Computer support for distributed teams has focused on either improving communication in synchronous distributed meetings or on providing tools to facilitate distributed asynchronous collaboration, but not both. Boeing and IBM are jointly developing a framework and prototype, called TeamSpace, to support spatially distributed teamwork in a more holistic and integrated manner. TeamSpace is a web-based collaborative workspace system for managing shared work processes and maintaining shared artifacts in a project typically spanning months or years. It covers both synchronous and asynchronous cross-company team activities and provides a seamless transition between different work modes. TeamSpace also attempts to increase team awareness and communication for distributed teams by providing ubiquitous access through the integration of wireless handheld devices.
Meetings are a crucial communication and coordination activity of teams.
TeamSpace supports distributed meetings as a part of a larger collaborative work process by providing capture, integration and access capabilities for distributed meetings. Captured synchronous information is integrated with other related information in TeamSpace, enabling users to efficiently gain knowledge of both current and past team activities.