A guide to your team's Shared Workspace

Learn how to create and manage a Shared Workspace in Produce8 to improve team collaboration, measure collective progress, and align on organizational goals.

Table of Contents

1. What is a Shared Workspace?
2. Goals for Your Shared Workspace
3. Structuring Your Shared Workspace
4. Create a Shared Workspace
5. Navigating your Shared Workspace
   1. Workspace Dashboard
   2. Timeline & Activities
   3. Metrics 
   4. Settings
6. Add Subscriptions to Your Shared Workspace
7. Invite Your Team to Your Shared Workspace
8. How to Share Data with Your Team within Your Shared Workspace
   
   
   

What is a Shared Workspace?

A Shared Workspace in Produce8 brings together all of your team’s activities into one centralized view, enabling better collaboration, alignment, and visibility across the organization. It helps you track key team metrics, identify areas for improvement, and create collective goals that drive productivity.

You can set up Shared Workspaces either before or after onboarding individual users. However, starting with Personal Workspaces gives team members the opportunity to familiarize themselves with Produce8’s features and benefits, smoothing the transition to the Shared Workspace. This approach ensures that users are confident in using the platform, which leads to more effective collaboration when transitioning to Shared Workspaces.

Goals for Your Shared Workspace

Start by introducing the Shared Workspace with a specific goal in mind. For example, you could aim to assess collaboration distractions such as meetings, messaging apps, or emails. A useful metric might be comparing the number of interactions with the time spent in an application to understand the effectiveness of team communication.

This can also help highlight any areas where interaction habits may need refinement. For instance, if the number of interactions is high, but the quality of those interactions is lower than expected, you can begin adjusting behaviors for more intentional engagement.

Structuring Your Shared Workspaces in Produce8

Proper structure is crucial for ensuring that your Shared Workspaces align with your team’s goals and workflow. Here are a few ways you can structure your workspaces:

• By Location: Create separate workspaces for different office locations or remote teams.
• By Role: Group workspaces by department or specific job functions such as sales, marketing, or customer support.
• By Department: Organize workspaces according to organizational departments, such as HR, finance, or IT.
• By Level: Group workspaces based on employee roles, such as managers, team leads, or individual contributors.

You can select a structure that best reflects your organization’s needs and workflows. Remember, a well-structured workspace can drive better collaboration and ensure the success of your team’s efforts.

Multiple Workspaces

One of the great features of Produce8 is that users can be added to multiple workspaces. This is ideal for employees who work across different teams or projects, as they can stay engaged with all the relevant workspaces they’re a part of. It adds flexibility, ensuring that everyone has the appropriate visibility for the tasks at hand.

Assigning Permissions for Each Member in Produce8

Assigning the right roles and permissions to each member in a Shared Workspace is crucial to ensuring that everyone has the appropriate access to the necessary tools.

In Produce8, permissions can be assigned to individual users based on their roles, both within the workspace and across the platform. Ensure that each team member has the correct permissions to manage the tools and data they need for collaboration.

For more detailed instructions on permissions and roles, please see Roles & Permissions within Produce8.

Assigning Workspace Leads or Owners

Each Shared Workspace should have a “Lead” or “Owner” assigned to manage the workspace. This person will be responsible for overseeing the workspace, ensuring that team members have the necessary support, and tracking the workspace progress. The lead should be someone who can assess the effectiveness of workflows, tools, and collective team habits.

Create a Shared Workspace 

Creating a Shared Workspace in Produce8 is easy, and this section will guide you through the setup process:

1. Log in to your Produce8 account.

2. Open the Sidebar Menu: Ensure the sidebar menu is open by selecting the Sidebar Menu button in the top-left corner, then select Workspaces.

3. Select Create Workspace: On the Workspaces homepage, you’ll see a list of workspaces you’re a member of. To create a new workspace, select Create Workspace in the top-right corner.

4. Input Your Team Name: Enter the name of your team (for example, “Service Team”) and choose a Team Icon from the dropdown. You’ll then be prompted to invite team members. If you prefer, you can skip this step and come back to it later.

5. Complete Setup: Once the workspace is created, it will be visible on your Produce8 Web App’s Workspaces homepage.

   
   
   
   

   Congratulations! You’ve successfully set up your Shared Workspace.

Navigating your Shared Workspace

Your Shared Workspace can only be accessed or configured by other members of the Shared Workspace. 

To access your Shared Workspace in the Produce8 web app:

1. Log into your Produce8 account.

2. Ensure the sidebar menu is open by selecting the Sidebar Menu button in the top-left corner, and select Workspaces.

3. This will display a homepage with a list of Workspaces you are a member of. Select the Shared Workspace you wish to explore. 

Once inside your Shared Workspace, you can use the sidebar menu to navigate between the following pages:

Workspace Dashboard

The Workspace Dashboard provides key insights to help you understand how the team spends their time. It includes:

• Scheduled Time in Meetings: Displays the total time spent in External and Internal Meetings during the selected time period, with a comparison to the previous time period.
• Time in Calls: Shows the total time spent in call events across platforms such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom during the selected time period, with a comparison to the previous time period.
• Top Apps: Highlights the top 5 apps used, based on the total duration of time spent on each app during the selected time period, with a comparison to the previous time period.
• Top Categories: Provides a breakdown of how time is spent across different categories during the selected time period, with comparisons to the previous time period.
  

Timeline & Activities

The Timeline & Activities page provides a detailed view  all team members App usage. It combines visual representations and activity logs to help you analyze working patterns, understand focus areas, and identify potential distractions.

• Timeline: A visual representation of working patterns over the timeframe you define (daily or weekly). The Timeline has three swim-lanes: Views, Calls, and Calendar.
  • Views: The top lane illustrates typical activities. Look for patterns that represent specific workflows, distractions, focus time, and healthy breaks & offline activities.
  • Calls: Directly below this swim-lane, visually represents time spent in Zoom, Slack, and Microsoft Teams calls, huddles, and meetings.

  • Calendar: The bottom lane displays both past and planned calendar entries, facilitating comparison between scheduled events and actually occurred. 

When Views and Calls overlap, it indicates that the individual is interacting with other tools while on a call. This overlap could signify various scenarios such as screen sharing and presenting, or multitasking with other work tools during a meeting.

The swim-lanes help you contextualize workday activities, enabling you to identify focused sessions, brief distractions, or multitasking instances.

• App/Category Filter: Easily hone in on specific apps and workflows by clicking on the app name next to the Timeline.  Or by selecting the ellipsis (...) you can easily toggle on Show Categories to filter your Timeline by App Category, enabling you to combine a series of interactions across multiple apps into a single task. This consolidated view of activities provides you with a clearer view of how much time is spent on a task. 
  

Below the Timeline you will find:

• Activities Feed: A detailed list of activities in each App, including session duration, date, and time.
• App Filter: Easily narrow down your your view by selecting one or more specific app.
  
  
  

Metrics

The Metrics page illustrates the amount of time spent in the Apps that are followed in the Shared Workspace. 

Date Selector

Use the date selector to choose a timeframe for the metrics displayed for your Personal Workspace. You can select a daily or weekly view and review current or historical data that falls within your accounts data retention window.

Scheduled Time in Meetings 

The donut chart for Scheduled Time in Meetings will display the following:

• The total time spent in both internal and external meetings for all members of the Shared Workspace. 
• A count of internal and external meetings that occurred within the workspace.
• Difference in duration from the previous period.
  

Time in Calls

The donut chart for Time in Calls will display the following:

• The total time spent in calls for apps like Zoom, Slack, and Microsoft Teams where the direct integration is set up. 
• A count of calls that occurred within the workspace. 
• Difference in duration from the previous period.
  

  App Categories

  
  

  The App Categories metrics will provide you with a donut chart summary to show you a breakdown of time spent in each category based on the selected timeframe. 

  Hover over the chart to see which Category each color pertains to as well as the time that your team spent in each Category.

  Besides the donut chart for App Categories you will see the the table listing the breakdown which will include:

  • Time: The total time spent in the apps that are in each defined Category. 
  • Change: The difference from the average from the previous selected time frame. For example, if viewing weekly, it will compare against the previous week. 
  • Trends: Click on any of the Trends for the Categories to delve into the Time Series to analyze daily and weekly trends and the average use of the Apps in each Category.
    

App Metrics 

The App Metrics page provides a detailed overview of your app usage, showing how much time is spent in each app, the frequency of interactions, and trends over time. This page helps you analyze work patterns and optimize your app usage for better productivity.

The donut chart summary shows the proportion of the day that each app was used. This chart provides a quick overview of how time is distributed across work apps, along with the number of interactions that occurred with each app.

Hover over the chart to see which app each color corresponds to, as well as the time spent in each app and the number of interactions.

Underneath the donut chart summary, you’ll see a breakdown of the duration and number of interactions/views for each app, along with the difference from the previous period.

By clicking the arrow next to each app, you’ll see:

• The data source the activity for that app is coming from
• Views (number of interactions)
• Total time (time spent in calls and time in the app)
• Average of the time of each interaction with each app.
  

Click on any of the Trends for the apps listed to explore the Time Series and Intensity Heatmap views. These views allow you to analyze daily and weekly trends, as well as your average use of the app across different days. This data-driven approach helps you manage your app usage effectively, ensuring your days go the way you want.

Use the various controls to view the following options:

• Scope – Use the dropdown at the top left to toggle between weekly and daily totals or view totals for a specific day of the week.
• View – The dropdown at the top right lets you choose between Time in App, Interactions, or Average Duration.
• Time Frame – Choose the time frame (min. 1 week, max. 3 months) at the bottom left.

If Zoom, Slack, or Microsoft Teams is one of your top apps, you can view the time you spent in calls by selecting the Calls tab. You can switch between Time in Calls, Call Interactions, and Average Call Duration.

Workspace Settings

The Settings page allows you to view the members of your workspace, follow new apps, and make changes to your workspace. This page is central for managing your workspace’s setup and configurations.

Nested under the Settings page in the sidebar navigation, you have the following options:

• Members: View and edit the members of your workspace.
• Followed Apps: View all of the apps that are followed within the workspace. From here, you can:
  • Select Follow More Apps to add additional apps to your workspace.
  • Click the ellipsis (…) next to any app you currently follow to Manage Data Sources, Stop Following, or access the App Settings.
    
• Admin: Here, you can:
  • Change the name of your workspace.
  • Add, edit, or remove the workspace icon.
    

Add Subscriptions to your Shared Workspace

Ensure that all the relevant Subscriptions are available to view within your Shared Workspace before inviting your team.

1. Log in to your Produce 8 web app account.
2. Ensure the sidebar menu is open by selecting the Sidebar Menu button in the top-left corner, and select Workspaces.
3. This will display a homepage with a list of Workspaces you are a member of. Click on your newly created Shared Workspace.
4. Click the ellipsis (...) on the top left of the sidebar navigation next to the name of your Shared Workspace.
5. This will bring up a list of actions. Click on Follow more Apps!
   
   
6. You will then see the below screen where you can select the Apps from the Catalog. Select the relevant Apps for your team and then click Follow selected.
7. The Apps you have added will then appear in the Activities tab of your Shared Workspace. These Apps activity will now be available within your Shared Workspace!

Create a New Data Source

If you don't see the App that you want to follow in Produce8, then you can create a new one following steps 1-6 and then clicking Create new app and then following the prompts to connect a new data source.   

For more detailed instructions, see Connecting to your Work Apps

Invite Your Team to Your Shared Workspace

1. Log in to your Produce 8 web app account.
2. Ensure the sidebar menu is open by selecting the Sidebar Menu button in the top-left corner, and select Workspaces.
3. This will display a homepage with a list of Workspaces you are a member of. Click on the  Shared Workspace you would like to invite your team members to.
4. Click Add Workspace Member on the right hand side.
   
5. You will now invite your team members. There are 2 ways to do this: 

   1. The default will be 'Invite via Email'. If your team member has already created a Produce8 account, their name will appear in a drop down. 

      If they do not have a Produce8 account, you can invite a new contact by entering their email. 

   2. The second option is to 'Invite O365 contacts'. Here you can search your Office365 contacts by name and invite them to join your Team Workspace.

      If they do not have a Produce8 account, you can invite a new contact by entering their email. 

      With either option you may add a personal message for the recipient if you wish.

6. Once you have entered their email, you must also select a level of permissions. The default will be Member, but you can also choose between Lead & Owner. For more details please visit this link.
7. Click Send Invitation(s).
8. When you then send the invitations, your team member will receive an email that looks like the below:
   
9. Your team member must then click Go see the invitation. They can then accept your invitation and become a part of your Shared Workspace!

How to Share Data with Your Team in Your Shared Workspace

In order to complete the setup of your Shared Workspace, you will need to allow the Apps that you have Subscribed to be set up to share their data. Follow the steps below to ensure this is done correctly:

Instructions:

1. Once a team has been created, and the App Subscriptions have been configured, the Shared Workspace can be viewed from your Workspaces home screen. See the example below.
2. Click on the Shared Workspace you want to allow data sharing in.
3. Once in the Team Workspace, from the Sidebar Menu select Followed Apps.
   
4. You will now have 2 options:
   1. If you wish to approve all Apps that have been set up for the team to share data, you can view these apps and then click Approve All.
   2. If you wish to only approve select Apps, you can approve the Apps one by one from the available list of Apps.
5. After you have selected the Apps to approve, these will become visible on the Shared Workspace timeline.

Removing data sources

You can remove data sources from your Workspace if you no longer want to see their activity. For example, your team may no longer use a certain tool or you are not interested in the data showing up in your personal workspace. To do this, you will need to follow these steps:

1. Go to your Shared Workspace within the Produce8 Web App.
2. Within the sidebar navigation select Settings, and then Followed Apps.
3. You will be presented with a list of all current Apps. Next to each of them you can open the drop down by selecting the ellipsis (...) where you can select Manage Data Sources or Stop Following.
4. To remove an App's activity, select Stop Following.
5. You can confirm you wish to stop following activities from this app by selecting Yes - Stop Following.
6. Done! You will no longer see activity from the selected Apps in your feed.