Summary
- Business chat tools like Slack or Teams have their limitations.
- There are actually six main types of communication tools, summarized by QWINCS:
- Q&A
- Wiki
- Issues (Ticket)
- Note
- Chat (Business Chat)
- Sticky board
- Chat is merely the 'C' in QWINCS. There are five more options.
Background
A Sad Reality: Only Using Chat Tools
In our daily communication, even for engineers, it seems we heavily rely on chat tools like Slack or Teams.
Chat is easy to understand and use. However, it's nothing more than a lower version of face-to-face communication, and it comes with many disadvantages. These include excessive notifications, lack of knowledge management or task tracking capabilities, creation of too many confusing channels, hierarchical and centralized structures that create bottlenecks, and difficulty in referencing or quoting messages.
Since the pandemic has subsided, returning to the office has become popular again. This is likely because people only know chat tools. The way we communicate is determined by the tools we use. Those who only use chat can't break free from the mental model of chat.
Communication Tools Beyond Chat
You may already be familiar with some other tools if you're an engineer.
For example, many people have read or written in Wiki. You're likely writing Issues on GitHub daily, and these have the potential for communication within them, which is why GitHub released Discussions. Some may use digital whiteboards like Miro, and simultaneous editing tools like Google Docs or Notion have become standard.
QWINCS
To break free from the obsession with chat, I've created a straightforward concept.
QWINCS is an acronym that stands for:
- Q&A
- Wiki
- Issues
- Notes
- Chat
- Sticky boards
Chat corresponds to the 'C' in Chat. Furthermore, there are five other means of communication.
Here is a simple overview of each.
Q&A
Examples of this include Stack Overflow.
Anyone can write answers to a question, and the questioner selects the best answer. Since much of communication boils down to question and answer, it's a robust model. This can be referred to as Answer Oriented.
From a business perspective, it's an untapped blue ocean. Can you think of a Q&A tool used on a company level, perhaps by an engineering team? Likely not, as no such tool exists yet.
Thus, if you want to engage in Q&A-based communication, you'll have to use other tools and get creative with the format and facilitation.
Wiki
An older concept than chat, Wiki allows quick editing of plain text through a browser and the creation of a network structure through page links. Wiki derives from a Hawaiian word meaning "quick."
Japan is actually at the forefront of Wiki tools. Particularly, Cosense is a fantastic tool recognized in engineering communities. You can see how remarkable it is by noticing that Cosense uses [] for link syntax. While many developers might choose [[ ]], they've boldly kept it short. If you want to see a sample, please visit my page (in Japanese).
Those who think Wiki is outdated probably only know older versions. Modern technologies have mitigated past inconveniences, and I encourage giving a contemporary Wiki a try. While I recommend Cosense, there are other options as well.
In terms of values, Wiki focuses on creating knowledge useful to all participants, similar to Wikipedia. This is known as Knowledge Oriented. Therefore, it's not favorable to fill it with personal content, as it can lead to a hollow structure. Cooperation in creating beneficial knowledge for everyone is essential. Consequently, smaller groups are more suited for using Wikis, and Cosense advocates for small team usage.
Issues
Also known as tickets, the original concept was a Bug Tracking System (BTS) with tools like Redmine, Trac, and Backlog being well-known. However, the essence lies elsewhere. The essence is in 1-topic 1-page manageability and independence, called Topic Oriented.
If you wish to discuss Topic A, head to A's page. You can manage the status and even handle task management while using mentions to get others' attention.
The concept of closing is particularly crucial, as completed items can be closed. This means you can manage and visualize what's done and what's not.
Notes
These are notes that can be edited simultaneously, such as Notion, Google Docs, Microsoft Word Online, Box Notes, or Dropbox Paper.
Notes are Gather Oriented, suitable for collaboration as everyone comes together on a single note. People can write diversely, or you could use a template for them to fill out.
However, notes are not strong in convergence, i.e., making decisions. Currently, there's little more that can be done than having the decision-maker write a summary and remind everyone to read it. Nevertheless, decision-making isn't the hard part—it's the information-gathering stage beforehand, which notes specialize in. Those unaware of notes may face challenges since they would resort to primitive meeting after meeting to gather information. Whether one can escape meeting-overload depends on whether they can embrace a gather-oriented collaboration using notes.
AI, especially generative AI, will encourage "writing by AI members" moving forward. It's recommended to get accustomed to notes now, not merely as a document but as a medium for gather-oriented collaboration.
Chat
Refers to business chat platforms like Slack or Teams.
Business chat, unlike simple messaging apps like LINE, incorporates room concepts, such as workspaces, channels, and threads. Rooms can be hierarchically structured to reflect organizational structure, making them suitable for business use, hence the term business chat.
Business chats are Timeline Oriented, merely displaying messages in chronological order. Although this seems straightforward at first glance, it's insufficient for digital or asynchronous communication. Without moving beyond business chat, digital-first, asynchronously considered communication cannot be achieved.
In this sense, breaking away from business chat is a process called CX (Communication Transformation). Like DX, it's a transformation that requires a fundamental change in approach. Engineers who look down on non-engineers incapable of DX should note that solely relying on business chat places them in the same category!
Sticky boards
Though a forced naming, these refer to digital whiteboards like Miro.
The idea is to place unlimited sticky notes on an infinitely large board, but non-sticky objects can also be managed, enabling visual creations akin to PowerPoint.
Yet, the essence is not in making materials. Digital whiteboards are Space Oriented and offer a spatial perspective, akin to buildings or addresses in the real world. People interested in gaming may think of Minecraft—though it's three-dimensional, digital whiteboards are two-dimensional.
Boldly stating, digital whiteboards serve as two-dimensional virtual offices. Miro, for instance, features cursors rather than avatars; don't be fooled by appearances. Its essence lies in being space-oriented and a virtual office. Think of it as a tool similar to virtual office tools like Gather, aimed at spending time together digitally.
Conclusion
To break free from business chat, I've organized six methods under QWINCS.
Communication is the bottleneck in work, and it's controlled by tools. Those who can only use chat themselves become bottlenecks. Engineers are no exception. Thus, use QWINCS as a reference to aim for liberation from chat!
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