Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF)
Building certainty into file management
As the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) grew, the complexity of its document and information management increased. Staff members dealing with multiple systems and offices, as well as hybrid working arrangements, often found themselves uncertain about where to store or find documents. ACF needed a system that not only centralised file management but also provided a user experience that would enhance the adoption of SharePoint.
Services
Intranet Implementation
Technology
SharePoint Online (Out-of-the-Box)
Organisation Size
100 employees
The Challenge
Navigating the wilderness of lost files and business information
As the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) expanded, managing documents and information became increasingly complex. Staff struggled with multiple systems and hybrid working, leading to confusion about document storage and retrieval. Reliance on email caused disjointed collaboration and information loss.
The existing SharePoint Classic system, paired with Google Workspace, created a confusing environment, with many staff defaulting to Google Workspace and contributing to system sprawl. This fragmentation led to inefficiencies and frustration among the 100-strong workforce, scattered across various locations.
To address these issues, ACF aimed to centralise file management and implement a modern intranet that would enhance SharePoint adoption and serve as a valuable tool for their work.
The Solution
The Hive comes alive on SharePoint
To tackle these challenges, ACF selected Sope, attracted by its reputable five-stage approach. The transparency of Sope's process, from inception through to delivery and implementation, provided the structured approach ACF was looking for, with a clear roadmap and full visibility of the milestones to implementation.
Joining forces, Sope implemented "The Hive," a unified, custom-themed intranet reflecting ACF's brand ethos and mission. Built on SharePoint Online, it connects 44 Team Sites to a central hub, making it simple to navigate and find information across different business areas.
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Casey Reissig, Lead Project Consultant at Sope highlights, "A clear intranet layout and logical set-up make it easier for staff to find organisational content and team information. By leveraging a SharePoint Hub site, we've brought all of ACF's sites under one roof, simplifying access with a robust permissions framework which governs permissions to each site within the intranet."
The shift from Google Workspace to SharePoint Online, led by Simon from Sope using SharePoint’s Migration Manager, simplified the transition. Simon noted, ‘The SharePoint Migration Manager made it straightforward, automatically converting Google Docs to Office formats.
“The Hive has been fantastic! Staff have found it so much easier to locate information and collaborate seamlessly. It's revolutionised our document management system, providing a single source of truth for the organisation."
- Emma Storey, Project Coordinator - Collaboration, ACF
The Result
A central sanctuary for information and file management
Buzzing into action, "The Hive" has entirely transformed ACF's collaboration and file management, making it easier for staff to locate information and work together. Teams have restructured their document libraries for better organisation, creating a centralised workspace on SharePoint and Microsoft 365.
This has led to increased transparency, reduced internal queries and greater ownership over SharePoint sites, empowering content authors to refine their content. This has been a big win for SharePoint adoption as users are not only comfortable with the platform but have fully embraced its functionality.
“The impact of The Hive has been astronomical. Productivity has soared, with staff spending less time searching for information and more time on meaningful work. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with minimal disruptions post-implementation."
- Emma Storey, Project Coordinator - Collaboration, ACF
Now, there’s no more uncertainty, teams know exactly where to go when searching for files and the access to find files is quicker. There’s a central location to find and store files – nothing is left buried in emails. ACF’s new intranet with SharePoint Online is helping their team work together, better than ever before.
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