the problem by bringing together software developers and end users into one platform, thus providing a seamless environment where interaction with customers will feel natural and will validate the software product. It integrates popular software development tools and services and mashes them up with user participation practices. A sustainable community of end users provides feedback to the development teams at any stage of the software development cycle, from idea generation to beta testing. Through the introduction of novel collaboration and engagement methodologies, CloudTeams facilitates the development process and delivers Software-as-a-Service offerings, which are tested and verified with customers. In this paper we present the CloudTeams approach and the results of the first round of face-to-face interviews with stakeholders of the two user groups on the underlying challenges related to CloudTeams.

Präsentation von Aktivitäten bei verteilter Zusammenarbeit

Ausgehend von verschiedenen Anforderungen der verteilten Gruppenarbeit beschreibt dieses Papier eine Infrastruktur und verschiedene Komponenten zur umfassenden Unterstutzung von Gruppenwahrnehmung. Diese ermoglichen die Darstellung von Aktivitaten in einer Ubersichtsdarstellung, integriert in Groupware-Anwendungen, durch Ambient Displays oder durch die symbolischen Darstellungen von Aktionen in einer 3D Welt. Diese Prasentationsformen konnen von den Benutzern situativ und aufgabenangemessen ausgewahlt angepasst werden.

User Involvement in Software Development Processes

Abstract Costs of software development and deployment are decreasing due to numerous open source projects and novel Cloud-based services (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS), but competition increases due to lowering entry barriers. The need to bring developers closer to their customer becomes vital for success, especially involving users into the very early stages of software development. This allows detecting flaws of conceptual and design nature, minimize unnecessary development costs, and warrant relevance for customers. This paper presents the CloudTeams methodology and platform that aim to bridge this gap, based on an existing groupware system supporting the notion of collaborative software development.

Blockchain 4 Education

1. Certificates play an important role in education and companies, where individual learning records become essential for people’s professional careers. It is therefore important that these records are stored in long-term available and tamper-proof ledgers. Until today, training facilities, educational institution or certification authorities issue paper-based certificates and certification processes are not digitized. Blockchain technology could support this transformation form paper certificates to digital certificates and it could help to generate learning histories. In this demonstration, we present the Blockchain for Education platform as a practical solution for issuing, monitoring, validating and sharing of certificates. The Blockchain for Education platform is based on the Ethereum blockchain and it uses smart contracts to support the certification process.