Companies today must embrace new technology to stay competitive—it’s no longer optional. But rushing to adopt digital tools without proper planning can be costly and disruptive, leaving teams struggling to adapt while trying to maintain daily operations. So, what’s the solution? IT strategic planning. More than just a to-do list or a tech blueprint, IT strategic planning connects your IT goals to your overall business objectives.

Have you ever been part of a project where roles were unclear, deadlines were missed, or expectations weren’t met? That’s where an SOW (Statement of Work) template comes in, serving as a guide to keep everyone on track. Imagine you’re managing a project with multiple stakeholders, but halfway through, questions start flooding in: Who’s responsible for what? When is it due? What’s included? This confusion could have been avoided with a well-crafted Statement of Work (SOW).

Maintain team synergy and efficiency, even with flexible working hours? Let us show you how.

You’ve been there – dialing your doctor’s office, hanging in hold limbo, and seemingly transported into a communications black hole. Or, perhaps, you have gotten a voicemail concerning an appointment that was scheduled but didn’t realize, until days later, you needed to return the call. Poor or irregular communication is much more than an annoyance for the patient-it could even mean their life.

You’ve probably been there before: sitting in a meeting when someone asks a question that you could have sworn was covered in last week’s email. There’s no time to search your inbox. The conversation has moved on and now you are trying to reconstruct bits of information from colleagues on the hallway or over lunch.

You know that feeling when you are about to get to work on some project, but can’t seem to find the latest update on it? Someone mentioned it in a meeting; another dropped a note in the group chat, and there’s probably an e-mail about it somewhere-if only you could remember the subject line. The result? Time wasted, frustration rising, and teamwork feeling like anything but seamless. That is where employee communication apps come in, saving the day.

Every day at school is full of moments that could go so differently because of how that communication gets played out. Perhaps a parent forgets that the school event is tonight and scrambles for details at the last second. Wouldn’t it be nice if they received a timely reminder right on their phone? Or maybe a teacher sends an important homework update, but half the class never sees it because it’s buried in a group chat.

As we head into the new year, we want to share some fun facts and highlights from 2024.

A year ago, I figured out a better way to manage new contributors who are failing to follow the guidelines for the Zulip open-source community, and enjoy it more. Zulip is an open-source team chat application designed for seamless remote and hybrid work, with conversations organized by topic. It has a vibrant contributor community, and new folks join all the time, especially in the months leading up to applications for the Google Summer of Code and Outreachy mentorship programs.

Communication is essential to keeping everyone going in a fast-paced work environment, fostering teamwork and productivity. Chat apps have changed the arena of communication in the workplace by enabling real-time messages, file sharing, video conferencing, and task management. Free, free-to-paid, and fully premium solutions are available to suit every team's requirements. Here is a closer look at the 10 best chat apps for keeping your workplace connected and collaborative.