F: Styles Of Teamwork

1. Styles of Teamwork

MAXQDA offers three different options, in order to work together as a team:

• All team members work on the same project file alternately.

• All team members work with the same text material and exchange their codings, memos, and attributes.

• All team members work with different texts and want to merge their partial projects to one single project.

2. Alternately Working On the Same Project

The first option is very easy to realize. Should your team work on the same computer but on different days, it is possible for every team member to sign in with their own user name in MAXQDA and open the aforementioned project file (compare with Lesson A). All program objects (Texts, Codes, Memos, and Codings) receive the same “stamp” (=Username), which gives information on when and by whom a Code/Coding/Memo has been created.

Of course, you may also send your project file via e-Mail to another team member. Just make sure that you do not work on that file on your computer in the meantime, and wait until the other team member sends his worked-on file back. Simply click Open Other Projects in the start-up window of MAXQDA and search for the project file that has been sent to you.

3. Exchanging and comparing Codings, Memos, and Attributes

Codings, Memos, and Attributes, which have been created by different team members, can be merged with the help of the function Teamwork Export or Teamwork Import. This function may also be used to compare Codings. It is necessary, however, that the Export or Import affected data body remains identical, which means that team members exchange Memos, Codings, and Attributes of identical text material. This is how it works:

Teamwork Export:

You can export all Codings, Memos, and Attributes of a text, an entire text group, or all texts by right-clicking on the desired text group or text in the Document System. For exporting all assigned Codings, Memos, and Attributes choose “Teamwork Export” from the context menu and save this file. Teamwork exchange file have the extension .mex. This export file may now, for example, be sent by E-Mail.

Teamwork Import:

To insert a colleague’s team work, right-click on the text respectively text group that has been worked on and choose “Teamwork Import” from the context menu.

You have the possibility to select only particular elements out of the team work export file. For one you may decide which exported text elements should be integrated into which target texts (this may be important in case you have identically named texts in your project file). On the other hand you may freely select the elements to be imported: Attributes, Codings, and/or Memos. The default setting imports all elements. In order to be in control of the import procedures, it is recommended to create a protocol file. This file protocols which text has been imported with which Codings, Memos, and Attributes. Codings will be listed with Codes and Subcodes, as well as paragraphs.

Comparison of Codings through different Team Members:
At the very beginning of a project it might be helpful for the creation of a Code System and a better understanding of the coding behavior, to create the Codings individually at first, and then to compare them with your other team members.

We will now guide you step-by-step, in order for you to complete this procedure successfully:
Every team member creates a Main Code with his Name and subordinates every new code to this code. It Is very practical for every person to use their own code color.

Exporting after the Coding phase:
You may export your codings by right-clicking on the given text group or text and the Teamwork Export command. Select the target folder and enter a file name. Send this .mex-File to the team member, which would like to import your Codings.

..

For importing:
Before importing it is recommended to create a backup copy, just in case, because the procedure has no undo-function! To import a colleague’s Codings, Attributes, and Memos, right-click on the text respectively text group that has been worked on and choose Teamwork Import. Make sure that you have selected the same text respectively text group as your team member. Search for the file of your choice in the pop-up window and confirm with the Open-Button. In the Import Window you may now choose which parts of the text material you would like to import. You may choose Attributes, Codings, and Memos. Select Codings in any case since this later allows you to compare and then confirm by pressing Import.

Now it is possible to compare the different Codings. In the Code System there will now be an additional main code tag with the name of your team member (see screenshot). All codings created by one team member have their own color so it is very easy to distinguish where there have been differences or consensus during the coding process. Usually this is a very good way to start discussing the coding of the material with your team members.

4. Merging of Projects

Save the file to be imported on your computer. If you do not have a file of practice available, use the sample project “media project.mx3” which you will find in the folder C:\Programs\MAXQDA2007\Examples\Eng.

Merge your projects (“Test project”) with a second projects (e.g. “media project”), by choosing Project – Merge Projects from the main menu bar (arrow 1). A dialog box pops up asking where to save the project to be imported (see arrows 2 and 3). This procedure adds all not yet available Memos, Codings, Codes, texts, and Attributes to your project.

Note: identical texts existing in both projects will be doubled during the merge procedure. If you want to avoid this, use the style of teamwork mentioned beforehand!

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