Strategy & project management internal portal
For almost 100 years, ABP has been the pension fund for people working in government and education. As many as 1 in 6 people in the Netherlands now or in the future receive a pension from ABP, which is the largest pension fund in the Netherlands.
From the mission, building a good pension together, ABP had the desire to anchor the underlying core values – involved, expert and sustainable – internally in the organization. Evolve helped ABP with the realization of their new internal portal / intranet.
In short: our activities
- Strategy and concept development
- Project management
- Content coordination
- Functional and user acceptance testing
- Stakeholder management
- Test management
- Adoption, training and instruction (remote)
In short: our deliverables
- Drafted use cases and requirements
- Developed and implemented content structure
- Established governance structure
- Implemented content and editorial processes
- Configured and operational portal for all employees within ABP
- Trained employees in use
Accompany the entire project
There was a clear need to connect employees with each other and the organization. Sharing news and knowledge and’ working smarter ‘ had to be facilitated to make this possible. A social intranet is an excellent tool for this, provided it is set up in the right way.
The Communications Department asked Evolve to supervise the construction, design and implementation of the new internal platform. In addition, we advised in the field of design and functionality, of course based on the goals of ABP.
Start with the goals
Based on various conversations with Corporate Communications, we started to establish the goals and frameworks of the project. As mentioned, there was a clear desire to connect employees with each other, each other’s work and the organization. To make this possible, news and knowledge had to be shared and smarter (together)work facilitated.
ABP also provided a number of clear boundary conditions:
- The platform is user-friendly for administrators and users.
- It has a modern and customizable appearance.
- It has a modular structure.
- It is based on Microsoft 365/SharePoint Online, providing access to frequently used applications such as Yammer/Viva Engage, Outlook, and Calendar.
- It is available on desktop and mobile.
Based on these goals, frameworks and requirements, it was possible to start drawing up wishes and requirements for the intranet. This was done in a workshop session with so-called super-users within ABP. Based on this input, we were able to formulate concrete use cases and determine the resulting requirements in terms of design, UX and functionality for the new portal.
In the field of technology, discussions were started with the IT department about the conditions that are placed on security, privacy and technology. The first discussions were held with the IT supplier of ABP about the impact of specific wishes on the required resources, time and budget.
The importance of content
An intranet stands or falls with useful functionality and great ease of use, but also with catchy and relevant content. In collaboration with the ABP communication team, we determined the desired content structure and the role that the portal should be given in the internal communication and internal resource mix. With the content owners, we analyzed the current content. What content could be migrated to the new portal? What content needs to be updated and what missing content is needed and how can we provide it? At the same time, working agreements were made on content migration.
‘You speak the language of the client as well as of technology. Then you make that translation: that is your strength. You have an impressive understanding of what we need. We encountered quite a few hurdles throughout the entire process. It is incredibly helpful then to have someone who can unravel the process, so that we can make choices. Furthermore, the collaboration is very pleasant; despite those hurdles, you know how to maintain a human touch.’
Annemieke Bron, senior Communications advisor ABP
With all the information retrieved in the meantime, the IT supplier of the portal could be briefed definitively.
The choice was made to shape the technical realization in an agile way, with Evolve taking on the role of mandated product owner. After a very intensive development phase, the first version of the portal was delivered in February 2020. After having first carried out various functional tests, the user acceptance tests were carried out with the super-users. From this it was clear that the portal was arranged in a way that worked well for the employees.
With the green light from this first group, the portal has been submitted to the management team for approval. When they also agreed, it was decided to roll out the brand new portal ABP-wide and to further implement the adoption plan.
Online launch and adoption
But not everything always goes as planned. In March 2020, the situation surrounding the coronavirus forced ABP and the project team to anticipate the effects of ‘intelligent lockdown’. The planned launch during a joint session and the deployment of floorwalking could therefore not proceed, and employees had to be informed and instructed otherwise. That’s why we gave each department an online demonstration in Microsoft Teams, with room for questions. After that, employees received more information and reference materials by e-mail.
Because due to COVID-19, the focus became on launch and adoption, it was decided to postpone the elaboration of the management documentation until after going live.
A widely used platform
This livestream finally took place in May 2020. All employees were then informed about (the why of) the arrival of the portal and instructed about the possibilities and operation of the digital platform. This thorough preparation has certainly contributed to the success of the platform. In the summer after launch, it turned out that more than a third of employees and directors watch the news on the portal. The use of Yammer among employees is especially popular: 90% sometimes post or respond to a message. Almost 60% of employees use the like function.
Want to know more?
Do you want to know more about how to bring an intranet project, employee portal or digital workplace to a successful conclusion? Or do you have an issue that we can help you with? Please contact Peter via peter@evolve.eu or contact us at info@evolve.eu.
