The Collaboration Model

Vanillaround supports two modes of collaboration: real-time (synchronous editing) and async (approval workflows, comments, notifications). Understanding which mode applies where helps teams work together without getting in each other’s way.

Real-time collaboration

When two or more people have the same spec page open, they are editing together in real time. Changes appear instantly for everyone — no need to refresh, no version conflicts, no “who has the latest copy” problem.

Real-time collaboration works best when:

• A Provider and Client are working through a spec together on a call
• Two Providers are jointly structuring a complex page
• Someone is typing while another is reviewing

The editor shows live cursors and presence indicators so you can see who else is on the page.

Async collaboration

Most requirements work happens asynchronously — a Provider drafts a spec, a Client reviews it later, feedback goes back and forth over hours or days.

The primary async tools in Vanillaround are:

Mentions — type @username anywhere in a spec page to notify someone. They receive an email and an in-app notification linking directly to the relevant point in the document.

Approval workflow — cards move through states (Draft → Submitted → Approved/Rejected) and trigger notifications at each transition. The Client doesn’t need to be in the tool constantly; they get notified when something needs their attention.

Change feed — every edit to a spec page is tracked. The change feed for a project shows who changed what and when, so nothing is lost and context is always available.

How the two modes work together

A typical sprint might look like this:

1. Provider drafts a spec page alone (real-time, single user)
2. Provider @mentions the Client to review
3. Client reads and leaves comments (async)
4. Provider and Client jump on a call and edit the spec together (real-time, multi-user)
5. Provider embeds cards and submits them for approval (async)
6. Client approves (async, triggered by notification)
7. Provider syncs to Jira and starts building

The tool adapts to whichever mode the team is in — there is no separate “review mode” or “edit lock” to manage.