Making remote work possible
Improving collaboration via implementation of a Digital Collaboration Suite.
The Client
Go8 University
The Challenge
A series of natural disasters from Dec 2019 to January 2020, and the onset of the pandemic, rapidly accelerated the need for university staff to work remotely while effectively managing the crisis response and preserving business continuity where possible across teaching, learning, research and essential services. A Critical Incident Management Team was established to coordinate key personnel from across all areas of the university to manage activities within five key workstreams: teaching, research, facilities and services, staff wellbeing and finance.
Our Approach
A Digital Collaboration Suite (DCS) was established and personnel rapidly upskilled by key members of the DDP team, enabling a fully remote/hybrid collaboration for the emergency response. This MVP system was initially utilised by ~140 staff, but by the time it was fully implemented, it became the work hub for more than 550 staff. A new Teams Site was established for the entire Critical Incident Management Team including OVC/Executive, and general channels were established for collaboration across overarching crisis management efforts. Private channels were also established for each individual response workstream and executive team.
Key Outcomes
The suite of collaboration tools was made available to each team to provide a consistent experience and maximise efficiency. Flexible training options were also provided to encourage adoption and maximise effectiveness.
Meetings & Communication
Public chats to quickly share information with all members of the Critical Incident Management Team, and private chats for confidential discussions.
Video calls or text chats between individuals and teams, with user-tagging functionality for targeted messaging in posts.
Team & Project Management
Each workstream channel has its own OneNote notebook with templates for meeting agendas and minutes.
MS Excel integration is used for a Risk and Issue Register.
Collaboration & Information Sharing
SharePoint enabled real-time collaboration on documents, with in-built access and version control, track changes and disaster recovery.
Websites content was created and integrated as tabs with workstream channels providing quick and easy access to key information.
Visual Task Management & Reporting
Trello Kanban boards are set up within each workstream channel for visual task management.
Workstream Kanban boards are linked to the Executive Kanban board for tiered reporting and task monitoring.
