This document provides a guide for public sector organizations to choose the right online collaboration tool. It outlines seven key issues to consider: ease of use, agility, scalability, adaptable contexts, low flexible pricing, compliance with standards, and support. The guide recommends sourcing software from the UK government's G-Cloud to benefit from approved security, standard contracts, fair pricing and tailored support. It encourages claiming a free trial of Kahootz, an online collaboration software designed for public sector organizations.

1. A PUBLIC SECTOR GUIDE
Choosing the
right online
collaboration tool
- Your essential checklist
A PUBLIC SECTOR GUIDE If it’s collaborative, it’s in Kahootz
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2. Choosing the right online
collaboration tool for…
your public sector organisation
This guide is essential
reading if you’d like to:
• Understand the seven key issues
facing public sector organisations
wanting to invest in a cloud
collaboration tool
• Source software at favourable terms
from a Government-approved source
• Get help and advice on choosing
online collaboration software
A PUBLIC SECTOR GUIDE 2

3. Contents
Choosing the right online collaboration tool — the seven key issues 4
An idea to get you started… 8
Claim your free trial! 9
A PUBLIC SECTOR GUIDE 3

4. Choosing the right
online collaboration tool
— the seven key issues
Putting online collaboration at the In How to collaborate online: It’s a vital decision to make. Because
heart of your work can help you deliver a public sector guide we took a you’ll be using collaboration tools on a
better services, create efficiencies and close look at how national and regional daily or near-daily basis, you need to
work more effectively in partnership. public sector organisations were driving get it right — otherwise you can end
It can also make the development of innovation with online collaboration — up going down the expensive route of
shared services much simpler, faster and how it is behind such a wide range buying different software packages to
and more thorough. of public sector innovation. do the work of one.
In our earlier guides for the public But while there’s no denying that So before you do choose any software
sector, we covered a range of benefits collaboration tools bring huge for your organisation, be sure to
that online collaboration can deliver. advantages to modern public sector consider all of the following factors.
In Doing more with less you saw how working, there are so many different They’re important in terms of staff
the right collaboration tools can help types of collaboration software to adoption, cost, future-proofing and
you cut the cost of procurement, IT choose from. You need to know overall effectiveness.
costs and staffing, as well as help how to choose the best one for
you deliver joined up government, your organisation.
improve consultations and increase
stakeholder engagement.
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5. 1. Ease of use 2. Agility 3. Scalability
Some collaboration software is much One size doesn’t fit all, so opt for In the public sector world, the number
easier to use than others. Ease of an agile collaboration system that of partners and projects you’re
use is essential if you want employees allows you to tailor your workspace to concerned with will fluctuate often.
to embrace collaboration and if you your users and your partners. Some That means you will need collaboration
want to keep training costs as low systems allow you to apply your software that easily allows you to add
as possible. departmental or corporate branding extra users as and when you need them
and create templated workspaces — and to remove them when they no
Don’t take a software provider’s word
with the functionality you and your longer need to be involved.
that their solution is simple to use
partners prefer and need. Again, look
— they haven’t tried using it in your
for software that offers you a free trial,
organisation. Look for a package that
allowing you to test it in a number of
offers you a free trial, allowing you to
different ways before you commit to it.
put the software through its paces
with a small team of colleagues.
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6. 4. Adaptable contexts 5. Low, flexible pricing 6. Compliance
Different uses of collaboration software Sometimes scalability comes at an
with standards
require different functionality. For unnecessary cost. Avoid software As a public service organisation, you
example, you need a different set of providers that want to lock you into have a statutory duty to make sure
tools for co-developing shared long-term contracts based on the your software and communications are
services than you do for sharing maximum number of users you are accessible to all staff and external users.
procurement and tender information likely to require. For this reason, ensure that any online
with potential suppliers. collaboration tool you choose meets
This can be extremely expensive and
— and ideally exceeds — approved
To ensure your software remains wasteful, especially if you only rarely
Government standards of accessibility.
simple to use, you need to be able to need the peak number of users.
create workspaces that give users only Instead look for software that gives you Equally important, your stakeholders’
the tools they need in any given the an affordable per-user cost, ideally on information and your own files need to
particular context. If possible, also opt a pay-as-you-go basis. This will allow be kept secure. Choose a solution with
for software that allows you to create you to respond to new projects as they Government-approved security and a full
templated workspaces with pre-loaded occur, and cut your costs back when audit trail of activity.
tools for common deployments — you don’t need the additional users.
such as secure deal rooms and
project workspaces.
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7. 7. Support
No matter how simple your chosen If you’d prefer not to take the risk, opt
collaboration software is, things do for a software provider with a proven
sometimes go wrong. For that reason, track record of supporting the public
it’s a good idea to check out your sector. Look for suppliers that have
potential provider’s support package. Is been trading successfully for a number
there a friendly and helpful voice at the of years and which you feel are likely to
end of a support line? Can the company thrive in the future.
make site visits if you need them?
Also, in a fast-growing sector of the
software market, you’ll find that some
online collaboration packages are sold
by relatively young companies. This is
a risk you need to consider — will your
chosen company be around to offer
support in 1, 3 or 5 years’ time?
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8. An idea to get you started…
As a public sector organisation,
we recommend you source software “Projects are executed
using the Government’s by humans. And humans
G-Cloud Cloudstore. must interact.”
Alistair Cockburn & Jim Highsmith, 2004
By sourcing software from the G-Cloud
you benefit from approved security,
standardised contracts, fair pricing and
support that’s tailored to the sector —
often with special pricing as well!
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9. Claim your free trial!
Enjoy a free trial of Kahootz — it’s online
collaboration software that helps public Need help or advice? We’re
sector organisations at all levels deliver here to answer your queries.
more for less.
Simply log on to kahootz.com to claim
your no-obligation trial. It gives you
full-featured access for up to 10 people,
allowing you to immediately try out the
software in a large number of
real-world situations.
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10. 1 Weston Court, Newbury Road, Weston, Berkshire RG20 8JE
t. +44 (0)1488 648 478 e. info@kahootz.com
kahootz.com @Kahootz
For more information about Kahootz
and to sign up for a FREE trial please visit:
kahootz.com
A PUBLIC SECTOR GUIDE If it’s collaborative, it’s in Kahootz
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