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CGXchange 2.0 Beta Test: summary of survey results

Contents

  1. 1 Profile of the test participants
  2. 2 Clarity of the procedures, satisfaction and likelihood of using Google Apps
  3. 3 Technicalities behind the scenes
  4. 4 CGX 2.0: The immediate future
  5. 5 Comments, questions and answers
CGXchange 2.0 offers CGIAR staff and partners a set of online tools to facilitate exchange and collaboration. The core set is based on Google Apps Education Edition, with more tools being tested and offered for use.

In 2008, the ICT-KM Program conducted an extensive case study of Google Apps, with a special focus on Gmail, involving 262 participants from 14 Centers. The final survey showed user satisfaction to be more than 60%. More about methodology and conclusions can be found in the Report on CGIAR Google Apps Case Study.

On the basis of these positive results, the Program decided to migrate the CGXchange project to the Google Apps Education Edition - and so CGXchange 2.0 was born. 

 CGXchange 2.0 has the following features: 
 
  • same concept as CGXchange 1.0: helping CGIAR staff connect with people, share knowledge and collaborate online
  • new tools 
  • new freedom 

Before promoting CGXchange 2.0 (CGX 2.0 for short) System-wide, certain features underwent a short round of beta testing in March 2009. Involving 19 CGIAR staff, the purpose of this test was to collect feedback on the clarity of the sign-in procedure, the user account creation policy and the likelihood of future use. This was not intended as functional testing, as we have no direct control on the software offered by Google. 

This report highlights the test results, along with some of the comments and questions from the test participants that merit a public response.

Profile of the test participants

The staff invited to take part in the test were selected as a result of their previous experience with online collaboration tools and direct involvement in knowledge sharing and management initiatives. The intention was to involve 'champions', either actual or potential, who are keen on knowledge sharing and need to use online tools to carry out their work. It was also necessary to involve staff with a reasonable level of familiarity with technology in general, so that they would be able to focus on the specifically devised procedures and content.

 As such, the top 5 areas of occupation were: Knowledge Management/Sharing (53%), Communications (37%), Information Management (37%), Administration (26%) and Information Technology (16%). Areas of occupation
 % Participants
(n=19)
Knowledge Management/Sharing
 53%
Communications
 37%
Information Management
 37%
Administration 26%
Information Technology
 16%
 
13 of the 19 participants already had a Gmail/Google account, with 8 using it daily or often. Before the test, the participants had mostly tried out Google Docs (12) and Calendar (12), but were less familiar with Sites (6) and Talk (3).
 Experience with Google and Google Apps
 Participants
(n=19)
Have a Gmail/Google account
 13
Used Google Docs before the test
 12
Used Google Calendar before the test
 12
Used Google Sites before the test
 6
Used Google Talk before the test
 3
 
Most of the participants reported that they work with geographically distributed team, have issues with email attachments, and manage information sharing for events. Which of the following scenarios best describe your working conditions? %Participants
(n=18)
I work with a geographically distributed team 83%
Email attachments make my mailbox run out of space too often 67%
I organize events/training sessions and would like to share the information before, during and after an event 56%

Clarity of the procedures, satisfaction and likelihood of using Google Apps

The following are highlights from the survey results. You can also read the full set of results here (only the names of participants have been omitted).

  • 60% said the procedure for requesting an account is 'easy to understand', while 40% said the 'link is easy to find'

  • The core policy (only CGIAR staff can request user accounts, non CGIAR staff can be invited with their regular Gmail accounts) is definitely clear: 47% said it is Very clear, and another 47% said it is Clear

  • The procedure for signing in for the first time is 'easy to complete' (73%)

  • A cumulative 64% said they are either satisfied (50%) or very satisfied (14%) with the Google Apps experience

  • 78% said they are either likely or very likely to use the Google Apps with their team in the future

Feedback is mixed regarding the ease of finding CGIAR contacts via the Google Apps: a cumulative 49% said it is either easy (28%) or very easy (21%), with the rest spread over the other options. Although this seems to be an area where support is needed, the situation is likely to improve as people use the apps on a regular basis.

As for the support expected from the CGX 2.0 team, the majority wants research and testing of new tools (71%), a selection of articles/tutorials on the Web on how to introduce collaboration tools in real-life work (57%) and online training sessions on how to get started with the individual collaboration tools (50%).

In conclusion:
  • the test results are encouraging and indicate that Google Apps offer a suite of useful tools for everyday collaborative work. 
  • There is a great potential for adopting new ways of working with distributed teams and partners, with a mindset that is more open to sharing as knowledge is generated.
  • Moreover, there seems to be a demand for efficient tools for collaboration and sharing.

Technicalities behind the scenes

Work has already begun on some important technical aspects of CGX 2.0, primarily the management of user accounts. In parallel with the beta test, a consultation was held with the CGIAR IT Managers on technical and policy implications for the introduction of Google Apps and other online collaboration tools. The consultation also acted as a follow up to the case study conducted last year.

The current procedure that requires a potential user to request an account on cgxchange.org before being able to use the Google Apps is only temporary, as we are presently investigating and implementing a mechanism that will import and manage in a consistent way those accounts that CGIAR staff use to access their local networks and other corporate applications. 

As indicated by the majority of the IT Managers who participated in the consultation, the implementation of LDAP Sync Provisioning from Active Directory (AD) will be investigated. This approach will allow the CGX team to import and synchronize active CGIAR users from AD and, in general, manage thousands of user accounts. CGIAR users will be able to sign in with their username BUT NOT with their passwords. Passwords will need to be setup in the application that will manage the synchronization.

A single sign-on with full integration with AD has not been considered, because it would result in users being able to use only the Web-based apps. Both the Google desktop-based and the mobile-device applications (e.g. GTalk client, mobile phone applications) would be left out. It is felt that enabling the mobile apps, in particular, is an investment in increased efficiency and usability, as they will be adopted by more and more users in the future.

CGX 2.0: The immediate future

The CGX team is already working on:
  • More tutorials
  • Online training sessions
  • Articles on real-life examples that show how online collaboration technology can be put to good use in your work
  • Research and testing of new tools (e.g. Web conferencing, microblogging)

Comments, questions and answers

Some test participants posed questions and/or made comments in the questionnaire that need a reply or clarification. The following are the responses to a few of the more-interesting questions/comments.

Comment

Everyone needs a CGIAR email address to be able to sign in automatically and to avoid having to register again

Answer
The CGX team is working on doing away with the account request step (see Technicalities above). The feasible route at the moment seems to be the import of the cgiar.org usernames, so that all active CGIAR staff have an account in cgxchange.org. Setting up the password will need to be done ad hoc when accessing cgxchange.org for the first time.

Question

Is it necessary to have a new window open every time I click on a different option (calendar, documents, etc)?
Answer
The links to the four apps found on the top bar have been set like this by Google. The possible rationale? Since these are applications with rich interactions taking place in the browser window, it is both advisable and usable to have them open in separate windows. For example, if you are editing your calendar and need to check a document in Docs, you would risk losing your edits if the document opened in the same browser window.

Having said that, you could rely on your browser functionality to open a new app in the same browser window. For example, if you use Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome, the apps links are by default opened as new tabs, enabling you to have multiple sites or applications open in the same browser window. To avoid the tabs, drag and drop the link to the app you want to open onto the current tab: this way you can use the same tab to display a new app or page.

In MS Internet Explorer, the apps links are by default opened in new windows, so you may get a proliferation. To stay on the same window (and tab, if you're using IE 7 and have tabbed browsing enabled), drag and drop the link to the app you want to open onto the current tab. Alternatively, if you have the Google Toolbar installed, you should get the option 'Open in new tab' in the right-click menu when you click on a link. This will allow you to open the apps in separate tabs while remaining in the same IE window.


Comment

Calling it "CGXchange 2.0" could deter users who didn't have a positive experience with version 1.0

Answer
CGXchange is a concept, not a technology. Although it is also a brand, CGXchange still preserves the spirit of facilitating online collaboration, exchange and sharing. This concept is maintained in CGX 2.0. What is new on CGX 2.0 is the toolset and a more open, flexible approach to offering the tools. It's no longer about Intranets. If we can communicate this spirit effectively, your positive experience with the tools will help dispel any misgivings.

Question

Why don't you ask about bandwidth, speed, etc? This is very important because the only concern that I have with this new system is that it will eat a lot of my Center's bandwidth.

Answer
Not all the apps are bandwidth-hungry to the same extent. Mail is particularly demanding, but you don't need to use the mail module (see this tutorial on how to set up the mail forwarding). Documents may require bandwidth with the real-time autosave and refresh while people are editing together. The tips on co-editing in this post can offer a workaround. In addition, you could go online to create a new document and then use the Offline Docs option to edit it (quick intro video). It would be very interesting to see how these combined approaches can save bandwidth in your Center.

As for Sites, some colleagues based in Africa reported that they are usually light. 

There is no hard data, only empirical evidence. Please check this FAQ on browsers and contact us if you're interested in setting up a formal bandwidth monitoring mechanism.

Request

On the quick tour and practical tips, an online demo mode might make it easier and quicker to learn about the Sites

Answer
Thank you, great idea! We're working on this already!

Question

I tried to use my other email account (Yahoo!) as a contributor, and it works. Does that mean anyone can collaborate without the need for a cgxchange.org or google/gmail account?

Answer
Although you could view the document, you were not able to log in to edit it. In order to collaborate, you must have a Google/Gmail/cgxchange.org account.

Comment

If an individual Center chooses to have their own collaboration system, it should be possible for CGXchange to syndicate/link with this system

Answer
CGX 2.0 provides deep system integration through the Google Apps/Data APIs, so client applications (such as your Content Management System) can interact with Google services.

What does this mean?  CGX 2.0 allows the customization, extention and a light-to-strongly coupled integration with all services and information sources using simple, standard protocols.

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