I think we’d all agree that collaboration in these days of Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0 is important, requested by users and here to stay. But how much does that actually need to be embedded in common business functions such as project management, business process management, budgeting, planning, etc?

I ask, because I am researching several ERP-based projects and collaboration keeps surfacing as a high-priority requirement. But is it necessary to enable collaboration directly in business applications?

What are your thoughts?

I put my thoughts directly into this EBizQ thread here. In talking with customers and analysts, my thoughts are that the requirement is likely satisfied through collaborative platforms such as SharePoint, Notes, Google Wave or Beehive. This would put less of an emphasis on enabling real-time multi-user collaboration into budget plans, capital plans, project plans, BPMN models, etc. and rely more on collaboration capabilities of a tool that enables virtual meetings, idea sharing, Wikis, etc.