Dům dětí a mládeže Znojmo (The Youth Social Club in Znojmo): MS Office 365 Services Ensure Smoothly Running Operations
The reason we chose Infinity over any other company was their rich experience in both information systems and cloud services. In designing an information system for us, they took our requirements into account, going beyond their framework and suggesting a unique solution that could be further developed in the future. Jan Alexa, Deputy Director of the Youth Social Club in Znojmo
Task
To select and implement an appropriate system to support information management of the organization.
The main problems faced by the Youth Social Club in Znojmo included the lack of a central repository of documents, e-mail communication fragmented in private mailboxes, staff activities that were neither planned nor coordinated properly, and insufficient evaluation tools. As the number of interest groups and irregular events increased, so did the problems arising from the absence of a sophisticated information system. It was time for a decision about necessary changes.
Solutions
The services provided by means of Microsoft Office 365 meet the Youth Social Club’s sometimes conflicting requirements. It is a flexible information system, with extensive support, problem-free accessibility via the Internet, and low infrastructure demands.
The initial extensive and thorough pre-testing of MS Office 365 services at the Youth Social Club confirmed that the selected solution was definitely the right one. In the next stage, the draft solution was further developed to include the specific requirements typical for the organisation of the Youth Social Club activities, particularly the large number of users who need instant access the system regardless of the time and their actual location, including the option to work via mobile phones. The system had to contain a document repository, enable working with e-mail and calendars, and offer options for simple project management and workflow.
All these functions were included in a single solution that employees could access via an intranet portal. Other functions are accessible through published websites, both public and dedicated for specific closed communities of individual interest groups members.
The whole project, from the end of the testing phase through analyses and solution design to routine deployment of the system, spanned six months. This time period was required due to the busy schedules of employees, especially the external staff, rather than to the high complexity of the project.
Achievements
The new solution completely eliminated the existing problems. The aim of the solution was to develop an information system that would have a sufficient capacity to support the management of the Znojmo Youth Social Club in the scope of its existing activities and allow the organisation to thrive in the future.
The cloud solution, the process model of work, the possibility to further extend the system with new functions, and especially the low cost of the information system operation were all made possible with one MS Office 365 package. The single information system provides management with a sufficient amount of data to operate the organisation and make strategic decisions and makes communication among employees significantly easier and improves capacity planning.
The unifying element of the information system are two linked portals that are ergonomically well-designed work tools for employees and a transparent information environment for the young people who attend interest groups and their parents.
Business Impacts
The new information system provides management with a sufficient amount of data to operate the organisation and make strategic decisions and makes communication among employees significantly easier and improves capacity planning.