Resource Management Case Study with the Light Rail Knowledge Team

Challenge

The Light Rail Knowledge Development Team was required to provide an online library of lessons learned and supporting resources to industry stakeholders as a condition for pilot project funding from the Department for Transport. The team needed a reliable, professional, simple to use platform that could be customised to meet requirements for user access, resource management, and internal navigation. The goal was to create a Learning Hub resource site, with managed access for interested parties, in an easily navigable format.

Cause

Other suppliers systems did offer the flexibility to create eye catching templated sites, but with fairly limited resource and data management structures behind the scenes. Crucially, other platforms did not offer comprehensive security and access restriction arrangements, such as specifying team/group level story access and different levels of editor permission. Network Rail required a recognised and trusted corporate level brand, that could provide professional product support on a long term basis.

Solution

SharpCloud has allowed the Light Rail Knowledge Development Team to create a professional, easily accessible library of online resources available to industry stakeholders at both national and international level. Internally, the platform is already accessible to all company employees, making review and input from other areas of the business a relatively seamless process, and for external parties, we are able to manage individual user requests, and provide access to specific story areas tailored to user interests.

Benefits

Ultimately, we have been able to meet our objective set by the Department for Transport, for making valuable learning resources available to the wider industry and effectively promote the Tram Train concept as a whole. A wider benefit is that the Light Rail Knowledge Team and Network Rail as a whole is represented professionally at an international level. Easy to use, accessible systems with dedicated product support, help deliver a high quality service to our customers and stakeholders.

“The Light Rail Knowledge Team and Network Rail as a whole is represented professionally at an international level. Easy to use, accessible systems with dedicated product support, help deliver a high quality service to our customers and stakeholders.”

Alex Dodds, Light Rail Knowledge Manager

Challenges

The Light Rail Knowledge Development Team was required to provide an online library of lessons learned and supporting resources to industry stakeholders as a condition for pilot project funding from the Department for Transport.
The team needed a reliable, professional, simple to use platform that could be customised to meet requirements for user access, resource management, and internal navigation, amongst other factors.
The goal was to create a Learning Hub resource site, with managed access for interested parties, in an easily navigable format.

Cause

Other suppliers systems did offer the flexibility to create eye catching templated sites, but this was mainly ‘eye candy’ at surface level, with fairly limited resource and data management structures behind the scenes.
Crucially, other platforms did not offer comprehensive security and access restriction arrangements, such as specifying team/group level story access and different levels of editor permission.
Other providers products seemed to be more geared to individual website creators and small businesses, whereas Network Rail required a recognised and trusted corporate level brand, that could provide professional product support on a long term basis.

Solution

For external parties, we are able to manage individual user requests, and provide access to specific story areas tailored to user interests. We are also able to monitor access permissions and site usage on an ongoing basis, which can inform where we make updates and improvements and how we manage ongoing user access in the medium to long term.

SharpCloud has also facilitated the creation of a layered story hierarchy, incorporating fluid forwards backwards navigation, thanks to the application of widgets as internal story links.

The main difference initially observed in using SharpCloud, has been the level of interest in system usage taken by the customer success team and developers in how their product is being used. Few other developer platforms offer this level of cyclic two way feedback, and not on such a detailed and repeat basis.

The level of honesty in terms of system capability has been a welcome benefit, and the customer and development teams have embraced innovative work rounds where site alterations would not be commercially viable.

While templated systems will never offer universal flexibility, all basic requirements for resource, media storage, and display have been met through using SharpCloud.

SharpCloud has taken on board our specific client requirements, and worked with us to meet the business need.

Benefits

Ultimately, we have been able to meet our objective set by the Department for Transport, for making valuable learning resources available to the wider industry and effectively promote the Tram Train concept as a whole.
This was demonstrated most effectively by the receipt of a Global Light Rail Award for the Learning Hub site in the category of ‘Project of the Year Under €50m’.
The positive user feedback and international level awards increase our exposure to stakeholders across the industry, generating more interest in the concept, and a wider user base
The SharpCloud platform is already an integral part of the Network Rail business. It is a credible, professional, commercial level system, with a proven track record of supporting business needs within various discipline areas.

From a Light Rail knowledge Team perspective, the system flexibility and user editable functions are of particular benefit. These allow team level management/updates as the platform is developed, without the need for dedicated IT support, or complex data interfaces.
From an organizational perspective, having an internal team already allocated to SharpCloud promotion/support has been a great help. This has promoted a level of engagement between user/supplier that may not have been possible if we had been starting from scratch.
A wider benefit is that the Light Rail Knowledge Team and Network Rail as a whole is represented professionally at an international level. Easy to use, accessible systems with dedicated product support, help deliver a high quality service to our customers and stakeholders. Without this level of ongoing support/input, we may not have been able to achieve the high levels of user satisfaction received in the most recent round of stakeholder surveys.