Groupware

Rank App Description Tags Stars
1 documize/community Modern Confluence alternative designed for internal & external docs, built with Go + EmberJS knowledge-base selfhosted go knowledge-management wiki documentation dashboards collaboration confluence docs document-conversion document-management documentation-tool emberjs enterprise keycloak knowledge knowledgebase reporting 2066

Groupware, also known as collaboration software or group collaboration tools, is a type of software that facilitates communication and coordination among multiple people in an organization. It's designed to improve productivity by enabling users to share documents, access databases, schedule meetings, track projects, etc., all from one location.

Groupware can be categorized into two main types: email-based groupware (like Microsoft Exchange or Google Groups) and document-based groupware (like Microsoft SharePoint or Confluence). Email-based Groupware are designed to handle emails and tasks; while, Document-Based Groupware are more focused on collaboration through documents.

The main components of a typical Groupware system include:

  1. Messaging: This is where users communicate with each other via emails or instant messages. Email clients can send and receive email messages, and these are typically stored in the user's Inbox until they're deleted or archived.

  2. Calendar/Scheduling: Groupware systems usually have a component for scheduling meetings and appointments. This allows users to see when other people have scheduled time off, vacations, or meetings with specific individuals or teams.

  3. Document Management: With this feature, users can collaboratively create, edit, store, and distribute information in various forms such as text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, images etc.

  4. Collaboration Tools: These include task management tools, where users can set tasks to be completed by certain dates with the ability to assign them to other team members.

  5. Knowledge Management/Wiki: This feature is similar to a corporate intranet and often includes content from within the company and external links to related information.

  6. Project Management Tools: These tools help in planning, organizing, and overseeing all aspects of software development projects.

  7. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Tools: These systems help businesses manage interactions with current and future customers.

Groupware is usually built on open-source platforms which provide the flexibility to customize, modify or extend features according to a business's specific needs. Examples of these platforms include Linux, Apache HTTP Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, PHP etc., while open-source software that falls under this category includes:

  1. ERPNext (Enterprise Resource Planning) - A comprehensive and customizable full suite of all your business needs. It covers CRM, SCM, HRM, Projects, Support, Website Builder, Ecommerce etc.

  2. SuiteCRM - An open-source Customer Relationship Management software which provides email marketing automation, campaign management, contact insights and analytics.

  3. Taiga - A project management platform for startups and small teams, with advanced features like user stories, issues, task boards, and more.

  4. OpenProject - A web-based project collaboration and management tool which can be used in the enterprise environment to manage software development projects.

  5. Redmine - a flexible project management web application. Written using Ruby on Rails framework, Redmine is a free open source solution for project/issue tracking and collaboration.

Remember that while Groupware tools can provide significant benefits in terms of productivity and communication, they are only as good as the people who use them. Hence, it's important to ensure that the software is compatible with your organization's unique needs and processes.