Technology Makes Project Collaboration Easier

Even small companies find themselves operating on a global scale. It is becoming less common for everyone on a team to be in the same building. One team member might be working in another company office across the country. A second could be a contractor working on another continent. A third could be working from home.

As worker locations become more widespread and worker schedules become more disparate, project collaboration becomes harder. Today's managers must use all of the communication technologies available to keep their team on track.

Use the Right Communication Tool

Email, telephone, instant messaging and other methods of communication have their advantages and disadvantages in project collaboration. Each will be appropriate depending on your team members and the task at hand.

Email allows recipients to respond at their own convenience. That makes it easy for workers to integrate into their own schedules. Response time is slower because even someone who is on the clock isn't checking email every two minutes.

Telephone is the most immediate communication method, but there is the risk that the person being called isn't "working" at the moment so may not be able to help or will even resent the intrusion. This in turn is frustrating to the caller who may not know when it's okay to call.

Instant messaging allows people to see who's online and therefore who is currently working, but some employees don't like it for exactly that reason. It has the immediacy of the telephone but can be more intrusive.

Organizing Meetings

There are times that project collaboration requires that the entire team meet to discuss the status of tasks and future plans. This can be hard to coordinate with team members from outside the office.

Home workers can be encouraged, or even required, to attend meetings in person. This "face time" helps build the team and remind everyone who is involved on the project.

More remote workers can teleconference or, if the company budget permits, videoconference into the meeting. They maintain a presence and feel like part of the group.

Truly remote workers run into difficulties because of time zones. A morning meeting for everyone else might be a late night meeting for one worker. Careful project coordination will be required to respect everyone's schedule.

Online Project Management

One of the best tools for project collaboration of a widespread team is an online workspace such as an extranet.

Individual calendars and project schedules are available to anyone who needs to see them no matter where they are or what time it is.

Online file sharing makes important documents accessible. Several workers contributing to the same document or project work from a central source are less likely to create duplicate versions.

Managers can see where each member of the team is and how the project is progressing in comparison to the schedule. Team members can understand how their efforts contribute to the success of the project as a whole.

Latest Projects Abroad News From the Taricaya Conservation Research Centre in Peru

Author: Projects Abroad

February saw the arrival of our 500th volunteer at Taricaya and that made the month special to those of us who have been involved in the project from its infancy. As the Taricaya family continues to expand, I am still constantly amazed by the dedication and commitment of volunteers at the centre as they create their own part of Taricaya’s history. This month was no different to any other with more than enough work to keep us all busy and plenty more left to be done!





The seasonal rains finally arrived with vengeance this month and the depressions around the reserve began to fill with water. This makes some areas of the reserve inaccessible for those unwilling to wade through a few swamps but fortunately volunteers and staff relish such adventure and “swamp” clothes were separated for the times when a soaking became inevitable. One such occasion was the successful release of our ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) together with a radio collar. Whilst this particular cat is no threat to people, its presence around the lodge needed to be avoided for the safety of the other residents in the animal release program. A young paca or baby spider monkey would make a tasty snack for a hungry ocelot and so we hade to take her further into the reserve. With the collar duly attached volunteers took it in turns to carry her through the swamps and out to EMTO colpa where we released the margay (Leopardus wiedii) in 2005. This site is deep in our reserve but not close to any of the borders so a safe place for the ocelot to establish its territory. It will not compete with the margay as the ocelot is larger, primarily terrestrial and more active by day whereas the margay is nocturnal and prefers an arboreal lifestyle, as demonstrated by our sighting of it on the canopy walkway last year. With the ocelot successfully released we now have the task of monitoring its progress in the wild by means of radio-tracking. This will be exciting for us as we have never actively tracked released animals before and it will be great to get an insight into its natural history as it establishes itself back in the wild.





There was also an accidental release in February as one of our blue and yellow macaws (Ara ararauna) made a bid for freedom one morning as the flock was being fed. The escapee flew through the door as it was being opened and has joined forces with the scarlet macaw (Ara macao) released last month as they both circle the lodge regularly. The blue and yellow macaw is much friendlier than its scarlet cousin and comes down to the hammocks requesting food. It would be easy to recapture the bird but I think it is better flying around the camp and strengthening its flight muscles because there is another blue and yellow macaw approaching its release date. The blue and yellow macaws will almost certainly join up when the other is finally strong enough and I hope to release the other scarlet macaw at the same time so that both species form pairs and start their new lives in the reserve.





The rains have also meant a significant increase in the activity of the reptiles and amphibians around the reserve. The frogs and toads use the temporary water for breeding sites and their mating calls and displays inevitably attract predators such as snakes. The species list continues to grow as we encounter more wonderfully bizarre individuals. Notable captures/sightings in February include a new species of turtle (Chelonia), a rainbow boa, tree frogs (Hyla sp.) and a fantastic dwarf caiman (Paleosuchus trigonatus). The dwarf caiman capture came during a caiman hunt out on the river one night after dinner. One of the talks I give at the centre is on caiman and after the lecture I take volunteers out on the river to catch a caiman and illustrate the points I have previously outlined before releasing it back into the river. It is customary to catch either a black or a spectacled caiman but this time I was amazed to haul in a 1.1 metre dwarf caiman. Not only are these small crocodilians rare but the one I caught was close in length to the largest individual ever recorded. Dwarf caiman are rarely recorded over 1.2m so ours was a relative giant for the species. Their diminutive size means that they cannot compete with the larger caiman species and so dwarf caiman are reclusive and often nomadic and, as a defence against attack, their skins are much tougher with armoured scutes (plates) all over the body. This capture was unbelievable and fuels speculation about what other amazing creatures are out in our reserve awaiting discovery.





The topic of the fish project had become somewhat of a joke at Taricaya as Fondepes, the Peruvian organisation responsible for breeding the young fish, kept postponing the delivery date for the fish we had ordered. Week after week Fernando and I would chase them up with no success and it was looking as though the project would have to be put on hold until next year as water levels started to drop in the creek. It got to the stage where volunteers were laying sweep stakes on whether the fish would arrive at all and if so when!! Then amazingly when I had all but given up hope the babies arrived in their oxygen-enriched bags ready for release into our floating nursery. After acclimatising the young roe to the cooler temperature of the creek by floating them in their bags we then transferred them to the nursery. Now we must monitor growth rates and costs of food to conclude whether the project would be economically viable for the locals as yet another alternative source of income. Should the project prove successful then we will help slow down the over-fishing of the rivers that currently takes place and also provide the locals with a means of making money that does not involve illegal extraction from the surrounding forest.





Elsewhere at the pilot farm the flowers are continuing to flourish and we had good harvest last month from Percy’s farm also. The coffee beans are ripe and ready for harvest and the guinea pigs are continuing to reproduce as our base population becomes ever larger. The donkeys are doing well and the young Ronaldinho (named for its ability to kick in any direction!) is growing quickly into a strong juvenile. March will see us out on the trails clearing and remarking after the heavy storms of the wet season. The new mammal enclosure will be finished and work will continue on the existing projects. New accommodation in the form of more bungalows is also planned for March so Taricaya is continuing to expand and the hard work of everyone involved with the project continues to bear fruit as we continue to pioneer conservation work in Peruvian Amazon.





Find Out About Our Conservation Project in Peru





www.projects-abroad.co.uk

About the Author:

Projects Abroad is a global organiser of overseas voluntary work placements. Our wide range of projects, including teaching, care, conservation, medical, sport, community projects and journalism, are designed specifically for the many communities where we work and also to give the best experience to everyone volunteering abroad.



www.projects-abroad.co.uk

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/latest-projects-abroad-news-from-the-taricaya-conservation-research-centre-in-peru-195591.html

Projects Abroad News From our Thailand Marine Conservation Project

Author: Projects Abroad

With the new project-dedicated website now up and running, I feel very proud and privileged to be writing the very first monthly update of the Projects Abroad Marine Conservation Project here in Ao Nang, Thailand.





The project, which has been running since May 2005, has grown over the year and a half since its conception, into an exciting and constructive project benefiting the environment and local communities within the Andaman Sea and Krabi province.





As this is the first monthly update I feel I should recount the fantastic achievements of the past volunteers before beginning to report on the current position of the project. After reviewing the records of the activities of all the volunteers that have passed through Ao Nang since May 2005 to December 2006, the figures speak for themselves as to how valuable your efforts have been.





Over 18,500 mangrove seeds and saplings were planted, helping to rehabilitate four areas of badly degraded mangrove forest, previously cut down for the land to be turned into shrimp farms. 8 tonnes of rubbish were collected between April and December 2006 from six local beaches and islands, helping to keep these beaches free of dangerous, polluting and unsightly debris, and preventing much of it from being washed back into the sea and causing harm to the marine environment. Between May and December 2006, over 600kg of debris were removed from the sea reducing the stress placed on the delicate reef ecosystems and helping to preserve many marine animals that were at risk of becoming entangled in the lost fishing nets and lines.





As well as these vital practical conservation efforts volunteers also contributed by carrying out many Reef Watch surveys of the local reefs, data which was then given to the Phuket Marine Biological Centre for further analysis on the changing conditions of the reefs within the Andaman Sea.





So, 2006 ended on a high note with the volunteers having an afternoon dive, dinner aboard the Navada and then a night dive on Christmas Eve, and two dives on Christmas Day followed by a big roast feast at a local English man’s restaurant. The volunteers then went on a canoe trip through some mangroves and spectacular caves on the 30th before seeing the New Year in at the always friendly and popular drinking hole – the Umbrella Pub in Ao Nang.





And so, on to 2007 – a new year that I’m sure will see the project progressing further as plans developed towards the end of last year are fully implemented, the monitoring and ecosystem rehabilitation programmes continue, and research into new exciting projects gets underway.





I’ll begin with the reef monitoring programme that we began towards the end of November with the four volunteers that were with us at that time. It is a six-week programme that develops volunteers’ marine observation and survey skills alongside crucial buoyancy control so as not to damage the reefs that we are monitoring. Jason, one of the volunteers that completed the full programme just before leaving the project to go on a live-a-board trip to the Similan Islands was very excited that he was going to being able to know the spectacular creatures that he would be seeing at one of the world’s top ten dive sites. Added to this was the volunteers’ satisfaction of completing surveys that were then entered into our database enabling us in the future to compare the condition of the local reefs and the number of marine organisms found from one year to the next.





Alongside the regular monitoring of the reefs that volunteers have been carrying out, there is also the practical side of conservation that is always required. I’m talking of reef salvage of course. Volunteers have made nine salvage dives during the month of January at seven different sites, predominantly around the local islands, such as Koh See and Koh Ya Wa Sam. The total weight of all the debris removed from the reefs amounts to 30.8 kg, and predominantly consists of fishing nets, lines and fish traps, but some of the other interesting items collected were a snorkel, anchor parts, engine parts, a boat lamp, and several lighters. It is always very satisfying coming up to the surface with a bag full of debris that has the potential to entrap fish and other animals, as well as smothering corals and reducing their ability to grow and reproduce. This work will continue unabated, and hopefully through our efforts the reefs will remain cleaner and safer allowing them and their marine inhabitants to prosper healthily.





Moving away from the diving side of the project and on to the crucial coastal conservation work that volunteers carry out for two days each week, I’ll talk about the much-awaited start of our mangrove research project first. Having planted four sites over the last year and a half with various species of mangrove seed or sapling, all of which have seen a satisfactory average survival rate of over 50%, we have set out sights on achieving even better success rates of survival and quicker growth. Consequently we have planned a research programme to test different methods of cultivating mangrove seeds and transplanting the young saplings. We were very kindly given some land for this purpose in late December by the Krabi Mangrove Department and local community of Ban Thung Prasan where we have helped plant several thousand trees in the second half of 2006.





It is next to an area we have previously planted, across a very rickety bridge that many of past volunteers will remember and over a particularly water-logged and muddy subsidiary canal that can be precariously crossed for the most part of the day. However, when we first got there it was overgrown with weeds taller than any of us, so for the first two mangrove days of 2007 we went out with the sickles and hoes to clear the land in preparation for our research. Then two weeks later, the volunteers went out into the very muddy Klong Jilat with small sickles on long bamboo poles and collected over 600 mature propagules (seeds) of Ceriops tagal and 53 of the larger Rhizophora apiculata propagules. The Ceriops tagal were then planted under the different conditions of shade and sunlight, into bags or straight into the ground, and on higher dryer ground or into a more water-logged area that is inundated daily by seawater.





The last of the usual activities carried out by the volunteers is the cleaning of local beaches. Although we’ve only had two clean-ups so far this year at Ao Nam Mao and Andaman Beach, the five volunteers that have been here this month have collected 173 kg of all sorts of rubbish – plastic predominantly, but also a fair amount of glass and metal – that is continuously washed down the rivers or swept ashore by the waves. They even came across a crab trapped in a metal container which was subsequently freed, and a discarded thermometer. As always, it’s not the nicest of jobs but it is very rewarding to see a nice clean beach at the end of the day, so well done volunteers, both past and present.





So, that’s an account of the fantastic contribution the volunteers are making towards marine and coastal conservation in Krabi. These efforts are much appreciated by all that come into contact with our work and activities, so a great thank you to all of you that have devoted time, sweat and sore, blistered hands for the cause. On a final fun note, I’ll mention the live-a-board that the volunteers went on for three days down south to Koh Haa Yai, Hin Daeng and Hin Muang at the end of January. Unfortunately no manta rays or whale sharks were spotted (except, of course, if you count Justine’s fleeting glimpse of a whale shark’s tail), but everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves having seen spectacular reefs and far greater numbers and diversity of fish and other marine species than we see on an everyday basis in Krabi. A well-deserved trip before another work-filled, yet rewarding month ahead – I look forward to reporting on the progress of all the various activities mentioned above.





Find Out About Our Conservation Project in Thailand





www.projects-abroad.co.uk

About the Author:

Projects Abroad is a global organiser of overseas voluntary work placements. Our wide range of projects, including teaching, care, conservation, medical, sport, community projects and journalism, are designed specifically for the many communities where we work and also to give the best experience to everyone volunteering abroad.



www.projects-abroad.co.uk

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/projects-abroad-news-from-our-thailand-marine-conservation-project-195586.html