Future of Productivity: Document dynamics

[wikipedia]

A document is a work of writing intended to store and communicate information, thus acting as a recording -


The term document may be applied to any discrete representation of meaning, but usually it refers to something physical like one or more printed pages, or to a "virtual" document in electronic (digital) format.

What is a document?

A document is a piece of paper!

Not that long ago we thought of a document as a piece of paper with text. If the text was very long and well structured we called it a book.

Still paper is not gone, but the way it is used is. It no longer has the purpose as a 'longterm' carrier of information, but as a mean to structure or support a discussion or a meeting. After the meeting is over, the paper has lost it's purpose and will be disposed.

The document however is still alive and kicking! Well... Depends on the way you look at a document

Dynamics of documents

A document is a living object!

I remember when my father was working in the office (we lived upstairs) and I went down there they had one IBM typewriter. It was an electronic one. It supported the assistant - Nelly was her name - to type a lot faster and even correct a piece of text when in error.
My father had no typewriter, but they had a machine to dictate a letter. So when a letter was dictated to Nelly, she had a few degrees of freedom only - when to jump to another line. That was about it. Rather static.

[wikipedia]

A living document or dynamic document is a document which may be continually edited and updated by either a limited or unrestricted group. A simple example of a living document is an article in Wikipedia, in contrast to "dead" or "static" documents, such as an article in a single edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica.
A living document may or may not have a framework for updates, changes, or adjustments. This type of document without proper context can change away from its original purpose through multiple uncontrolled edits.

This is different than an evergreen document that is written in a way that is relevant to a specific audience over a long period of time. This relevance comes from a universal acceptance or application of document contents. However, a living document may evolve through updates, be expanded as needed, and serve a different purpose over time.

Dynamics of Information

A document is information!

The dynamics of Information change dramatically when produced in a collaborative environment. Think of it the last time you wrote a report, did write it by your own, with a cowriter, did someone comment or correct it? That is just a start...

Did you publish a blog, anyone reacted, commented, ranked the statements? What was the last time you saw a webpage with HTML text on it? No?

NO! You only combined information didn't you? Picked a widget and mashed it with twitter feed, provided insight by using the geotags and publishing the data on a map, commented on it your self and published a link to the source which is provided by... well someone else you trust as a subject matter expert.

...and if you did not yet, you will consume and combine...

Documents supporting and fueling collaboration

A document is a platform!

Looking at these kind of dynamic documents it is designed to change with the need of information - real time. It attracts people to join and to share thoughts. A platform that helps to establish a community and supports interactivity and exchange of information can be very inspiring.

It is about people it is about YOU. What do YOU need and what can YOU give in return? So do I care about YOU? What does that mean to ME. How can I find YOU and what do WE know? HOW WE know?

Well we know because our peers value our thoughts, our comments, talk to you and me a lot and shared knowledge in projects with us.

Therefore information in our documents, our blogs and wiki's, can be of value to me and you. Lets work together!

Document knowledge

A document is just data!

Information, if captured in a document is still data if you have no clue how to value it. A document in all forms can be very dynamic and this value the information can provide is not only by consuming the information, but even more by adding information and interact with that information. Again, the data needs YOU. Then it can become knowledge and the document supports the interaction en exchange of information.

Can a document communicate?

A document is communication!

In classic communication we learned that we need roughly three essential ellements: sender - medium - receiver... So can a document be all of that? We looked at the document in several ways. The classic paper document is still a wonderfull and much appreciated medium. It is not the sender and it is not the receiver. It is kind of a dead object.
We also experienced a document conceptual as a platform where YOU and ME become WE, working together with worthwhile information, leveraging this information to knowledge. That is communication aint it?

What is a document?

So here we are, wondering what a document is. We know what it was, we can all experience that things are changing rapidly but can we even imagine what it will become.


Published in this Future of Productivity series:
Documents
The Cloud demands smarter devices, and cheap too!
Aan Het Werk! Aan de slag met Het Nieuwe Werken in het MKB
Office 365 walkthrough and more
Changing the game with Office 365
The Sweetspot of eReaders and Business Solutions
Small and Medium Business
Roadmap announcements BPOS