The Client

A leading designer, manufacturer and service provider of energy control and optimization solutions for over 130 years, this company serves OEM (original equipment manufacturers) customers worldwide in the power generation, process industries, transportation and aerospace markets. 

The Challenge

While the company has successfully utilized an organically grown intranet for years, the system’s features and capabilities were inadequate—limiting productivity, communication and company-wide efficiency. Global collaboration across its international workforce was stifled because employees were unable to quickly share information and resources. Additionally, the IT team was inundated with requests to customize and enhance intranet features, costing the company both time and money. The client company was eager to build a dynamic, global intranet solution that would transform workforce collaboration, provide real-time information in several languages, automate numerous processes and serve as the cornerstone technology for three essential IT functions: project management, content management and information management. 

The Solution

The company began its quest for intranet transformation with the purchase of Microsoft® Office SharePoint® server 2007 (MOSS). During the purchasing process, the client requested referrals from Microsoft to providers that could expertly lead a global SharePoint intranet design and implementation solution. Microsoft recommended three firms and MPS Partners was selected from that group for several reasons:

• Extensive application knowledge
• A thoroughly documented and precise proposal
• The ability to facilitate solution design and implementation with end-usersand decision makers to ensure both strategy goals and technology needs are rigorously addressed

For solution development, MPS Partners utilized a Rapid Application Development (RAD) approach. This iterative method allowed the client’s project team to actively participate in the design of the site and make key decisions on utilization and structure during the course of development. The three-site iterations included:

• Wireframes showing business requirements
• Presentation of working prototypes in SharePoint at a Global level and at a Local level (departmental and sub-departmental)
• Deployable final product

MPS Partners’ proven five-step project management methodology reduces risks, keeps project on time and on budget, produces higher-quality and more accurate output, improves communication and standardizes procedures across an organization:

Using RAD, MPS Partners was able to share working demos with the client rather than working off of a piece of paper The demos gave the client’s teams an interactive opportunity to see how the system would work and make recommendations before implementation.  

FIVE-STEP IMPLEMENTATION

To execute the phased migration and implementation, MPS Partners applied a proven five-step project management methodology.

Initiation: This first step provides the project foundation and includes generation and approvals of project requests, appointment of the project manager and recognition by entire company as to when the project will begin.
Planning: This step defines the project goals, activities and project plan, including planning and acquisition of resources, design requirements, risk assessment and budgeting.
Executing: During execution, teams are assembled, tasks assigned and work is carried out.
Controlling: The fourth step focuses on monitoring project performance to make certain the outcomes meet the requirements of the project.
Closing: The final step includes obtaining final project approval, project documentation and project archiving.

This rigorous methodology is essential for a systematic and successful implementation. For example, during the planning phase of the implementation, it became apparent that a large portion of the existing intranet content needed to be migrated, an effort requiring additional technical resources. MPS Partners was able to immediately secure resources from the nAblement service (www.nablement.com) of Talent Acquisition Partners (an MPS Partners sister company) in advance to ensure project milestones were met on time and with expertise. Within 12 weeks, three divisions and 4,000 employees were migrated from the old system to the new platform. The five-step project management methodology kept risk extremely low as the company gradually but swiftly and systematically migrated the entire company to a cutting-edge, world-class intranet, collaboration, content management, information management and project management solution. 

The Results

Today this global company has a first-rate intranet that is boosting collaboration as well as workforce efficiency and productivity across its international network of offices. The open and iterative design process coupled with the systematic five-step implementation increased intra-company understanding of the functionality, flexibility, and value of the intranet. That critical understanding of the solution’s value has fueled enthusiastic and widespread usage. As a result of the solution’s flexibility and capabilities, requests for intranet customization and added capabilities have dried up, significantly reducing IT costs while freeing up key technology resources. In addition to expanded functionality and lower costs, the new SharePoint-based intranet solution has provided the following benefits to the client:

• Improved team collaboration
• Faster, better-informed decision making as a result of rapid access to company information
• Centralized document sharing
• Company-wide content management capability
• Automated business processes
• Standardized information management policies
• Enhanced project management tools and processes

For a printed version of this case study, click the link below.

SharePoint Deployment - MPS Partners Case Study