Dissecting CollabSpot

The Google Apps project management tool CollabSpot Boards, was finally revealed last week. This ended almost 6 months of work of trial and error from the CollabSpot team. Being an outsider in the development process, I have witnessed how each team member devoted countless hours in perfecting the CollabSpot Boards system. And after a lengthy closed Beta, it is now finally available to the general public.

Thus begins the arduous task of presenting this “labor of love” to Google Apps users.

What is CollabSpot Boards?

Collabspot Boards have numerous features that can aid an organization in achieving optimum efficiency when it comes to productivity. All these features provide project managers with real time data that can greatly help him/her in arriving at a well informed decision when acting on important matter with regards to workflow.

As a Google Apps project management tool, its interface is equipped with the following features:

Boards

One of the first things you will see when opening the app is the board list on the left side of the screen.

Think of a board as a file folder in your computer. By labeling a board, you immediately know what it contains. A board could contain files, project status, or your employee list.

Activity Stream

Found on the right side of the screen when opening Collabspot Boards, the Twitter like activity stream provides you with recent updates on any and every action made by you as well as your contacts.

Cards

The idea behind the app stems from the idea of using post-its. Anyone who used a post-it before would know that when it is sticked to a “board” it implies that a reminder is issued. This reminder can be in the form of a simple greeting or an update to an important meeting.

By trying to be a virtual version of a post-it, CollabSpot Boards cards can represent a document, a person, or a task. By creating a card, you are implying that you have created something that your contacts need to view. This is the lifeblood of the system and where the interaction between project members is made.

Lists

A list within the app can be summed up as a “sub folder”, as it contains all the cards you created. By creating a “list” you are practically creating a virtual production line for your projects.

For example:

You are tasked to create a marketing campaign. What you can do is create a list and name is “Ideas”. From there, you and your team can throw ideas back and forth by creating cards within the list. Once you have arrived at a suitable concept, you can then create a list named “To do”.

This is where you assign tasks to your team to work on. And once a team is done, they can move their completed task, in the form of a card, to a completed list.

If “cards” are the lifeblood of the CollabSpot Boards system, “lists” are its muscle.

Other Features

Google Docs integration

One key feature of CollabSpot Boards is its seamless integration with Google Docs. This integration is to ensure a fast, reliable and safe medium of uploading and sharing your documents to your team members.

Real time updates

Information is vital in business. Because of this, CollabSpot Boards gives you the ability to get information once it happens. Every update done on Collabspot by your members is automatically presented to you.

Drag and drop feature

Having the ability to quickly drag and drop things around makes it easier for mangers to update the workflow of their team.

Labels

Labels are used to specifically highlight certain cards. And by using different colors, pinpointing a specific card becomes easier.

Search

The search filters through every card to get you the information you need.

Go and try out the FREE version of CollabSpot on the Google Apps Marketplace and be the judge if Google Apps project management tool is indeed everything that we promised it would be. And if I am proven to be correct, do leave us a comment about your experience, or any feature that you think would make it even better.