Online product development with desktop sharing software

Headquarters in Germany, two designers in the United States, a supplier in Austria, and the customer is constantly traveling and difficult to reach. These days, the biggest challenge in development is no longer the product but instead finding a way to efficiently collaborate with a team of people who are scattered around the globe. desktop sharing software helps you to improve your efficiency.

Being a global player is easier said than done if all of the important people must get in an airplane whenever a personal meeting is required. On the other hand, some things simply cannot be effectively discussed over the telephone or via e-mail, and efficiency inevitably suffers. This is particularly serious when developing new products. In these situations, speed is an essential factor in bringing a mature, highly competitive product to market as early as possible.

Virtual meeting room
For these reasons, many companies are turning to desktop sharing software for seamless collaboration. Meeting participants can enter a virtual meeting room with only a few clicks and then they can jointly view project plans or drawings. They are also connected to each other with VoIP or teleconference. If they use web cams, they can even see each other. These capabilities allow them to discuss exactly where modifications are required. Changes can be entered directly into diagrams or tables, resulting in a new version for everyone to follow. Files are transferred directly to the participants with an integrated file transfer function.

Web conferences are useful at three levels during development projects:

1. During the actual design process: Using the pointer and integrated Whiteboard, participating developers can make precise markups on drawings, contribute their ideas, and thereby bring the design to a new level.

2. For agreements with customers: Instead of just discussing requirements, project directors can actually edit them in real time with the customer. When the meeting is over, there is a single document accepted by both sides. Merging several different versions is no longer necessary.

3. While managing the project: During regular status meetings, all participants are viewing the same document, so everyone understands exactly who is responsible for specific items. Deadlines and responsibilities can be defined in a way that is clearly understood for everyone, effectively eliminating misunderstandings.

Greater efficiency yields competitive advantages
Web conferences have a number of advantages. Depending on the scope of the project and the distance separating project participants, companies can often save several thousand dollars simply in terms of travel expenditures. The employees, on the other hand, are free to invest the time savings in actual development work. Efficiency is by far the biggest benefit. By shortening the time required to complete a project, a company can bring a new product to market faster and gain clear competitive advantages.

Netviewer is the leading European manufacturer and provider of web conferencing and desktop sharing solutions. Netviewer gives Internet users a live view of a partner's screen so text, graphics and other documents can be jointly discussed and edited.