Collaborative writing is essential in today's workplace-but it's often inefficient, frustrating, and poorly taught. Collaborative Writing at Work offers instructors, trainers, and teams a practical framework for designing more effective writing processes and outcomes.
Blending design thinking with Agile methodology, this playbook reframes collaborative writing as a design challenge-helping teams produce stronger documents while improving how they work together.
Through a six-phase process-Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test, and Iterate-readers learn how to:
- identify user needs
- structure team workflows
- generate and refine ideas collaboratively
- integrate feedback and iteration into writing processes
Grounded in research across psychology, communication, and design, the book addresses distributed teams, cross-functional collaboration, tight timelines, and AI-supported writing.
Collaborative Writing at Work is ideal for
- instructors in business and technical communication
- educators teaching collaborative writing
- workplace trainers and consultants
- teams seeking better writing processes
What People Are SayingCollaborative Writing at Work stands out among countless resources by showing how to manage writing projects and team dynamics using the same trusted frameworks for both. Particularly helpful are the focus on sustained performance, realistic case studies, and integration of AI for enhanced productivity. Whether you are working in hybrid, virtual, or in-person settings, this book is a go-to resource for mapping product strategy, solving problems, and keeping teams aligned. I highly recommend it for classrooms and workplaces alike. -Pam Estes Brewer, Mercer University School of Engineering and author of International Virtual Teams: Engineering Global Success
It is refreshing to read early inquiries into the ethical considerations that arise throughout human and nonhuman collaborations. Centering human needs is at the heart of collaborative writing, and this playbook exemplifies a thoughtfully designed collaboration. -Morgan Banville, Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Drawing from both design thinking principles and Agile methodology, Collaborative Writing at Work provides concrete and actionable writing strategies tailored to each phase. Whether leading student design challenges in the classroom or managing distributed innovation teams in corporate settings, readers and designers will discover how intentional writing practices transform design thinking from a series of discrete steps into collaborative and transformative problem-solving. -Seán McCarthy, Montclair State University
Dr. Jason Tham is an Associate Professor of Technical Communication and Rhetoric at Texas Tech University. Dr. Joe Moses is Senior Lecturer of Writing Studies at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Dr. Meghalee Das is an Assistant Professor at James Madison University in the School of Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication.
