Our client is a motor racing team with three different operating companies, all located on the same campus. Each company had its own individual intranet.

The client was seeking a new unified SharePoint intranet to support a unified employee experience and foster a sense of connection with the overall brand, while also increasing productivity for key processes across all three individual operating companies.

A new unified SharePoint intranet

The client engaged us to work on the new project, recognising Content Formula’s expertise in creating world-class SharePoint intranets.

Working in partnership with the Communications & Marketing and IT functions, we held a number of online and in-person workshops across the business to identify requirements and detail user journeys.

We mocked up wireframes to further refine user journeys and iterate designs based on further user and stakeholder feedback. Once the final designs were agreed, we started to build the new solution.

Preserving unique branding

Our client wanted the new intranet to strongly reflect their highly distinctive corporate branding, helping to foster employee engagement and a sense of community at the group level.

We implemented a custom design that closely aligns with the client’s exciting brand identity and values, but without compromising on usability or core SharePoint features.

Keeping everything secure

The client had a complex set of security requirements, with the need to restrict access to some sensitive data and intellectual property across each operating company. However, we didn’t want to compromise on an overall attractive user experience and useful search facility.

Using a strict set of permissions and applying security trimming to search, the new intranet ensures only the right people can see appropriate content, while maintaining the overall simplicity and openness of the intranet and related search.

Customisations to deliver the perfect intranet

In order to meet highly specific needs across the different operating companies, we designed and built a number of custom web parts that focus on clear communications and improving processes.

These include an announcement web part that provides updates and notices across the overall client campus. Another custom web part details when the next racing event will be, as well as a countdown clock to generate excitement.

Searching for spare parts

The engineering side of the business has an enormous catalogue of small parts that users need to regularly access information on, but this data is stored in a separate system.

To increase the value of the intranet, we created a special parts finder web part, based on an integration with the client’s parts database. Now employees can easily search for parts information right from the intranet homepage, saving time and helping to drive adoption of the new intranet.

Increasing efficiency and supporting operations

In order to further increase efficiency and support employee productivity, we also implemented a custom web part that assigns a task list to certain roles such as engineers which can be viewed right from the homepage.

We also leveraged our existing library of Lightspeed components that complement and improve existing native SharePoint web parts to enable essential intranet features, including How Do I information to support operational know-how, and a People Finder tool, enabling connection right across the group.

A unique personalized experience

With a highly diverse workforce across different operating companies, the new intranet uses personalization and audience targeting to ensure there is a highly relevant experience based on the unique needs of each individual.

Users find updates and news relevant to them based on their profile; these are further refined with content recommendations based on the content they are visiting on the intranet. Users also leverage the Lightspeed App Launcher web part to get personalised and easy access to the tools they use every day.

Impact

The new intranet has been well received across the company. It delivers relevant information across group-level support departments as well as campus updates, while also supporting the unique needs of each operating company.

The new intranet is also proving to be a springboard to developing stronger employe engagement, providing a compelling platform for digital communications that strengthens employee connection with the distinctive group brand and across the separate operating companies.