I want to reset the conversation with the GroupWise community as I share my next favorite new solution that you will find in GroupWise 2014 R2 (GW2014R2).

If you recall from my last couple of posts I wanted to start sharing my favorite features from GW2014 R2 with you. Too often, we get caught up in what "features" are desired, but we don't communicate the problem that we intended that feature to solve. When I meet with customers I make an effort to focus on problems so we can come up with the best solution that offers value and delights you. The solutions discussed in this blog series are ones that personally delight me as I use them in my daily workflow.

That's the point; instead of talking about features, I want to reset the conversation and start to think of these as solutions to problems... That's an important distinction.

With that in mind, today I want to share the way that GW2014 R2 provides solutions to a couple of scenarios that I see on a regular basis.  I hope that you can identify with these scenarios and will get delight out of the solution and see the value in it

Scenario 1: If you’re like me, you work hard to keep your calendar updated.  I have a demanding schedule and I need to make sure I know where I need to be each day.  I also find value in others knowing when I have free time on my calendar so they can busy-search me to schedule an appointment. As diligent as I am, I often get appointments that have a conflict with another appointment already on my calendar. Sometimes, this is a result of someone not busy-searching me,  or more often an appointment for a large audience where no free time could be found for everyone, so the organizer went with the "best"  time.

Scenario 2:  Frequently I accept appointments where I do have free time available, however later something else happens and I need to adjust appointments on my calendar.

So What's the Solution?  Whether it’s when you initially receive an appointment, or long after you have already scheduled or accepted it, with GroupWise 2014 R2 you can use Propose New Time!

Here is how it works:

Sandy is the organizer of an appointment with Peter.  Sandy schedules the appointment and sends it to Peter.  When Peter opens the appointment in GroupWise he realizes that this time is not going to work for him.  From the Appointment window, Peter can use the Propose New Time button to reply with an alternate time that works better for him:


 

 

 

 

 

 

Once Peter clicks on the Propose New Time button, he will be presented with an option to change the Start date, Time, and Duration, then provide a reason why he needs to change the time.  In addition, Busy-Search is also an option, so Peter can perform a search and see when Sandy is available:


 

 

 

 

 

 

Once Peter has completed his changes he clicks Send.  This does not alter the original appointment, and because Peter is not the organizer, the request has to be approved by Sandy! After Peter sends the proposal, Sandy receives the message in her Mailbox


 

 

 

Sandy can then open the message and review the changes and then either Accept or Cancel/Decline the changes.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

If multiple people were on the appointment and more than one person had submitted a proposed new time, Sandy, as the organizer, can click on the Proposal tab, review all proposals and accept the best one.


 

 

 

 

 

Notice that Busy Search is always an option, and that the changes are clearly called out, making it easy for Sandy to identify the options being proposed.  If Sandy changes the appointment by accepting one of the proposals, the changes will be updated in everyone's calendar. Users that had previously accepted the appointment will get a notification on the appointment that it has been modified.

In this example I have illustrated proposing a new time on a new appointment.  This works just as well by opening an already existing appointment in your calendar and choosing Propose New Time.

I’m truly pleased to share this solution with you, and  I hope you can see how this solution can solve problems for you, make collaboration easier, and offer value. I’m confident that, although simple, Propose New Time and other GroupWise 2014 R2 solutions will delight you and your users!