Case Study: IBM streamlines collaborative maths note writing with Overleaf

IBM collaborates on math notes for 3-4 years with Overleaf

IBM, a global technology leader, needed a solution for its research teams to collaboratively develop complex mathematical ideas and technical formulations with colleagues located around the world. This challenge of seamless, real-time collaboration on intricate LaTeX-based content was addressed using Overleaf, the online LaTeX editor.

The solution implemented was Overleaf's collaborative writing platform, which enabled IBM researchers to simultaneously work on the same LaTeX documents in near real-time. They utilized a structured workflow from initial brainstorming to final paper write-up, leveraging features like shared macros for efficiency and packages like `todonotes` to embed comments directly into PDFs. This use of Overleaf resulted in a highly effective and adaptable process for developing algorithms and research papers, supporting teams of up to eight people and significantly streamlining their collaborative mathematical work over the last three to four years.

IBM