Kissling & Zbinden: Centralized project work in "Projektraum 365"

In collaboration with novaCapta, Kissling & Zbinden have implemented 'Projektraum 365,' which significantly simplifies collaborative project work through centralization and automation – also thanks to connection with the ERP system. Furthermore, Microsoft Intune & Defender enable comprehensive endpoint management and security. 
 

Project processing and invoicing were previously handled in a traditional manner using file servers and emails, leading to a lack of standardization and a proliferation of documents 

The tools used had no connection to the ERP system (project management) 

Structuring project metadata must be able to be set globally and individually 

A comprehensive technological change requires sustainable support for employees 

Lack of standardized endpoint management due to the use of different solutions

Introduction of "Projektraum 365" based on Microsoft Teams with pre-built templates (novaworxx), connected through an interface to the existing ERP system 

Development of a Canvas App for managing project metadata 

Automation of invoice filing using Power Automate 

Implementation of Microsoft Intune & Defender for comprehensive endpoint management 

Simplified collaboration, both internally and with external partners, and transparent communication through a central hub for all projects (primarily construction projects) 

Employee relief through process automation 

Cost savings and increased security through the implementation of Microsoft Intune & Defender 

Long-term construction projects generate a substantial amount of documents that need to be kept up-to-date and monitored at all times. At Kissling & Zbinden, a separate folder was manually created and maintained on Fileserver for each construction project, with communication and collaboration occurring through traditional email methods. Recognizing that this approach was no longer up-to-date and required significant effort, Kissling & Zbinden sought a faster and automated solution. After deciding on Microsoft 365, they got novaCapta on board as an experienced Microsoft partner. 

Together, Kissling & Zbinden and novaCapta designed the comprehensive "Projektraum 365" based on Microsoft Teams. In intensive workshops, the information architecture and necessary Teams templates were defined, and concepts for icons, metadata, and search were developed. The solution is structured as follows: Each construction site (= project) receives its own Teams workspace, provisioned with the in-house novaCapta tool novaworxx – including Lifecycle & Governance.

All communication, document storage, and collaborative editing take place within these individual Teams. To maintain an overview of the large number of documents, there is a central document search center based on Github PnP Search and SharePoint, pre-filtered for each Teams workspace and added as an additional Teams tab. 

Before Teams could be used as the central collaboration tool for all active construction projects, existing documents had to be migrated from Fileserver to Teams. novaCapta provided support with analysis, concepts, roadmaps and guiding of the migration process. The migration itself was carried out by K&Z using ShareGate. The move to the Cloud now facilitates document sharing with external partners and enables mobile access directly on the construction site. Previously, RDS, a interruption-sensitive remote solution, had to be used, or necessary documents had to be printed and carried in folders – or the documents had to be locally stored. 
 

Two special features distinguish "Projektraum 365" by Kissling & Zbinden: 

• novaworxx is connected to the Kissling & Zbinden ERP system through an interface. This allows the creation and management of (new and existing) Teams, including Lifecycle and Governance, to be carried out by the secretariat – completely automated and with minimal manual effort. The archiving of Teams is also done directly from the ERP system through the secretariat. 

• Project metadata is globally available for all construction projects to ensure consistency. However, different, project-specific metadata is required, managed by the respective project manager. For this purpose, a Canvas App based on the Power Platform has been implemented. This app is pre-filtered for each Teams workspace and added as a Teams tab, allowing the project manager to handle specific metadata for their project. 

During the course of the project, it became evident that the ongoing manual invoice verification and filing could no longer keep pace with "Projektraum 365." Therefore, novaCapta automated this process based on SharePoint and Power Automate: All invoices are stored in SharePoint and tagged with a status indicator.

Daily, project managers receive an aggregated list of all invoices relevant to them for approval. Thanks to a workflow, the approved invoice documents are automatically filed in the respective Teams workspace after successful approval. 

 In addition to "Projektraum 365," Kissling & Zbinden also introduced Microsoft Intune for comprehensive endpoint management. After an initial phase in which both company-owned and private mobile devices were configured, the onboarding of approximately 200 Windows devices was the next step. The challenge lay in the diversity of different systems and their interdependencies. To ensure a smooth user experience, devices were integrated using a hybrid approach. The previously entirely manual configuration, often labor-intensive, especially with specialized software, now runs much more automated thanks to Autopilot. 

Working hand in hand with Intune is Microsoft Defender. Due to this efficient integration and cost savings through existing licenses, novaCapta replaced the previously used third-party solution Managed Antivirus with Defender. This allows security policies to be deployed via Intune, and vice versa, threat alerts are also received there – a win-win situation with significantly increased security. Another step towards tool consolidation: Automatic Windows updates are now also managed through Intune.

The transition to a new way of working should always be accompanied by comprehensive change management to achieve a lasting transformation among all employees. Therefore, novaCapta supported the implementation of "Projektraum 365" with various change measures: from developing a Key User concept to end-user training and intensive communicative support (communication measures and matrix, as well as providing instructions). 

"Projektraum 365" has now been successfully implemented, but the collaboration with novaCapta does not end there. For 2024, Kissling & Zbinden has commissioned Managed Services to further relieve their IT department. Additionally, the goal in the IT infrastructure is "Cloud only," so the necessary steps for this transformation still need to be taken.

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