Using collaborative documents

Overview

Collaborative documents allow multiple people to work on the same document at the same time. Users can see what others are doing in real time.

Developing

Different platforms provide ways for users to work on collaborative documents. Some are free to use while others require you to pay a subscription. Examples of collaborative software include Google Docs, Microsoft Word online, Dropbox Paper, and ClickUp but there are many more available.

Some work better if all users have an account with software provider. For example, if you are using Google Docs, it is recommended everyone has a Google account (eg Gmail address).

The benefits of working with collaborative documents include:

• Saves you time as everyone can work on a document together and you do not have to wait for someone to close the document before are able to start editing it

• Avoids long email communication chains. Users can put feedback directly into the document and everyone can view it.

• Remote access allows you to collaborate with others from anywhere.

Skilled

Features of collaborative documents include:

Sharing permissions: This allows you to control who can edit the document and who can only view the document.

Auto save: Any changes are automatically saved as you write, allowing others to see updates as they happen.

Version control: This allows you to revert back to previous versions of the document, thus giving you confidence you won’t lose any information by it being overwritten.

Edit tracking: You can set the document to show what edits have been made and what the original text said. It also records who made the changes. Then once everyone agrees on an edit, you can accept changes and make the new text final.

Comments: You can highlight text and add a comment, explanation or tag a colleague for follow up. This does not change the text. Once a comment or action has been read or completed, you can resolve the comment and it disappears from the screen. The resolved comments are still available to viewing the comments history.

Saving and sharing: You can email the document directly from the software. No need to go to your email and attach. You can also download the document in other formats, eg save a document file as a PDF file.

Adept (coming soon)

Helpful resources