)){kind=small}
)){kind=small}
“Years ago, we already had the need to find all relevant information in one place, such as documents, administrative data, and audiovisual material,” says Rob de Haas from De Key. “But the right technology simply didn’t exist back then. Now it does. It’s web technology, the technology of SharePoint, the foundation for our Integral Corporation Portal.”
“SharePoint hasn’t been around for long, but a lot is possible with this web technology,” says Rob de Haas, Team Leader of Information Management at De Key in Amsterdam. “An organization that handles many different types of information, from documents and audiovisual material to construction drawings and neighborhood plans. My team ensures that De Key’s 450 employees have all the necessary information on time.
“There is a high demand for information, and it can be anything. For example, an overview of all tenants in a particular neighborhood. Vacancy overviews. Maintenance schedules or renovation plans. Management information for the executive team. In addition to all the data in the standard functionality, there is always new information needed. We try to provide that information as best as we can, through reports, graphs, or other means. Nowadays, we use SharePoint as the foundation for our real estate information system, our Integral Corporation Portal (ICP), which we developed together with QS solutions for housing corporations. It is modular and can be customized by corporations according to their needs.”
ICP
Centraal in ICP staan drie belangrijke functies: Complexbeheer, Projecten Nieuwbouw/Transformatie (renovatie) en Planmatig Onderhoud. De kracht van het
Central to ICP are three important functions: Complex Management, New Construction/Transformation Projects (renovation), and Planned Maintenance. The strength of the developed ICP is that it presents all kinds of information in one place. Each of the three functions must present the necessary information, but also inform each other about ongoing activities.
“ICP is a product for collaboration,” says De Haas. “SharePoint generates a large number of web pages and thus provides information in a very accessible way, which is essentially available to the entire organization. For Planned Maintenance, for example, employees need information. Not just the standard information about the location and tenants, but also historical information about previous maintenance, such as drawings, photos, or calculations. This information is digitally recorded and collected in the ICP.”
ICP also signals whether other processes are ongoing for the respective building or location. De Haas jokes, “We must prevent one department from planning large-scale maintenance while another department is preparing to demolish the building for new construction. ICP prevents a lot of costs and annoyance. Our offices are spread across the city, and that sometimes limits communication. Before 2007, we worked with information from standard source systems and presented graphical information via a PC. Documents and photos were available everywhere, and to track them down, we called each other. Employees who have been with us longer know who or where to go. But the younger ones don’t. You have to retain accumulated knowledge and be able to offer it again, but we really did that insufficiently.”
Training
Along with the implementation of the Integral Corporation Portal, the intranet was also converted to SharePoint web technology. The implementation of both applications went smoothly. De Haas didn’t spend much time on training because the operation of websites is familiar. “About 450 people now work with the new ICP and the new intranet. Most wanted to get started right away, but there was some resistance or the usual discussions about data ownership during development.” De Key’s employees can always turn to an internal trainer or follow one of the training sessions on interpreting information.
De Haas says, “Navigating and uploading data is easy. But interpreting the information sometimes requires guidance or a short training. The system does require more in terms of data entry, but by having all our data in one place, we save a lot of time later. All this makes the sense of added value very high, especially at the executive and directorial levels. ‘We should have had this earlier,’ I hear regularly.”
Collaboration
QS solutions and De Key collaborated to develop the Complex Management function into a technical concept. QS solutions configured SharePoint so that a website is automatically generated for each of De Key’s buildings. De Haas says, “We have 450 complexes, and each complex has its own website based on a template. When a new complex is added, SharePoint automatically generates a new website. It’s easy to generate websites and to present information from the source systems through one system. The databases are well-populated, and adding photos, illustrations, and videos is very easy for the employees themselves. QS solutions supports the maintenance and management of the new intranet and helps mature the ICP. The collaboration has been going very well for two years now, partly due to their good understanding of real estate projects.”
Future
The three ICP functions – Complex Management, New Construction/Transformation Projects, and Planned Maintenance – present the information. In the future, it should also be possible to change data via ICP. Another step De Haas wants to take is external accessibility. It should be possible to present parts of the information in ICP via SharePoint on a public website. This way, the organization can provide its customers with up-to-date information.
The organization is also considering making ICP accessible to external parties, such as architects and contractors. De Key works closely with them, and it is more efficient if, for example, construction drawings are uniformly and structurally stored in SharePoint’s document library. When an architect uploads a new construction drawing, all involved parties automatically receive an email about this action. De Haas also plans to use information from other relevant organizations’ websites in the future. “For example, district websites contain a lot of information about what is happening in the neighborhood. This information is very interesting for a housing corporation. I want to automatically retrieve and present this information in ICP. Also, think of the web capabilities of mobile phones; I can see an integration with our ICP happening. But it will take some time before we get there. We are now transferring everything to web technology, and then we will further develop our future plans. First, we need to lay the foundation well.”
Want to Know More?
Are you looking for an IT partner to work with you to improve your organization’s security and make employees as productive as possible? Let us know! Our experts are happy to help you get started.