Productivity software and choosing the right tool
Business productivity software is the set of everyday applications people use to communicate, collaborate, organize work and present information. Most organizations standardize on one suite, usually Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, and add a few specialized tools such as Slack, Zoom, Trello, Asana or Jira.
| Category | What it does | Microsoft 365 | Google Workspace |
|---|---|---|---|
| Email and calendar | Formal messages, scheduling and meeting invitations | Outlook | Gmail, Google Calendar |
| Chat and meetings | Quick conversations, team channels, video meetings | Teams | Google Chat, Google Meet |
| File storage and sharing | Keep files in the cloud and share them with permissions | OneDrive, SharePoint | Google Drive, shared drives |
| Documents, spreadsheets, presentations | Create and co-edit content | Word, Excel, PowerPoint | Docs, Sheets, Slides |
| Tasks and project boards | Track who is doing what by when | Planner, To Do | Google Tasks |
| Notes and team knowledge | Capture notes and build shared pages | OneNote, SharePoint pages | Google Keep, Google Sites |
| Forms and surveys | Collect information in a consistent structure | Microsoft Forms | Google Forms |
Other tools you will meet often: Slack (chat), Zoom (meetings), Dropbox and Box (file sharing), Trello and Asana (task boards), Jira (software and IT work tracking), Notion and Confluence (notes and wikis) and Canva (design).
The tools overlap, so choosing the right one for a message matters as much as knowing the buttons. A good first question is whether the communication is synchronous, where everyone takes part at the same time (a meeting or call), or asynchronous, where people respond when they can (email, chat threads, comments in a shared document). Synchronous suits discussion, quick decisions and sensitive conversations. Asynchronous respects focus time and time zones and leaves a written record.
| Need | Best fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A quick question for a teammate | A chat message | Fast and informal, and it does not clutter inboxes |
| A decision that needs discussion among five people | A short meeting or call | Real-time back-and-forth settles it faster |
| A formal update for a manager or client | An email or a shared status report | A clear written record people can forward and file |
| Feedback on a draft | Comments or suggestions in the shared document | Feedback stays attached to the exact text |
| Who is doing which task by when | A task board such as Planner or Trello | Everyone sees status without having to ask |
| A process people will repeat | A recorded walkthrough or a wiki page | People can watch or read it whenever they need it |
When you choose a tool for a team, or explain your choice to someone else, work from requirements to features rather than from a favorite app:
- 1List the people involved (the stakeholders) and what each one needs: to see, to edit, to approve, to be notified.
- 2List the work the tool must support: sharing files, tracking tasks, scheduling, presenting.
- 3Note the constraints: software the organization already licenses and approves, security and privacy rules, budget, accessibility and the users' skill level.
- 4Match each requirement to a specific feature, such as channels for team discussion, buckets and due dates for tracking, or permissions for sharing.
- 5Confirm each feature in the vendor's official documentation, which also gives you a source to cite.
- 6Choose the option that meets the requirements with the least complexity, and plan how people will learn it.
Example: an IT support team of eight needs to share troubleshooting guides, track a laptop refresh project and keep the help desk manager informed. The company already licenses Microsoft 365. A Teams team with a channel for each topic, a SharePoint document library for the guides, a Planner board for the refresh tasks and a short weekly status email meet every requirement without buying anything new.
Bringing in an unapproved app because it is familiar creates "shadow IT": tools outside IT's security, backup and support. In a workplace, and in any assessment scenario, start with what the organization already provides.
Requirement first, feature second, product third. If you can say "the team needs X, so I used feature Y in tool Z," you have explained your choice.
Word bank
All definitions →- Asynchronous communication
- Communication people answer when they can, such as email or document comments.
- Productivity suite
- A bundle of standard work applications, such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace.
- Requirement
- Something the solution must do or support.
- Shadow IT
- Technology used for work without the IT department's approval.
- Stakeholder
- Anyone affected by or interested in the work, such as a manager, teammate, client or new hire.
- Synchronous communication
- Communication in real time, such as a meeting or phone call.
Knowledge check
A team spread across three time zones needs feedback on a proposal draft by Friday. Which approach fits best?
What is the best first step when choosing productivity software for a team?
Which of these is synchronous communication?