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Original Date: 10/10/2005
Revision Date: / /
Best Practice : Collaboration Solutions
(equipment: software)
The lack of a standard process to deploy a collaborative environment for a program or a project was creating costly schedule and implementation delays at Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems. To meet government standards and include features that would support all domestic and international programs, the Integrated Defense Systems Information Technology organization developed a secure and easy collaborative environment to support its global enterprise.
Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) had no standardized process to deploy a collaborative environment for its many geographically dispersed government, contractor, supplier and international teams. This lack of standardization resulted in costly schedule delays and the absence of proper coordination and communication of customer program information. Raytheon IDS also needed a solution that would comply with Department of State federal regulations on International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) for exchanging export-controlled data with authorized non-U.S. persons.
In 2003, a small Raytheon IDS IT team developed and implemented the Collaborative Environment, a solution that exceeded the expectations of the users by providing a secure and easily accessible collaborative environment to meet these rigorous requirements. Raytheon’s Secure and Easy Collaboration portal (Figure 2-3) currently has more than 1,400 users that include customers, suppliers, partners, and Raytheon employees across all divisions worldwide.
Benefits to Raytheon from the collaborative environment include:
Productivity improvement of at least 30 minutes per week has reduced the time to locate and share documents and enhance team communication
A cost avoidance of approximately $125,000 by leveraging Microsoft (MS) Project Viewer in e-Room
An infrastructure data storage cost avoidance of approximately $512,000 through centralized team storage
Standard features in the Raytheon collaborative environment include:
Instant Messaging – to collaborate in real-time with one or more people
On-line Meeting – enables Raytheon employees, vendors and partners to participate in virtual meetings, with access to the same information at the same time without having to be in the same room
Electronic Mail – enables users to send, receive and store e-mail messages. In addition to managing e-mail, employees can manage their contacts, to-do lists, and schedule
Electronic Calendaring – enables user to manage time and contacts and schedule meetings
Virtual Teaming – provides a forum for team members to collaborate and accomplish team objectives using a virtual space or “room”
Document Sharing – enables users to share, store, route, and track documents
Audio Teleconferencing – allows users to join a multi-party phone conversation
Video Teleconferencing – allows users in geographically dispersed locations to see and hear each other in real-time
Raytheon’s relatively simple collaborative environment solution has improved information flow among Raytheon, its suppliers, and its customers. Providing real-time access to information any time and anywhere has fostered information sharing, increased communication, and created a strong sense of teaming that previously did not exist.
Figure 2-3. Secure and Easy Collaboration
For more information see the
Point of Contact for this survey.
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