From Microsoft Japan, this SharePoint template provides a combination of features to assist with the administration of running an office such as the following:

- Room and equipment reservations
- Time sheet
- In/out board
- Phone memo list
- Circulations list

A general screencast of the Groupboard is here.

The circulations list is the most interesting, as it provides a form of private message board that can be used instead of a standard SharePoint discussion board or announcements list found in the Team site SharePoint template.  Let's look at the options: 

Announcements - One-way (no replies), and one to many.  Audience is defined by list permissions.
Discussion board - Two-way (you can respond), but still one to many based on list permissions.
Circulations list - Two-way (recipients have option to edit or comment on message, but this is not as good as discussion threading), but the key is that the message can be targed to specific users, just like email.  Furthermore, recipients can confirm they have received the message similar to an email "read receipt", which is very useful for situations when it is time sensitive information.

The circulations list is shown in detail in a screencast here.