Luminate

Luminate Education Group faced several challenges before partnering with Corporate Project Solutions (CPS). The primary issues included:

1. Disjointed intranet systems: Luminate had multiple systems across its member organisations, which led to fragmented communication and inefficiencies. Leeds Conservatoire was on a separate Microsoft 365 tenant, causing access complications.
2. Branding and identity: Each member organisation had its own branding and identity, making it difficult to create a unified intranet that retained individual identities while promoting group-wide collaboration.
3. Content migration: Migrating existing content from various intranet systems to a new unified platform was a significant challenge.

CPS provided a comprehensive solution to address these challenges:

CPS implemented a hub and spoke design for the intranet and utilised SharePoint Online hub site features. The Luminate Education Group site served as the central hub and individual member sites were connected as spokes. This design allowed each member organisation to retain its branding, identity and news, while ensuring seamless access to group-wide information. With the rich communication features and customisable design of SharePoint Online, the platform was quickly identified as the place Luminate Education Group could create a modern intranet.

To address the issue of Leeds Conservatoire being on a separate SharePoint domain, Luminate implemented cross-tenant synchronisation. This enabled Leeds Conservatoire users to access the same intranet with their existing Microsoft 365 accounts.

CPS utilised Power Automate to streamline the content migration process, significantly reducing the time and effort required.

David Warren, Group Vice Principal for Development at Luminate, said:

CPS has been an excellent partner throughout the entire project. Their expertise in Microsoft solutions and their alignment with our values made them the perfect choice for us.

The project was executed through a series of workshops and collaborative sessions, which played a crucial role in ensuring the success of the intranet implementation. These sessions were designed to gather requirements, define the vision and ensure alignment between Luminate Education Group and Corporate Project Solutions

1. Project kick-off meeting: The project kick-off meeting set the stage for the implementation, outlining objectives, success criteria and next steps.
2. Vision and personas workshop: CPS conducted a workshop to define the vision, purpose and goals of the new intranet, as well as identify key personas involved.
3. Communication workshop: CPS led a workshop to identify the communications channels and configuration across Luminate and its member organisations.
4. Personalisation workshop: Design-based workshop to develop the intranet homepage, page templates and overall branding.
5. Governance and security workshop:  Workshop to determine rules, process and security requirements for the new intranet.
6. Content creation and migration: CPS worked closely with Luminate to migrate existing content and create new content for the intranet.

Tom Short, Modern Work Architect at CPS and technical lead for this project, highlighted the collaborative nature of the project.

The new intranet has had a positive impact on Luminate Education Group:

1. Improved communication: The unified intranet has enhanced communication across the organisation, providing a single source of truth for news, policies and documents.
2. Increased engagement: Staff members are actively using the intranet to access information and collaborate with colleagues.
3. Efficiency and productivity: The streamlined access to information and resources has improved efficiency and productivity across the organisation.

The implementation of the new intranet has had a significant positive impact on Luminate Education Group, leading to enhanced communication and increased engagement across the organisation. One of the most notable improvements has been in communication. Prior to the implementation, Luminate faced challenges with fragmented communication due to the existence of multiple systems. This made it difficult for staff to access consistent and up-to-date information. With the new unified intranet, communication has been streamlined, providing a single source of truth for news, policies and documents. This has greatly improved the flow of information across the organisation, ensuring that all staff members are on the same page and have access to the latest updates.

The new intranet has also played a crucial role in increasing engagement among staff members. The ability to access a centralised platform for information and collaboration has encouraged staff to actively use the intranet. The user-friendly design and personalised content have made it easier for staff to find relevant information and engage with their colleagues. This fostered a sense of community and collaboration within the organisation.

In addition to improving communication and engagement, the new intranet has also had a positive impact on efficiency and productivity. The streamlined access to information and resources has reduced the time and effort required for staff to find the information they need. This has allowed staff to focus more on their core responsibilities and less on administrative tasks. The intranet’s integration with Microsoft Teams and Viva Connections has further enhanced productivity by providing seamless access to tools and resources within the same platform. This has made it easier for staff to collaborate and work more efficiently.

Staff members have expressed their appreciation for the improved access to information and the ability to collaborate more effectively. The analytics built into the system have also provided valuable insights into user behaviour, allowing Luminate to continuously improve the intranet based on user feedback.