VicRoads, the Government department responsible for Victoria's road network, required a high-performance intranet refresh. We provided a solution that addressed the needs of their users and delivered features that encouraged greater staff interaction.
Background
VicRoads’ intranet, built in 2004, was a successful communication and productivity platform, offering a lot of information. After five years, VicRoads sought to make it even more useful. VicRoads needed to make it easier for users to find the information they wanted from the huge volume available, improve search speeds and simplify the process of integrating business applications for access from the intranet.
Its vision was for the intranet to serve as a collaboration platform for improved decision-making across VicRoads – a vibrant working space that would provide all staff with a single source of definitive information.
The Solution
Having previously worked with VicRoads, Hyro had a strong understanding of VicRoads' business drivers. Hyro, in consultation with VicRoads' Internal Communications team, IT team and end users:
- Designed a ‘strategy map’ for the intranet
- Developed a ‘business realisation map’ that mapped the business needs to the proposed solution
- Designed the solution architecture and migration roadmap
- Defined the user requirements and information architecture with end users
- Designed improvements to the ‘look and feel’, and testing them with end users ensuring that staff found the intranet visually appealing, useful and usable.
The solution was then implemented using IBM WebSphere Portal v6.1, Lotus Web Content Management v6.1 and Omnifind® Enterprise Edition v8.5. This provided a strong and stable foundation for the intranet, simplified application integration and improved search performance.
A communications programme ensured staff were aware of the relaunched intranet site, branded ‘Exchange’, and understood how it would help them day to day.
The Outcome
The VicRoads intranet now provides staff with a vastly enhanced user experience. With the information architecture matched to the way staff perform their work – it makes it easier and faster for staff to access content. The site also includes additional functionality for project collaboration, video conferencing and more, providing them with a single source of information.
VicRoads’ IT staff also benefit from much simpler application integration, ensuring they can quickly and easily make additional business systems available through the intranet. All these benefits have resulted in increased staff satisfaction, utilisation of and engagement with the intranet.
Kelly Marshall, Senior Communications Adviser, VicRoads said:
“The simplified content management system and information architecture allow us to quickly address the needs of our users and deliver features that encourage greater staff interaction”