New Collaboration Tool for Distributed Scrum

I’ve recently had the opportunity to meet the good folks at Sococo, and review their interesting new Web-based collaboration tool. Team Space addresses a long-standing problem for every distributed Scrum project I’ve seen, namely, the absence of instant, on-demand collaboration that approaches the effectiveness of co-location.

I’ve used multiple flavors of instant messaging and Web-based presentation tools (like Skype and WebEx), but these solutions have significant limitations. They are very effective at addressing the needs for which they were created, but they were not created as general-purpose collaboration tools. Conducting distributed stand-up or sprint-planning meetings with these tools is possible, but laborious. The effort required to set up connections can make using these tools for ad-hoc collaboration impractical.

Sococo’s Team Space takes a very different approach. It provides a virtual office (complete with cubicles and conference rooms), which shows the availability and activities of everyone who is logged in to the application. Users can start online voice or chat discussions, share application views, and pull in more people as needed. The always-on nature of the product provides an on-demand experience, which differs from the scheduled nature of standard teleconference solutions in a manner reminiscent of how DSL connections differ from dial-up modems.

Team Space is in beta-test phase right now. The company is seeking beta testers, and is offering free accounts to people who want to try Team Space for their projects.

If the difficulty of collaborating with distributed team members has been a thorn in your side, I suggest heading over to Sococo and giving Team Space a try.

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