Intranet Portal adoption, training and development
Tools and Technologies
CLIENT: Devon County Council
URL: https://new.devon.gov.uk/
LOCATION: Devon, UK
CONTACT: Marisa Smyth
JOB TITLE: ICT Strategy Officer
INDUSTRY: Local Authority
ABOUT DEVON COUNTY COUNCIL:
In a similar way to many local authorities and government organisations, Devon County Council is looking to find the best methods to adopt modern ways of working and remove the boundaries between collaboration and information sharing. It is this appropriate use of technology that will support the staff who deliver services to the people of Devon.
The Challenges
Bringing change on an enterprise scale requires skills and resources in adoption, awareness, communication and training in addition to purely technical considerations. Office 365 is a suite of products that has the potential to effect a change to working practices and disrupt set ways of working. This is both exciting and involves risk. DCC were looking for assistance with technical product knowledge, awareness sessions for staff new to the platform, guidance on design, and development to further enhance the out-of-the-box capability of the software.
The OfficeLabs Solution
OfficeLabs provided the expert resources to deliver technical insight that allowed for design decisions to be made. For example, it is important to know when Office 365 is the ‘right fit’ as a solution, and when a different route is more appropriate.
Although we believe that Office 365 can provide a substantial leap of progress for the storage and management of data, it is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and it is our experience and knowledge that guides us when making architecture choices.
As part of the adoption of Office 365 we provided training expertise. OfficeLabs consultants knew the detail and could create custom training material tailored to specific audiences. The training was written, scheduled and delivered to ensure as many staff had access to the knowledge as possible.
Business Benefits
Business transformation is a long and winding process. In our experience there are no shortcuts and along the way there will be bumps in the road. There is every opportunity to get thrown off course, from technology configuration issues to service ownership, design decisions that have to be reversed and self-imposed deadlines. All of these are normal challenges as part of a change programme, but it is important to be aware of them ahead of implementation.
Devon County Council are showing their courage and belief in the necessity and benefits in change. It is only by having a vision and staying with that vision that they will deliver the benefits for all involved.
Training and awareness is crucial to seeing the change through and ensuring that everyone is on-board and understands the vision and the intention. Without this, you end up making your job harder than it already is. Working with a partner who has the depth of knowledge and experience of enterprise projects is key to supporting you on this journey and delivering a successful project. You don’t have to do this alone!
