Internet Groupware Systems for Project Management: Experiences from an Empirical Study

摘要

The paper describes and analyzes the practical experiences made with different groupware systems over a period of three years. The experiences were drawn from empirical studies carried out as part of a long-term research project. The findings are based on surveys conducted each year among the project participants. The most recent groupware system used in 2002 offers numerous services of which almost exclusively the central document database, the group calendar and the to do list were used. From the user's point of view the main advantages of the use of groupware can be found in an improved access to information and increased control of the performed work. On the other hand, the use of the system consumed an additional amount of time and the personal contacts among the users were reduced. Overall, the users see more advantages than disadvantages. They state that they would use a groupware system in future projects again. The comparison of the observations made during the last three years shows that usability and reliability of the user interface are factors, which are decisive for the perceived usefulness and the acceptance of a system. The user interface and the technical reliability of the systems have improved over the years.