{"id":16028,"date":"2017-03-24T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-03-24T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/"},"modified":"2022-04-11T13:09:14","modified_gmt":"2022-04-11T18:09:14","slug":"why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/","title":{"rendered":"Why communication and collaboration are integrated \u2013 not interchangeable"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

It\u2019s common for the words communication and collaboration to be used together. However, while they pair nicely, they aren\u2019t interchangeable, and a belief to the contrary is responsible for a large portion\u00a0of project failure and customer unhappiness.<\/p>\n

\"integrated<\/p>\n

Customer Communication IQ<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with communication. Most enterprises do a good job when it comes to building communication plans, assigning communication-relates roles and responsibilities, establishing suitable channels and touchpoints and taking the lead on keeping customers in the loop. Yes, there\u2019s always room for improvement. But most enterprises have at least an average customer communication IQ.<\/p>\n

The Synonym Snag<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>That brings us to collaboration, and where the synonym snag ruins everything. Because while communication is a necessary part of collaboration, it\u2019s not the same thing as collaboration. In other words: where you find collaboration, you\u2019ll find communication. Yet where you find communication, you may or may not find collaboration.<\/p>\n

And in many cases, the search is futile, because collaboration is nowhere to be found. It\u2019s not that collaboration escaped in the middle of the night under cover of darkness, or won the lottery on its lunch break and is currently boarding a one-way flight to Bora Bora. Rather, it never existed; at least, not in a meaningful way.<\/p>\n

Why not? Because collaboration doesn\u2019t inevitably emerge from a lot of back-and-forth communication with customers, the way that water changes its state and turns to vapor when it reaches 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Collaboration is something that enterprises must deliberately and thoughtfully engineer into their engagements, or else it can\u2019t and won\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n

ONLY Collaboration Closes the Gap<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, this is a scenario that enterprises can\u2019t afford to accept, because customer collaboration<\/a> isn\u2019t a \u201cnice to have.\u201d It\u2019s the ONLY thing that closes the gap when (not if) issues, problems, misunderstandings, risks and challenges emerge. Communication alone can\u2019t do this. It\u2019s the means and the material, and it certainly matters. But collaboration is the end goal and the guiding framework.<\/p>\n

However, for all of the damage that this communication-collaboration confusion causes, it\u2019s not a dilemma. That is, it\u2019s not one of those necessary evils that enterprises must tolerate as they brace for impact. Instead, they can focus on 10 elements that make customer collaboration a core part of every engagement, from simple short-term projects to complex long-term engagements.<\/p>\n

The 10 Elements of Effective Customer Collaboration<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Provide customers with a one-stop-shop portal that gives them real-time, on-demand access to their projects, files, conversations and requests.<\/li>\n
  2. Match the portal to each customers\u2019 brand look and feel. That way, they\u2019ll see it as a familiar extension of their operations and be more inclined to use it.<\/li>\n
  3. Ensure the portal is intuitive, easy-to-use and there is no learning curve. This is especially important when new users onboard from the customers\u2019 side.<\/li>\n
  4. Use version control tools to track iterations and updates. This is important for all customer collaboration, and not just those dealing with creative projects (such as marketing or design).<\/li>\n
  5. Be prepared and have the tools to quickly configure and re-configure workflows that align with changing customer collaboration needs, processes and preferences. Sometimes customers don\u2019t know how they want to collaborate \u2013 or how they collaborate best, until the project gets underway.<\/li>\n
  6. Use tools like color-coded tasks to help customers quickly and simply see what actions they need to take (review, confirm, sync, etc.). If customers need to do any heavy lifting just to find out what\u2019s on their to-do list, they\u2019ll probably tune out and turn off.<\/li>\n
  7. Give customers exportable links to fully-updated versions of reports, so they can take action and discuss them at every point in the process. Otherwise, reports will just sit there and get overlooked or ignored.<\/li>\n
  8. Collaborate with customers in secure, designated discussion threads that automatically align in-context with the work that is being delivered.<\/li>\n
  9. Maintain a single project plan, and share only what is relevant with customers. Don\u2019t bog customers down with every little plan detail. They want curated information, not the proverbial kitchen sink.<\/li>\n
  10. Speaking of the kitchen sink: separate customer-facing communication with those that involve internal teams.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Firing on All Cylinders<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Most enterprises earn at least a passing grade when it comes to communicating with customers, and some make it on the honor roll. But communication alone doesn\u2019t replace collaboration, or eventually become collaboration. It\u2019s a necessary precursor, not a substitute.<\/p>\n

    For enterprises to truly establish and exploit collaboration as a profitable asset\u2014 just as they do with talent and technology\u2014they need to actively and intentionally make it a part of every engagement. When all 10 elements noted above are firing on all cylinders, then communication and collaboration are integrated, and both project success and customer happiness are much more assured.<\/p>\n

    \n
    Clarizen\u2019s award-winning portfolio, project and collaborative work management<\/a> (CWM) solution is designed from the ground-up to make communication with collaboration the expectation, not just the aspiration. Learn more by downloading the datasheet for Planview AdaptiveWork\u2019s groundbreaking External Collaborator solution: click here<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
    \"Siemens<\/a> \"IIROC<\/a> \"Financial<\/a> \"M<\/a> \"Aliancys<\/a> \"Bonfiglioli<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    It\u2019s common for the words communication and collaboration to be used together. However, while they pair nicely, they aren\u2019t interchangeable, and a belief to the contrary is responsible for a large portion\u00a0of project failure and customer unhappiness. Customer Communication IQ Let\u2019s start with communication. Most enterprises do a good job when it comes to building…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":205,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":3,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pmo-project-management-organizations"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy communication and collaboration are integrated \u2013 not interchangeable<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"These strategies will help you define the right milestones for your projects and guide your team successfully toward each one.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why communication and collaboration are integrated \u2013 not interchangeable\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"These strategies will help you define the right milestones for your projects and guide your team successfully toward each one.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Planview Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Planview-Inc\/89422974772\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-03-24T05:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-04-11T18:09:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/media.planview.com\/clarizen\/wp-content\/upload\/2017\/03\/integrated2.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Team AdaptiveWork\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Planview\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Planview\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Team AdaptiveWork\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Team AdaptiveWork\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e307731bc782b0042d055366fc035e50\"},\"headline\":\"Why communication and collaboration are integrated \u2013 not interchangeable\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-03-24T05:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-04-11T18:09:14+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/\"},\"wordCount\":853,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.planview.com\/clarizen\/wp-content\/upload\/2017\/03\/integrated2.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Project Portfolio Management\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/\",\"name\":\"Why communication and collaboration are integrated \u2013 not interchangeable\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.planview.com\/clarizen\/wp-content\/upload\/2017\/03\/integrated2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-03-24T05:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-04-11T18:09:14+00:00\",\"description\":\"These strategies will help you define the right milestones for your projects and guide your team successfully toward each one.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/media.planview.com\/clarizen\/wp-content\/upload\/2017\/03\/integrated2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.planview.com\/clarizen\/wp-content\/upload\/2017\/03\/integrated2.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Why communication and collaboration are integrated \u2013 not interchangeable\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/\",\"name\":\"Planview Blog\",\"description\":\"Leading the conversation on digital connected work\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Planview\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/planview-logo-black.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/planview-logo-black.png\",\"width\":280,\"height\":66,\"caption\":\"Planview\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Planview-Inc\/89422974772\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/Planview\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e307731bc782b0042d055366fc035e50\",\"name\":\"Team AdaptiveWork\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/author\/team-adaptivwork\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why communication and collaboration are integrated \u2013 not interchangeable","description":"These strategies will help you define the right milestones for your projects and guide your team successfully toward each one.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why communication and collaboration are integrated \u2013 not interchangeable","og_description":"These strategies will help you define the right milestones for your projects and guide your team successfully toward each one.","og_url":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/","og_site_name":"Planview Blog","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Planview-Inc\/89422974772","article_published_time":"2017-03-24T05:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-04-11T18:09:14+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/media.planview.com\/clarizen\/wp-content\/upload\/2017\/03\/integrated2.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Team AdaptiveWork","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Planview","twitter_site":"@Planview","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Team AdaptiveWork","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/"},"author":{"name":"Team AdaptiveWork","@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e307731bc782b0042d055366fc035e50"},"headline":"Why communication and collaboration are integrated \u2013 not interchangeable","datePublished":"2017-03-24T05:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2022-04-11T18:09:14+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/"},"wordCount":853,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/media.planview.com\/clarizen\/wp-content\/upload\/2017\/03\/integrated2.jpg","articleSection":["Project Portfolio Management"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/","url":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/","name":"Why communication and collaboration are integrated \u2013 not interchangeable","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/media.planview.com\/clarizen\/wp-content\/upload\/2017\/03\/integrated2.jpg","datePublished":"2017-03-24T05:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2022-04-11T18:09:14+00:00","description":"These strategies will help you define the right milestones for your projects and guide your team successfully toward each one.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/media.planview.com\/clarizen\/wp-content\/upload\/2017\/03\/integrated2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/media.planview.com\/clarizen\/wp-content\/upload\/2017\/03\/integrated2.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/why-communication-and-collaboration-are-integrated-not-interchangeable\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why communication and collaboration are integrated \u2013 not interchangeable"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/","name":"Planview Blog","description":"Leading the conversation on digital connected work","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#organization","name":"Planview","url":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/planview-logo-black.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/planview-logo-black.png","width":280,"height":66,"caption":"Planview"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Planview-Inc\/89422974772","https:\/\/x.com\/Planview"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e307731bc782b0042d055366fc035e50","name":"Team AdaptiveWork","url":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/author\/team-adaptivwork\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/205"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16028"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16028\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}