Agile project organization for SharePoint implementation

The management of the wholesale and production company WULFF used the development of a Microsoft-based intranet to promote their internal communication and at the same time gain experience in agility. Employees from various departments of the company worked with developers and agile moderation from noventum consulting to develop the first stages of a SharePoint, as it is increasingly being used by medium-sized and smaller companies. The plan is that employees from the company headquarters and delivery locations will be able to use further expansion stages of the intranet step by step in the future.

Better networking of complex corporate structures with intranet offerings

The family-owned company WULFF, with its headquarters in Lotte, Westphalia, and nine branches throughout Germany, has been a "friend of the trades" for more than 130 years and is a leader in supplying companies in four trades: the painting trade, the decorating trade, the carpentry trade and the installation trade. WULFF GmbH employs over 200 people to market its own products and a wide range of other tools and materials. The company supplies its customers directly and even to construction sites. More than 80 delivery vehicles are on the road every day. Time and operational planning are decisive factors for success. This raises questions of logistics and communication. In the future, an intranet based on Microsoft SharePoint technology is to improve and facilitate work and the exchange among each other.

The requirements for a first stage of expansion of the intranet were:

• News can be posted regularly (e.g. by the company management)
• Information about the company can be shared (from departments)
• everyone can read about what departments and locations are involved with and which employees are responsible for them
• Important documents are centrally accessible
• Praise point where employees can praise their colleagues for all to see

SharePoint planning in good hands in the agile team

noventum's IT consultants have been assisting companies of all sizes with the planning and implementation of Microsoft SharePoint technology for many years. The wide range of requirements for the performance spectrum of an intranet, which arise in the various departments of a company, often lead to very heterogeneous planning teams. At WULFF GmbH, representatives from marketing, IT, human resources and management were also involved in the creation of the first expansion stage of the intranet. From the beginning, there was a desire to manage the project in an agile manner, thus integrating the diversity of shareholders and gaining experience for future agile projects. Managing partner Alexander Israel had been waiting for a good opportunity to try out agile methods in his own company for some time and was delighted to be able to carry out this project with the noventum Collaboration team. SharePoint developers Marvin Beckonert and Kai Gräwe were responsible for the technical part, Dina Sibai moderated and managed the agile process.

With the noventum process model "Agile Working", the framework for the iterative development process was set. The wishes of the departments and the management were defined in an overview workshop. The noventum SharePoint developers could start working after responsibilities and sequence of development were defined. The team members from the different departments of WULFF GmbH were involved in the agile development process from the beginning and could actively shape it. The first pages of the new intranet were developed, tested and passed on to the next development stage.

Learning by doing: Agile working convinces in practice

Agile project work needs tools and these were also used in the intranet project of Wulff GmbH. The creation of a backlog, the formulation of user stories and the step-by-step walk through the agile meetings demonstrated to all participants how goal-oriented and efficient agile teams can work.

The noventum consultant Dina Sibai moderated all teams in rotation with a young colleague and also made sure that all agile rules were adhered to. In this way, the project was driven forward in a targeted manner and, at the same time, everyone involved was able to learn how to work in an agile manner. The intranet development project was successfully completed at a manageable cost and was also a complete success as a test of the new organizational form.

Wulff GmbH continues to be agile

Enthusiastic about the possibilities of agile working, future projects will also be carried out in this method. The company WULFF is participating in a sustainability project of the district of Steinfurt (ÖkoProfit) and will tackle its contribution in an agile team. Dina Sibai will also be there in a supportive capacity. "We were thrilled by the speed with which the agile project was driven forward with noventum. The fun as well as the efficiency and commitment with which all participants worked on the project convinced us to continue on the path of agile working methods in the company," says managing partner Alexander Israel, summing up his experience. "We will build up our own competence step by step and expect a lot from it." The development of competence and the parallel project implementation follow an extended process model that noventum consultants have developed.

more Informationen

Thank you for your interest in noventum the noventum information technology consultancy!

If you would like to find out even more about SharePoint with Microsoft O365 or about Agile Management, you will find information and contacts here.