Interview Participant:
Mr. Yukihiko Igarashi (Manager, Information Infrastructure Section, Information Systems Department)

Breaking away from siloed Notes

Please tell us about the issues your company was facing before introducing Ariel and how it was introduced.

We had been using Notes for more than 10 years, and had deployed everything in Notes, including e-mail, bulletin boards, workflow, and applications. However, there was no functionality that could be used in conjunction with each other without development, and each bulletin board and application existed in an independent form, creating a complete silo. In addition, there were many issues such as difficulty in finding what was in the system and where it was located, and not being aware of new postings.

These issues were common to the entire Alps Alpine Group, and in 2015 the group decided to adopt the new Microsoft Office 365 system. However, we came to the conclusion that it would be difficult to use SharePoint across the board because it lacked the functionality to create the kind of complex workflows we were looking for, so we began considering the introduction of a new workflow tool.

So, we decided to consider introducing a new communication tool, assuming that we would be able to do the database migration of Notes and the operation and development of the bulletin board in-house. While considering several products, we heard about Ariel from Works, and after several meetings and demonstrations, we decided to introduce it.

What were the selection criteria for the introduction of a workflow tool?

There were three main criteria for our selection. First, it had to be able to migrate from Notes to the database. We cannot afford to throw away existing data, so we placed importance on being able to migrate the Notes database that we have been using in some form. Second, ease of in-house development in workflow. In essence, we felt that the components were already in place and could be combined to some extent. Finally, we are currently using Active Directory as our internal user authentication infrastructure, and we wanted to be able to integrate with it. These were the three criteria for selection.

Please tell us why you selected Ariel and what were the deciding factors.

When we finally narrowed down the candidates to two companies and compared them in various ways, one of the reasons was that the other company's development screen seemed a little difficult to understand, but the biggest factor was that Ariel had a migration tool from Notes as a standard feature.

Ariel is equipped with a foundation for creating complex workflows

What were some of the challenges you faced in implementing the system?

Looking back on it now, it was quite difficult to develop the workflow in-house. Originally, we had about 10 workflows for approving requests for approval, etc., but we decided to add new workflows that were not possible with Notes and systemize them, so we had to create about 10 more workflows. The functional requirements for each of these workflows were more stringent than we had anticipated, and it took us a long time to complete the workflows because we had to repeatedly create, modify, create, and modify them. For example, we made it special so that the approval steps would change depending on who originated the form. We also added a function that allows for additional approval routes depending on the case. Although we have developed some of these functions in-house, it was difficult to create them all in-house without sufficient expertise, so we ended up outsourcing the development of these functions. Even so, I am still impressed with Ariel, which has the infrastructure to create such a complex workflow in the first place.

The other problem was that the migration of the bulletin board took longer than expected because of the difficulty in migrating user information, etc., even though there were data migration tools available. Nevertheless, we took inventory of the necessary and unnecessary bulletin boards in advance, and in the end, we were able to properly transfer all the data without any problems.

What measures did you take to spread awareness of the transition within the company?

Since the portal screen is viewed through a browser, we thought that there would be many parts that would become clear as we used the system, so we created a manual on how to use the portal for the bulletin board, although we did not hold a briefing session. As for the workflow, there were some parts that were new to us, so we held in-house briefings and prepared the manuals properly. Also, during the transition period of Notes, when people clicked on the icons of the Notes application or bulletin board, we put URL links on them so that they would know that they had been transitioned, and they could be directed to Ariel.

Integrated full-text search function to achieve the cross-functional search we were looking for

What changes have you seen since the introduction of the system?

We were able to consolidate the disorganized bulletin boards and create departmental pages on the site to categorize information. The most significant feature is the integrated full-text search function. From the beginning, we had talked about making it possible to perform full-text and cross-sectional searches similar to Google searches in order to facilitate the sharing of information within the company, so having a search function that is similar to that was the most significant change.

We have also been able to use functions that we were not able to use before, such as displaying banners for new topics and messages from the president, and notifying new arrivals when new internal newsletters are released, so I think the internal communication function has evolved more than before.

What specific changes have you made compared to the way information was disseminated internally in the past?

Until now, most notifications were sent by e-mail, so they ended up being personalized and could not be looked back on later. For example, even if a new communication as of the end of March was notified to all employees at once, it would not be sent to those who joined the company on or after April 1, which would have caused information fragmentation and discrepancies. If such notifications are stored in the application and can be viewed later, it will be possible to keep the information that should be kept, and I think this is an evolutionary step.

What is the current scope of use of Ariel and how is it being used? Please tell us how you are using Ariel and how it is differentiated from other products.

Basically, Ariel is the first point of entry in terms of total functionality. Workflow and other functions were originally not available in SharePoint, so we use Ariel there as well. Basically, we use the same SharePoint system not only for our company, but also for other group-wide information sharing situations.

How about the design of access privileges in the event of a transfer or organizational change?

Our HR system and the Ariel portal are linked to each other. We have a program that automatically imports organizational changes and employee transfers on a daily basis, and we have commissioned a program to automatically generate approval routes, which is very helpful because we can handle them without much operational intervention, just checking them. The fact that we can change the person in charge and handle temporary substitute approvals due to injury or illness is also very useful.

Portal that plays a major role in internal communication

We understand that you are also using the electronic conference room.

As part of our human resource development, we are implementing initiatives such as assigning tasks and sharing ideas through discussions on a dedicated page to which participants are granted access. Specifically, we use a document management application for managing assignments, an electronic conference room for discussions, and an application for communication notifications.

We heard that you are also using the bulletin board to promote internal messaging.

Yes, we use the contact notification in various ways, such as introducing the cafeteria menu and alerting people about fraudulent e-mails. We also use the email notifications to provide a link to the bulletin board, without much text, in order to consolidate the information. The top page of the portal is also designed in such a way that it catches the attention of visitors so that they can easily see that new information has been received.

The portal serves as a point of contact between employees and information within the company.

Yes, I do. I would not say all of them, but I still think they play a big part. We have about 20 portals by function right now, and we basically use them to create a conduit for easy access to bulletin boards by purpose. We also use an external video distribution service to upload videos of joint morning meetings and videos of on-site improvement cases, so we also include links to those videos.

Information sharing with overseas branches and purpose-specific portals are also in view.

What is your outlook for the future, and is there any scope you are thinking of expanding?

We have multiple overseas offices, and when we receive requests from overseas offices for information they would like to see, we need to set access rights so that only the necessary information can be shown to the necessary employees, and we need to create a dedicated overseas port in the first place. As for the bulletin boards that people want to see, it may become necessary to write in three languages (Japanese, English, and Chinese), so we are planning to make the menus available in all three languages.

Another feature that we have not fully utilized yet is the personal portal. Originally, we had the idea of allowing employees to bookmark their own frequently used applications and bulletin boards and create their own personalized screens once they become accustomed to using the portal, but unfortunately, we have not yet progressed that far. Another idea that employees have expressed is that it would be easier to understand if information on notifications and procedures related to life events such as enrollment and childbirth were organized somewhere by purpose, and we would like to reflect this in the portal. I think this is the ultimate goal of the portal, but ideally we want to make it so that people can find the information they want quickly. To that end, we would like to create a portal by purpose first. To improve convenience, we would like to be able to introduce chatbots and the like.

What do you expect from Works in the future, now that it has been in use for five years?

We would like to see the system continue to evolve. There is no particular basic functionality that we would like to see added, but we hope that you will continue to add new features and upgrades that we can see with our own eyes have changed and become easier to use.


*This article is current as of March 2022.