With the emergence of today's new geography model, where the omnipresent electronic place coexists with the physical one, the challenge is now to take advantage of the available technology to build and coordinate efficient and innovative business relationships, in order to draw strengths from the diverse and worldwide distributed knowledge, experience, expertise and competencies. In July 1998, an international consortium was established between three SME's, two research and development institutes and one governmental organization. Six organizations from four different countries (Portugal, Germany, Mexico and People's Republic of China) united by a shared goal: the development of the project "Round the Clock - 24 Hours Collaborative Product Development Work"[ 1] The basic idea, behind the project conceptualization was to take advantage of the time gap between the several organizations located in different time zones, for the establishment of a continuous non-stop product development cycle at a planetary scale based on the suitable use of a communication platform and coherently supported by an efficient work methodology.
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