Client Story
Insight delivers a groundbreaking records management project for WA Government’s Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions
The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) brings together the Parks and Wildlife Service, Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority, Rottnest Island Authority and Zoological Parks Authority to protect and conserve Western Australia’s environment, biodiversity, cultural and natural values. DBCA is subject to Western Australia’s State Records Act 2000 which sets out information and records management requirements to ensure good governance and integrity.
However, the high cost of DBCA’s incumbent Electronic Document and Record Management System (EDRMS) was not cost effective and meant that not all DBCA employees had licences to access the system for record-keeping. The department decided to leverage its existing Microsoft E5 licensing, which covers 2,200 of its users, by building a new digital records management system based on the Microsoft SharePoint collaboration platform.
The department called the system Kaartdijin Mia, a term derived from the Noongar language, meaning ‘Knowledge Home.’ After undertaking some initial work itself, DBCA engaged Insight across the two-phase project.
With a solution that reaches the vast majority of users across DBCA, the department can now ensure all staff can keep records in accordance with the State Records Act. Furthermore, it allows users to easily move the content from collaborative SharePoint sites into Kaartdijin Mia.
Client industry: Public sector
Challenge: As a government agency, the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) is subject to the State Records Act 2000, which sets out information and records management requirements to ensure good governance and integrity.
The high cost of DBCA’s incumbent electronic document and record management system (EDRMS) was not cost effective and meant that not all DBCA employees had licences to access the system for record-keeping.
The project was multi-dimensional, requiring extensive, innovative and advanced technical stakeholder management skills across two phases to meet DBCA’s requirements. Our approach ensured this business-critical records management project was a resounding success.
Insight worked with DBCA and Microsoft to help deliver the first phase of the Kaartdijin Mia project which included addressing 600 functional business requirements DBCA had developed during its initial work on the project. DBCA then issued a request for tender before engaging Insight to help deliver the project’s second phase. Insight provided the following services to ensure the Kaartdijin Mia project met the department’s requirements.
Fully integrated systems
To help the department realise its records management objectives, Insight integrated the system with the full Microsoft 365 suite, including the Microsoft Purview portal. Utilising the Microsoft Power Platform, Insight built several process flows and applications to improve the management of content within Microsoft SharePoint, and undertook comprehensive testing to ensure the upgraded system operated as required.
Deep expertise
To deliver the project to the department’s strict deadlines and budgets, Insight’s role expanded to provide resources and expertise across Agile, Product Management, Information Management, Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Purview. Insight also assigned technical resources as needed to support a project that was breaking new ground for records management within the Western Australian Government.
Agile project management
During phase 2 Insight implemented agile project management methodologies, including scrums, to effectively manage the teams’ work on the project. Insight’s deep expertise and technical acumen overcame some formidable technical obstacles to the project, including a records disposition issue that had to be resolved for the new records management system to proceed.
One of Insight’s most important tasks was to give the DBCA team the skills to manage and further develop the new records management system. To facilitate this, the solutions integrator worked closely with the department on knowledge sharing and training in Microsoft SharePoint, PowerShell and deployment with Microsoft Azure DevOps. This enabled the team to operate the system effectively and efficiently.
“As a first of its kind for Western Australian Government records management, DBCA placed their full trust in Insight to deliver the Kaartdijin Mia project across a range of technical, product and project management criteria,” says Veli-Matti Vanamo, Chief Technology Officer, Insight APAC. "With our end-to-end partnership approach, we were able to navigate a complex regulatory and compliance environment to deliver a system poised for adoption across a range of state government departments and agencies."
Solution:
DBCA decided to leverage its existing Microsoft E5 licensing, which covers 2,200 of its users, by building a new digital records management system based on the Microsoft SharePoint collaboration platform.
Working closely with Insight, we have delivered on all the compliance requirements set down in our request for quotation and, with the new system being open-sourced and available to all agencies, we’re poised to raise the bar for records management in Western Australia.
Results:
DBCA went live with Kaartdijin Mia to the 300-strong user base of its previous records management system in May 2023 and is deploying the solution to an additional 2,000 users across the department over the next six to twelve months. Kaartdijin Mia is expected to provide DBCA with significant savings by moving from a traditional standalone records management system into a SharePoint system which leverages existing Microsoft licenses.
The department is the first Western Australian Government agency to use SharePoint for end-to-end records management. It was also the first to demonstrate to the government’s State Records Office that the new system met compliance and standards requirements.
Insight’s technical skillset has been great and the organisation has kept us on track with spending, including managing time and helping us figure out the most cost-effective way to get things done. We can also see that they’ve really wanted us to succeed.
DBCA went live with Kaartdijin Mia to the 300-strong user base of its previous records management system in May 2023 and is deploying the solution to an additional 2,000 users across the department over the next six to twelve months. The department then plans to extend the new records management system to statutory authorities through dedicated Kaartdijin Mia hub sites.
Kaartdijin Mia is expected to provide DBCA with significant savings by moving from a traditional standalone records management system into a SharePoint system which leverages existing Microsoft licenses.
The department is the first Western Australian Government agency to use SharePoint for end-toend records management. It was also the first to demonstrate to the government’s State Records Office that the new system met compliance and standards requirements. Subsequently, DBCA officials have conducted demonstrations with various other departments and agencies.
DBCA is now exploring opportunities to deliver seamless integration to KM across its SharePoint tenant, including the ability to create a record of a Teams conversation and export it as an uneditable PDF file in SharePoint.
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