Document Comparison Software: In the Ring

Two documents to compare, two competitors in the ring; Microsoft Word’s Track Changes versus leading provider of secure enterprise file sharing and collaboration software, Workshare. Both opponents possess their own pros & cons, but who will be the victor?

First up in the red corner…Track Changes! As one of Word’s many built-in tools, it’s easily accessible to all users of the Microsoft Office Suite program. Changes from multiple versions can be merged into one single document. However, Track Changes takes a blow by presenting its corrections at face value, resulting in a disorganised, clumsy arrangement; coming across as rather unintelligent.

Over in the blue corner…Workshare! They portray themselves as a smarter approach to document comparison. Incorporated into to your DMS, Workshare scan your email to detect new versions of a file at the first point of contact, Workshare highlight changes and put all versions into a single view so that the user can see all corrections with ease.

Track Changes slips up again after users report difficulty turning the feature on and off. Microsoft insist that simply “accepting” or “rejecting” all changes and then “ending” tracking should create a clean, final version of a document. In reality, several blunders later, the misuse of Track Changes has been linked to metadata leakage where changes remain visible to the recipient linking the tool to “unsafe” collaboration.

The upper hand is taken by Workshare as individual corrections are organised into categories making the document easy to navigate for stress free comparison and more efficient project collaboration. Their integrated metadata removal tool also eliminates the risk of accidentally sharing sensitive data and ensure it is removed before files are shared.

After several rounds, we have a winner. Workshare prove that what users require to improve the contract negotiation process is the right tools. Document comparison software removes upwards of 80 clicks per draft simply by using document comparison software over the existing Track Changes tool that just couldn’t keep up!

Try Workshare Professional 9 for free here.