EDUCATION
Eduvos: Higher Education Digital Transformation
Archived 2 failed intranets, migrated 50 000+ documents into a structured, scalable digital workspace spanning 13 campuses countrywide
- October 2023 - December 2024
- SharePoint Online, Information Architecture
Client Profile
Eduvos is South Africa's leading private higher education institution with 13 campuses nationwide, serving thousands of students with diverse academic programs. Prior to our engagement, they had experienced two failed intranet implementations.
Quick Stats
50,000+
Documents Migrated
4 Months
To launch over 1000 people
1 069 493
Site visits since launch
Solution Highlights
- Hub-based architecture with dedicated departmental hubs
- Academic staff recruitment tracker with Power Automate workflows
- Policy Centre with workflow-based review and approval cycles
- Dedicated Staff and Student Intranets
The Challenge
Eduvos was struggling with information management across its rapidly expanding network of 13 campuses. After two separate failed intranet implementations, their information architecture had become unmanageable with over 150,000 documents scattered across disconnected systems, causing significant duplication and preventing effective knowledge sharing between academic and administrative departments.
Staff couldn't locate critical resources, students were accessing staff information, and information governance was inconsistent across campuses. This created significant operational inefficiencies, delayed decision-making, and hampered collaboration between departments. The organization needed a solution that could unite its distributed workforce while maintaining appropriate governance controls.
Key Pain Points
- Two previous failted intranet implementations had created user skepticism
- 150,000+ documents scattered across disconnected systems with significant duplication
- Inconsistent information governance across 13 campuses
- Staff unable to find critical resources needed for day-to-day operations
- Siloed information preventing collaboration between academic and administrative departments
"Thank you for the superb work and efforts on our intranet site. I have only heard raving reviews from all staff who have seen it. We are most grateful for our partnership. Look forward to further connecting with you wrt my "to-do" list.
- Siegie Brownlee, CEO
Our Approach
We began with a comprehensive assessment of Eduvos's information ecosystem, identifying content types, workflows, and organizational structures. Rather than attempting a "big bang" implementation, we developed a phased approach that would deliver immediate value while establishing a sustainable foundation for ongoing digital transformation.
Working closely with stakeholders from both academic and administrative departments, we designed a hub-based architecture that reflected the organizational structure while facilitating cross-departmental collaboration. This was complemented by a robust governance frameword that established clear ownership and accountability.
Technical Solution Components
- Hub-based Architecture with dedicated hubs for Academics, Operations, Finance, HR, Marketing and Student Affairs
- Custom Document Taxonomy and Metadata Schema aligned with higher education information management standards
- Audience Targeting to deliver personalized content based on campus location and department
- Academic Staff Recruitment Tracker using SharePoint lists with Power Automate workflows
- Policy Centre with workflow-based review and approval cycles
- SharePoint Information Architecture best practices to eliminate content duplication
- Content Migration Framework with organizing principles to improve findability
- Governance Structure with site owners across 11 departments and 3 subject areas of Enrolment, Project Management and Quality Management.
Implementation Process
- Discovery and Assessment: Comprehensive analysis of existing information architecture, content inventory, and user needs
- Architecture Design: Development of hub-based structure and information organization framework
- Core Platform Build: Implementation of base information architecture and governance model
- Content Migration: Phased migration of content from legacy systems with metadata enrichment
- User Training: Comprehensive training program for both end users and site owners
- Launch and Optimization: Controlled rollout with continuous improvement based on user feedback
Business Impact
The implementation transformed Eduvos's digital workplace, creating a cohesive information ecosystem that spans all 13 campuses. Staff now have access to a single source of truth for institutional information, while departmental tams benefit form collaboration spaces tailored to their specific workflows. The solution has dramatically improved findability, reduced duplication, and strengthened governance.
Measurable Results
- 150,000+ documents consolidated into a structured, searchable repository
- 70% reduction in duplicate content accross the organization
- 334,000+ site visits from more than 1,000 users since launch
- 13 campuses united in a single digital workplace
- Direct commendation from CEO for transformative impact
- Sustainable governance model with trained site owners across the organization
- Elimination of countless email attachments with governed document librarier
- Real-time visibility into cross-campus initiatives through National Projects Hub
"Thank you for your amazingness and for ALWAYS ALWAYS being willing to assist."
- Nerina Bester, National Manager: Academics
Technical Spotlight
A particularly innovative aspect of the Eduvos implementation was the development of a custom academic staff recruitment tracking system. This system integrated SharePoint lists with Power Automate workflows to streamline the end-to-end recruitment process, from initial job posting through onboarding.
The solution replaced a previously manual, email-based process with a structured workflow that improved visibility, reduced processing time, and ensured consistent documentation accross all recruitment activities. Key features included conditional approval routing, automated notifications, and integration with HR onboarding procedures.
Technologies Leveraged
- SharePoint Online
- Microsoft Power Automate
- Microsoft Teams integration
- SharePoint Information Architecture
- SharePoint Search
- Power BI for analytics
South African Business Context
The implementation addressed several challenges specific to the South African higher education landscape. These included accommodating varying levels of technical infrastructure across urban and rural campuses, ensuring compliance with South African educational regulatory requirements, and supporting multilingual content needs for the diverse student and staff population.
Local Compliance Considerations
- Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) compliance for student and staff data
- Council on Higher Education (CHE) documentation requirements
- South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) standards
