Remote Collaboration and Product Development
In the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans are working from home on a full-time basis. In many cases, businesses that had always conducted their operations at a centralized location have now embraced remote work with aplomb. But while you may be able to teleconference and share documents via the Cloud, you may be wondering whether there are certain aspects of your organization that can’t be handled digitally.
Take product development, for example. Most thriving business owners feel they need a team of product developers to handle innovation and remote collaboration in close physical quarters. Without that tangible connection, they worry that their products will fall flat. And since only 1.5 products ever launch for every seven ideas that develop, it’s important to nail every part of the process.
But what many organizations fail to realize is that a product development firm can actually conduct the work that needs to be done in a completely remote environment. Whether your own operations continue to be performed remotely or you’ll be back in the office before too long, you don’t necessarily need an in-house team to handle your product development in person. In fact, product design consulting firms can facilitate superior results in a way that doesn’t depend on being in the same room together.
For product development, in particular, there are a number of challenges pertaining to remote work. There’s no doubt that working remotely in a cohesive and collaborative fashion requires constant adjustments and stellar communication. But there are many product development firms that thrive in these kinds of environments and can pass along those benefits to their clients. What’s more, there are some essential components of any workflow used by any given product design and development company that lend themselves to remote work — such as customer research and knowledge sharing.
Ultimately, it’s important to eschew the idea that a product design service company can’t serve its clients in a remote setting. It may be different from what you’re used to, but remote work has actually been shown to increase productivity for many workers. Instead of wasting time in pointless mandatory meetings with your in-house staff, you can book as-needed teleconferencing calls with your product development firm to increase efficiency and overall satisfaction with the process. As long as your team is fully dedicated to communication and collaboration, there’s absolutely no reason product development can’t be accomplished with great success while businesses continue to work remotely.2
If you’re struggling to thrive with your current product development process or your team needs help with adjusting to the new normal of remote work, our team’s expertise will guide you. Whether you need assistance developing a concept, you’d like help investigating your newest idea, or you want outside support with your prototyping, we’re here for you — from afar. For more information, please contact Porticos today.
