Introduction

This article describes how to create a hybrid setup that incorporates multiple collaborative environments for members of a team.

Explanation

In some cases, the members of your team will be coming from multiple environments (i.e., Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and Slack) and you will need to consider using a hybrid approach when creating an Online Collaborative Space for your team.

Collaboration Strategies using a Hybrid Approach

There are many ways to create a hybrid solution. The overall strategy when creating an Online Collaborative Space using a mix of technologies is to identify, categorize, and prioritize. Once you understand what is important for your group, you can choose the right mix of technologies to create a productive and robust hybrid solution.

First, consider the current activities of your collaborative group. Is it chat? Video conferencing? File sharing? If you don’t have a group currently formed, then consider or survey what will be the most prevalent activities your group will engage in. Then prioritize those activities. See Table 1 for an example.

TABLE 1: PRIORITIZED COLLABORATION ACTIVITIES

Activity	Priority
Chat	8
File Sharing	7
Video Conferencing	6
File Searching	5
Task Tracking	4
Surveys	3
Content Creation	2
Debugging/Code Discussion	1

From there, consider any specific features of those activities that are important. Table 2 expands on those activities to identify important features.

TABLE 2: IMPORTANT FEATURES

Activity	Feature	Priority
Chat	Threading, Searching, Mentioning	8
External Collaboration		7
Video Conferencing		6
File Sharing	Group ownership of files	5
Task Tracking	Task due date reminders	4
Surveys		3
Content Creation	Tracking edits	2
Debugging/Code Discussion		1

An important thing to understand is what technologies are “fixed” within your group that accomplishes those activities. In other words, for any reason, is there a technology that your group will not move away from as you create this solution? This could be because of significant history, comfort/culture, deadlines, etc. See Table 3 for an expanded example.

TABLE 3: IMMUTABLE TECHNOLOGIES

Activity	Feature	Priority	Technology
Chat	Threading, Searching, Mentioning	10
External Collaboration		9
Video Conferencing		8
File Sharing	Group ownership of files	7
Task Tracking		6
Content Creation	Tracking edits	5	Microsoft Word
Calendaring		4
Code Discussion		3
Code Tracking		2	Git
Surveys		1

Now that the needs for the Online Collaborative Space are better understood, the facilitator can begin to put together the technologies that will best meet those needs. In some cases, it may even be clear that a hybrid solution is not necessary. However, using the example above (Table 3), the facilitator and group might conclude that a hybrid solution is necessary.