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Collaboration Features

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Collaboration Features

Klarify enables seamless collaboration across teams and departments, allowing multiple people to work together on process documentation, share knowledge, and maintain organizational alignment.

Real-Time Collaboration

Simultaneous Editing

Work together on documents with live collaboration features:

Live Cursor Tracking:

  • See exactly where team members are working in real-time
  • Color-coded cursors with collaborator names
  • Active editing indicators show current focus areas
  • Smooth cursor movement that follows colleague actions

Concurrent Editing:

  • Multiple people can edit different sections simultaneously
  • Automatic conflict resolution when edits overlap
  • Real-time sync ensures everyone sees changes immediately
  • No file locking - everyone can contribute when inspiration strikes

Collaboration Awareness:

  • Active collaborator list shows who’s currently viewing/editing
  • “Someone is typing” indicators for live activity
  • Presence information shows recent activity times
  • Team member profile quick access for questions

Real-Time Updates

Stay synchronized with immediate change propagation:

Instant Synchronization:

  • Changes appear immediately across all open sessions
  • No need to refresh or save to see colleague updates
  • Automatic background saving preserves all work
  • Network resilience maintains sync even with connection issues

Change Broadcasting:

  • All collaborators see edits as they happen
  • Visual indicators highlight recent changes
  • Temporary highlighting shows new content
  • Smooth animations guide attention to updates

Comments and Discussions

Adding Comments

Engage in contextual discussions directly within documents:

Comment Placement:

  1. Select specific text or click where you want to comment
  2. Click the comment icon or use Ctrl+Alt+M (Windows) / Cmd+Option+M (Mac)
  3. Type your comment in the popup dialog
  4. Tag colleagues using @mentions for direct notification
  5. Submit to post the comment

Comment Types:

  • Questions - Ask for clarification or additional information
  • Suggestions - Propose improvements or alternatives
  • Approvals - Provide sign-off or endorsement
  • Issues - Report problems or concerns requiring attention

Managing Discussions

Foster productive conversation around your content:

Threading and Replies:

  • Reply to comments to create conversation threads
  • Quote specific parts of previous comments for clarity
  • Reference other documents using internal links
  • Tag additional participants as discussions evolve

Discussion Moderation:

  • Mark comments as resolved when issues are addressed
  • Archive old discussions to reduce clutter
  • Escalate important discussions to document owners
  • Set discussion permissions for sensitive content

@Mentions and Notifications

Direct colleague attention efficiently:

Using @Mentions:

  • Type @ followed by a name to see suggestion list
  • @All to notify all document collaborators
  • @TeamName to notify entire teams
  • @Role to notify people in specific positions

Notification Delivery:

  • In-app notifications appear immediately for active users
  • Email notifications sent based on user preferences
  • Mobile push notifications for urgent mentions
  • Digest emails compile multiple mentions into summaries

Version History and Tracking

Viewing Document History

Understand how documents have evolved over time:

Version Timeline:

  • Chronological list of all document versions
  • Author information for each change set
  • Change summaries describing what was modified
  • Timestamp details with precise edit times

Version Comparison:

  • Side-by-side view comparing any two versions
  • Highlighted differences show additions, deletions, and modifications
  • Change statistics summarizing the scope of edits
  • Content attribution showing who made specific changes

Restoring Previous Versions

Recover from unwanted changes or explore historical content:

Version Restoration:

  1. Access version history from the document toolbar
  2. Browse available versions using the timeline
  3. Preview the version to confirm it contains what you need
  4. Click “Restore” to make it the current version
  5. Add restoration notes explaining why you reverted

Partial Restoration:

  • Copy content from old versions without full restoration
  • Merge elements from multiple historical versions
  • Reference historical context in current documentation
  • Preserve change history even after restoration

Change Attribution

Track who contributed what to collaborative documents:

Authorship Tracking:

  • Color-coded sections showing different contributors
  • Detailed edit history with specific change attribution
  • Contribution statistics showing relative participation levels
  • Recognition tools to acknowledge significant contributions

Audit Trail:

  • Complete change log for compliance and review purposes
  • Edit session tracking showing when and how long people worked
  • IP address logging for security and access verification
  • Export capabilities for external audit requirements

Sharing and Permissions

Document Sharing

Control who can access and modify your content:

Organization Members:

  • Full team access - All organization members can view and edit
  • Department-only - Restrict to specific departments or divisions
  • Role-based access - Share with people in specific positions
  • Individual sharing - Grant access to specific colleagues

Permission Levels:

  • Viewer - Can read content and leave comments
  • Commenter - Can add comments and suggestions
  • Editor - Can make direct changes to content
  • Owner - Full control including sharing and deletion

Guest Access:

  • Temporary links for external reviewers or consultants
  • Password protection for sensitive external sharing
  • Expiration dates to limit access duration
  • View-only restrictions for external security

Client Collaboration:

  • Customer portals for client-facing processes
  • Vendor access for supply chain documentation
  • Partner integration for joint process development
  • Audit access for compliance and regulatory review

Organization-Wide:

  • Knowledge base publishing for general organizational access
  • Training material distribution across all departments
  • Policy publication for company-wide compliance
  • Best practice sharing for organizational learning

Read-Only Distribution:

  • PDF generation for static document sharing
  • Print-friendly formats for offline reference
  • Archive versions for permanent record keeping
  • Template creation for process standardization

Advanced Permission Management

Fine-tune access control for complex collaboration scenarios:

Conditional Access:

  • Time-based permissions that change based on schedules
  • Location-based access for security-sensitive content
  • Device restrictions limiting access to approved devices
  • Network requirements for high-security environments

Workflow-Based Permissions:

  • Review cycles with automatic permission changes
  • Approval chains requiring sequential access
  • Escalation paths for permission requests
  • Delegation support for temporary responsibility transfer

Team Collaboration Workflows

Document Review Cycles

Establish systematic review processes for quality assurance:

Review Assignment:

  1. Create review tasks for specific team members
  2. Set review deadlines with automatic reminders
  3. Define review criteria and quality standards
  4. Track completion status across all reviewers

Review Process:

  • Structured comment categories (content, accuracy, completeness)
  • Review checklists ensuring comprehensive evaluation
  • Approval workflows with required sign-offs
  • Feedback consolidation tools for managing multiple inputs

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Work effectively across department boundaries:

Department Integration:

  • Cross-departmental teams with shared workspace access
  • Process handoffs with clear responsibility transfer
  • Subject matter expert networks for specialized knowledge
  • Stakeholder identification for broad process input

Communication Coordination:

  • Update schedules coordinating changes across teams
  • Impact analysis showing how changes affect other departments
  • Notification routing ensuring relevant teams stay informed
  • Escalation procedures for cross-functional conflicts

Knowledge Transfer

Facilitate learning and capability development:

Mentoring Support:

  • Expert-novice pairing for knowledge transfer
  • Progressive access as skills and knowledge develop
  • Learning pathways through related documentation
  • Skill validation through collaborative editing

Documentation Handoffs:

  • Ownership transfer procedures for role changes
  • Knowledge preservation during team transitions
  • Context preservation maintaining historical understanding
  • Training documentation for new document owners

Collaborative Best Practices

Communication Guidelines

Establish effective collaboration norms:

Comment Etiquette:

  • Be specific about suggestions and concerns
  • Use constructive language focused on improvement
  • Acknowledge good work and valuable contributions
  • Respond promptly to questions and mentions

Meeting Documentation:

  • Use collaborative editing during meetings for real-time capture
  • Assign action items directly in document comments
  • Follow up on commitments made during collaborative sessions
  • Archive meeting notes for future reference

Quality Assurance Through Collaboration

Leverage team input for document improvement:

Peer Review:

  • Multiple perspectives catch different types of issues
  • Domain expertise ensures technical accuracy
  • User experience input from actual process performers
  • Continuous improvement through regular collaborative review

Collaborative Editing Standards:

  • Change documentation explaining the rationale for edits
  • Style consistency maintained through team coordination
  • Fact-checking distributed across subject matter experts
  • Regular synchronization meetings for major collaborative efforts

Troubleshooting Collaboration Issues

Common Problems and Solutions

Sync Issues:

  • Refresh the page to force synchronization
  • Check internet connection stability
  • Clear browser cache if updates aren’t appearing
  • Contact support for persistent sync problems

Permission Problems:

  • Verify sharing settings with document owners
  • Check organization policies that might restrict access
  • Request explicit permission if you need higher access levels
  • Use guest access if you’re external to the organization

Notification Overload:

  • Adjust notification preferences to reduce volume
  • Use digest settings instead of real-time alerts
  • Unfollow documents you’re no longer actively involved with
  • Set priority levels for different types of notifications

Conflict Resolution:

  • Communicate early about potential overlapping work
  • Use version history to understand conflicting changes
  • Schedule collaboration time for complex collaborative edits
  • Escalate to document owners when consensus can’t be reached

Effective collaboration in Klarify helps organizations maintain high-quality documentation while fostering knowledge sharing and team alignment. Learn more about mobile collaboration features.