The Workgroup Objectives
Both the 97 and 2000 Expert exams include nine objectives related to workgroups. In Word 2002, the number of exam objectives related to workgroups has increased to eleven. This increase reflects Microsoft's growing commitment to offering solutions that allow users to work together across the enterprise in more efficient and effective ways. The workgroup-related objectives include everything from inserting comments to the new 2002 task of merging input from multiple reviewers. If you ever have to create a document that requires input from others before it is finalized, Word's workgroup collaboration tools can make your life a whole lot easier. All of the Web tools, such as inserting hyperlinks and creating and editing Web documents, are also included under the category of workgroup tools as the Web has become one of the key ways that people are working together.

The following chart shows all of the exam objectives related to workgroup collaboration and when those objectives were introduced or, in some cases, dropped. Three new skills have been added to the mix in 2002. These are Compare and Merge Documents, Merge Input from Several Reviewers, and Attach Digital Signatures to Documents. Also notice that Insert, View and Edit Comments has moved from an Expert skill to a Core skill in 2002. Creating Master Documents, which was listed as a workgroup skill in 97 and 2000, has been moved to the Formatting Documents group in 2002 and is no longer considered a workgroup tool. And even though Routing Documents is listed in Creating and Modifying Graphics in 2002, we're sure this is a mistake so we continue to count it among the workgroup tools.

What's clear from all this is that, regardless of which version of the Word exam you plan to take, understanding the workgroup tools is a critical component of your MOUS exam preparation. So let's begin by exploring how tracking changes in your documents can improve your writing experience.

Tracking Changes in Word
The biggest advantage of writing with a word processor as opposed to pen and paper is that it is so easy to edit your text. Whether you use the Backspace key, press Delete, or are a pro with Cut, Copy and Paste, moving and replacing text in a document is a breeze. The frustrating part, however, is when you make changes to some text and then decide you like the original version better. With tracking enabled, the reviewer's deletions and insertions are noted in the document until you choose to accept or reject the changes. Word assigns each author (or editor) a unique color so if there are multiple reviewers, their changes are easily noted. The example below shows a paragraph of text during the editing stage. Words that were inserted appear in the reviewer's assigned color. Words that didn't make the cut have a strike-out line through them.

When you point to a marked changed, a screen tip appears that shows the name of the reviewer, the date and time of the change and the type of change that was made. So even if you aren't sure who made a change, you can always follow it back to its source.

Turning on Tracking
If you are starting a new document, leave tracking off until you have completed and saved the first draft. It is at this point, before you start making editing changes, that you want to turn on tracking to manage the changes you make. To turn on document tracking in Word, choose Tools, Track Changes, double click the TRK indicator in the status bar or right click the TRK indicator to open the shortcut menu and choose Track Changes from the shortcut menu.

Although the basic concepts are the same, Microsoft introduced significant modifications to tracking changes in Word 2002. For example, the Reviewing toolbar opens automatically when you enable tracking, and in Page Layout view, changes are described in the margin. Click here to view graphic example of this.

If you find this a bit overwhelming, you can control how changes appear by changing the tracking options.

Setting Tracking Options
To set tracking options, right click the TRK indicator on the status bar and choose Options from the shortcut menu. If you assign a specific color for tracking, the color is applied to the editing session, not to the author. (In other words, don't change colors if there are multiple editors working on a document or it may be unclear who actually did the editing.) In 2002, you can also change whether or not balloons appear in Print Layout view.

Printing a Document with Changes
While Track Changes if turned on, you can print a document to show all the suggested changes. If you can print it in color, it's easy to see where insertions and deletions appear. In 2002, you can switch among four viewing and printing options: Final Showing Markup, Final, Original Showing Markup and Original. This allows you to easily print a document in its final form without accepting or rejecting changes first.

Accepting or Rejecting Changes
When you have finished editing a document and want to create the final draft, you can accept or reject changes to incorporate them into the document. However, keep in mind that after you do this, you can no longer see when or by whom a change was made. To accept or reject individual changes, right click a change and choose Accept Insertion or Reject Insertion from the shortcut menu.

To accept or reject changes in bulk in Word 97 and 2000, right click the status bar TRK indicator and choose Accept or Reject Changes from the shortcut menu. In the Accept or Reject Changes dialog box use the Find buttons to move to the previous or next change. Use the Accept and Reject buttons to accept or reject individual changes, or the Accept All and Reject All buttons to accept or reject all changes.

To accept or reject changes in bulk in Word 2002, turn on the Reviewing toolbar (View, Toolbars, Reviewing) if it is not already on. Use the Previous and Next buttons to move to the previous or next change. Use the Accept Change or Reject Change button to accept or reject individual changes. Click the drop down arrow on either button to accept or reject all changes to the document.

Although it takes some discipline to remember to turn Track Changes on when you start revising a document, it's well worth the trouble when you can write, rewrite and rewrite again and then choose which version is the real masterpiece.

Versioning in Word
Versioning provides another way to record changes made to a document. Unlike saving the file with a different name or creating a backup, a version is saved within the same document so you can review, print, and manage earlier versions of a document from one file. When used with Tracking Changes, you can save the original version of a document, make editing changes, accept or reject those changes and save a final version of a document all in the same file.

Saving as a Version
To save a version of a document in Word, follow these steps:

1. Choose File, Versions to open the Versions In… dialog box.
2. Click the Save Now button to open the Save Version dialog box.
3. Enter a description of the version.
4. Click OK.

Switching Between Versions
After you have different versions saved, you can switch between them by choosing the version you want to see.

1. Choose File, Versions to open the Versions In…dialog box.
2. Select a version and click Open.

In Word 2002, a Versions indicator appears in the status bar for versioned documents. Double click the indicator to open the Versions In… dialog box.

Deleting Versions
Lots of old versions lying around in a document will slow performance. To delete a version, open the Versions In dialog box, select the version, and click Delete.

Inserting Comments in Word
Comments are a good way to remind yourself or other reviewers why you made a certain change or to provide editorial comments about text in a document. Comments appear on screen but are only printed with the document if you change the default print settings. In Word, the option to print comments is set in the Print dialog box (In the Print What text box, choose Document Showing Markup).

Comments in Word 2000
To insert a comment, position the insertion point and choose Insert, Comment from the menu.
The word just before the comment is highlighted. Comments are entered in a comment pane at the bottom of the application window. Click Close to close the pane when you're finished entering your comment. To view a comment, hover over the highlighted word.

Comments in Word 2002
To insert a comment, position the insertion point and choose Insert Comment from the menu. The word just before the comment is enclosed in non-printing brackets, and in Print Layout view, the comment is displayed in a red bubble in the right margin.

Tracking changes, saving versions and inserting comments are three valuable tools you can use to document your work, whether or not you are working in a workgroup. As you experiment with them, try to enlist a friend or co-worker to experiment with you so you can experience the full force of these features.

Questions? Comments? Tips of your own to share? Post your comments below!