Presentation at the KM4Dev workshop: Online collaboration, dialogue and interaction - what works in international development, 3 July 2020

1. • KM4Dev event: Session 9 – Online collaboration, dialogue
and interaction
• 3 July 2020
Online collaboration platforms and
technologies: what should we consider?
Riff Fullan
Head, Knowledge & Learning
Helvetas

2. 2
A few thoughts on virtual collaboration/dialogue platforms
• Platform functionality needs to suit the users
• Intuitive
• Compatible with core systems
• Providing what is needed
• A community of developers is crucial for sustainability
• Security/safety should be included in your assessment
• No platform is perfect, but most have their evangelists

3. 3
Functionality: Email
Email-based communication (Dgroups, Lyris, Google Groups, etc.)
• Basic, but continues to be widely used
• Robust and easy to use (participation through your email inbox)
• Time zone, availability and connectivity friendly
• Good for comms-focused exchange and archiving

4. 4
Functionality: Web-based collaboration
Endless possibilities.
Focus on….
• What you need
• What can be added
• What capacities are
required
• What are your security/
safety considerations
• Is it future-friendly?

5. 5
Several platforms or one platform?
It depends, but remember…..
• One size does not fit all (users or purposes)
• Integration can be very useful (e.g. calendar, chat, meeting
spaces)
• Our world is changing rapidly, which makes it hard to know what is
around the corner

6. 6
Bottom line: Collaboration is about people! This means:
• People are your starting point
• Engagement of core stakeholder representatives is crucial
• Co-development/decision-making is a powerful driver of
ownership and innovation
• Financial and operational sustainability should be considered in
the early stages of development

7. THANK
YOU!