CASE STUDY SCHWAN COSMETICS

A major difficulty that existed from the very beginning was the strict timing – the project had to be implemented within seven months. But other things fell along with this: the short conception and development time were also difficult. A concept had to be created within a very short time and the whole thing had to be realized in just a few weeks.

In addition, the editors faced a huge task. Within four weeks, colleagues from all departments had to enter, update and supplement “their” content in the new intranet. A tough time frame.

In the end, all these factors were decisive in choosing a so-called MVP approach. In the case of a Minimum Viable Product, users are deliberately provided with only a minimal solution for the time being, which, although it does not provide the entire range of functions, is suited to going live and to work with. Completion and expansion would subsequently take place in iterative steps after the go-live.

In addition, a special feature of this project was that it was first necessary to decide on the appropriate technology and platform. While it was clear from the beginning that SharePoint would build the technological basis, there were several possible options within this framework. During a proof-of-concept phase, we clarified whether we wanted to take the safe route with a classic and familiar SharePoint On Premises approach, or whether we wanted to enter the yet unknown world of SharePoint Online with its Modern Communication Sites.

The up-to-date, intuitive and very appealing user interface ultimately tipped the scales in favor of a SharePoint Online Communication Sites. Even though there were still some shortcomings in the functionality, which had to be compensated for by making adjustments via the new SPFx interface. In the end, this decision turned out just right. The enthusiasm and motivation of the editors were reflected in the very appealing result, which could be made available to the users with the go-live.

With the help of the third-party tool Nintex and various Office 365 tools such as Power Apps or Forms, several key processes and workflows were also implemented digitally. A solution for seminar registrations, a workshop order with Nintex Forms (where employees can report when repairs are needed), and a company-wide phone book with its own search were among the solutions implemented.

In order to move forward quickly, the project was based on an agile approach and the “think tank” principle. There were weekly face-to-face meetings to review workshop results and requirements and to evaluate these in terms of technical complexity and feasibility. This enabled rapid progress to be achieved.

To avoid having to reinvent the wheel over and over again, we designed the branding in such a way that it could be adapted to the corporate design of other companies under the Schwan-STABILO Group umbrella with minimal effort.

The advantages of the cloud project with SharePoint-Modern Sites were obvious: Easy usability for the editors; appealing contemporary individual design, in spite of a tight schedule; reusability of the design elements.