If you have a large team who all need access to documentation to make updates, perform reviews etc then groupware or project management tools can be invaluable. These tools include features such as project plans, document repositories with configuration management, approval routing and discussion forums.

If you have several team members then a shared calendar can be very useful for coordinating their diaries.

Sometimes, e-mail isn’t quite fast enough. For real time interaction, online chat is required. This can range from a few people talking in an online chat, 2 or more people sharing ideas over an instant messenger (IM) or even a full online meeting with collaborative tools such as whiteboards, shared applications, slideshow presentations or video conferencing.

E-Mail is probably the most prevalent form of online collaboration. Today’s sophisticated e-mail systems can also help you manage your contacts, calendar and to-do list by integrating into other office applications. Web based access allows users to log into to e-mail from anywhere in the world. E-mail can handle ever larger attachments and file sizes, with even free webmail packages offering 1GB of space.