Two of the most difficult problems faced by developers of synchronous groupware applications are the handling of multiple session connections and the maintenance of replicated data. Protocols and algorithms to solve these problems have evolved over the years as developers gained experience and network standards were developed and enriched. This paper analyzes the efficiency of three common application level protocols used for the development of groupware systems. These include central sequencing, distributed operations, and independent-immutable objects. In order to perform the analysis, nine measures of network and processor efficiency were developed. The result of the analysis showed the independent object method to be superior in overall efficiency. Central sequencing is recommended for applications that are not conducive to the use of independent objects.