---
title: "What is In Parallel? - In Parallel help"
description: "An introduction to how In Parallel maintains shared Workspace context for people and AI."
url: https://www.in-parallel.com/help/what-is-in-parallel
---

# What is In Parallel?

An introduction to how In Parallel maintains shared Workspace context for people and AI.

Updated 14 August 2026

On this page

Getting started

In Parallel is a shared context layer for work. It keeps the goals, decisions, operating context, current situation, and source history of each Workspace useful to people and AI as reality changes.

## What it is

Most tools capture one part of the work. Project management tools track delivery. Meeting tools capture what was said. Documents explain strategy or process. AI assistants can search those systems, but still have to reconstruct what the team is doing and why.

In Parallel closes that gap by maintaining **shared context** for every Workspace. Maintained Workspace pages hold the durable narrative: the Context page, objectives, decisions, operating practices, constraints, and handover material. Meetings, documents, and connected conversations provide source context and signals about what is changing. Goals and other intended outcomes can be part of the context maintained in those pages.

Together, these answer: _What is this work? What are we trying to achieve? What changed? Who owns it? What does someone—or an AI—need to know before acting?_

## How it works

In Parallel continuously connects three kinds of work.

**Capture change.** The Recorder turns meetings into Notes and source-linked observations, such as decisions, actions, risks, questions, learnings, customer needs, and ownership changes. When Slack or Microsoft Teams is connected and conversation access is allowed, authorized conversations can also contribute context and signals. Observation kinds define what AI should look for in those sources.

**Maintain shared context.** In Parallel can refresh Workspace pages, Topics, and briefings as the source context changes. People can edit important pages and check their update or refresh state.

**Use the context.** Home, Workspace briefings, the page-aware Ask entry point, meeting Actions, and connected AI tools use the authorized context relevant to the person and task. Supported tools include Claude, ChatGPT, and Microsoft 365 Copilot through the In Parallel MCP connector or agent.

Everything remains scoped to a **Workspace**—a team, project, program, operation, or account with a coherent area of accountability and access.

## What In Parallel produces

As Workspace context grows, In Parallel produces and maintains:

- **Workspace pages** — durable pages that explain the work and support a handover
- **Home and Workspace briefings** — personal Chat plus scheduled summaries of what changed and what needs attention
- **Chat and Ask** — conversations grounded in the relevant Workspace or page
- **Notes, signals, observations, and meeting Actions** — source-linked change and reviewable follow-up
- **Topics** — storylines that connect related movement across sources
- **MCP access** — authorized Workspace context and supported actions for connected AI tools

## What In Parallel is not

In Parallel sits above your delivery tools as an execution layer — it does not replace them.

| Keep this in… | For… |
| --- | --- |
| Jira / Asana / Linear | Task detail, sprint mechanics, backlog management |
| Notion / Google Docs | Detailed specs, working documents, and broad file libraries |
| Slack / Teams | Live coordination, quick questions, and discussion threads |

**Rule of thumb:** Keep detailed delivery, document production, and day-to-day conversation in the tools built for them. When Slack or Teams is connected and allowed, In Parallel can still use authorized conversations as source context. Keep the durable context needed to understand and hand over the Workspace in its maintained pages.

## When you’ll get the most value

In Parallel compounds with use. As meetings, authorized conversations, signals, goals, and useful Workspace pages accumulate, people and AI spend less time reconstructing the Workspace. You should start to notice:

- fewer “what’s the status?” messages
- meetings and Chat spend more time deciding and less time rehashing
- stakeholders stay aligned without extra prep
- priority changes have visible reasons
- briefings and meeting talking points arrive with less manual preparation
- connected AI tools can answer questions or prepare reports from authorized Workspace context

**To get there quickly:**

- **Start small.** One Workspace, a useful Context or objectives page, and one recurring meeting are enough to begin. Connected documents and conversations can deepen that context further.
- **Keep Workspaces coherent.** If the context mixes unrelated ownership or cadences, split the Workspace.
- **Review high-value pages.** Check their update or refresh state and follow sources for important claims.
- **Let delivery tools do delivery.** Keep Jira, Asana, and similar tools as the system of record for task execution.

## Related

- [Key concepts](https://www.in-parallel.com/help/key-concepts)
- [Use your Workspace pages](https://www.in-parallel.com/help/team-wiki)
- [AI in In Parallel](https://www.in-parallel.com/help/how-ai-works-in-in-parallel)
- [Use In Parallel Chat](https://www.in-parallel.com/help/use-in-parallel-chat)
- [Create a Workspace](https://www.in-parallel.com/help/create-an-execution-scope)
- [What belongs in In Parallel (and what doesn’t)](https://www.in-parallel.com/help/what-belongs-in-in-parallel-and-what-doesnt)

[All help articles](https://www.in-parallel.com/help)