-What were the features of "ArielAirOne" that made you decide to adopt it?

The decision to adopt ArielAirOne was based on its Notes migration tool and the high degree of customizability of the application. We did not want to stop at migration, but rather to respond to the strong end-user demands in our culture. In this case, we felt that the other companies' products were only able to provide 50-60% of the customization we were looking for.

ArielAirOne's migration tool is very simple and easy to use, as all we had to do was follow the steps and each Notes document would be migrated in HTML. To begin with, the Notes documents had already been customized quite a bit, and we were concerned that it might interfere with the migration, but we were able to complete the migration smoothly with the standard functions.

To give an example of our original customization, our core system (ERP) is a product of another company, but it is located on an on-premise server environment, and we are able to link it to ArielAirOne through a replication function. Since there was an issue with the usability of that ERP product alone, we decided to handle workflows such as order-receipt and order-placement applications using ArielAirOne, which our on-site personnel are also familiar with, so that they can return to the ERP.

-Please tell us about your efforts to make the design easy for users to use.

We were conscious of high visibility. Instead of having information in a simple line of text, we used only the necessary information in text, and combined it with icons that can be visually recognized at a glance. After the transition, we designed the portal top page to consolidate the main information into one place. In the space for individual messages, the posts are arranged from the top to the bottom in order of date of dispatch, and unread messages are highlighted in red to avoid missing anything. Each submitted case can be marked with an icon of each company in the group, so that it can be used as a landmark.

The top of the application page is grouped so that the user can first select the type of application needed for a particular situation or field. Now, after selecting a scene or field, the specific workflow is divided by heading, in our own way of organization, making good use of the sub-portals.

-What do you need to do when there is a change in your organization?

Depending on the scale of the reorganization, the information is basically designed in such a way that it can be fixed in tandem with the automatic rotation of information. We sometimes receive requests for reordering of applications, reassignment of permissions, and so on. For example, if a department is eliminated and only the work is transferred to this department, we have to make adjustments to the workflow and apps that were created as templates.

Each application has its own department, so each department is included in the workgroup. We can also set up management groups that can be viewed at any time across the board.

In addition, at the request of the company, we have incorporated a module that allows users to see the stamping history on the application page screen. Of course, the workflow history is standard, but it would be easier to see at a glance if the design had a stamping column with approval marks.

-Your company has migrated the data from Notes, but the applications for approvals, etc., have been newly created in ArielAirOne. What is the reason for this?

Of course, we could have used the migrated Notes data and made it work on the application as is, but we had a workflow template created at the time of the migration, and we thought it would be a good opportunity to review the flow, so we decided to deploy a new workflow system in "ArielAirOne" and start using it. We decided to deploy a new workflow system with ArielAirOne and start using a new approval process. The data in Notes that was migrated was left in the form of past approval information and a database.

We are also using "ArielAirOne" for e-learning. What are some of your innovations?

Since e-learning courses are created for each group company, the number of courses has increased, but we made the list of test results visible so that both the individual and the supervisor can easily grasp the learning progress of the individual. The design of the system is designed to make it easy for both the individual and his/her supervisor to grasp the individual's learning progress. The learning content includes videos and PDF files that we have produced ourselves. The questions can be randomly set by the students.

-What were some of the difficulties you faced when migrating to Notes?

There were two patterns of Notes environments: an old one that runs under a client server environment, and a new one that runs under a web-based server environment. As I thought, the most difficult part was the data that was in the former client-server environment. We had to figure out how to extract the data and put it into a form that was easy to view, which ended up taking up a lot of time. If we had migrated the Notes data not as a database but as a working database, I don't think we would have been able to finish.

-What are some of the benefits of using ArielAirOne?

This is where the data is being brought in through inter-system integration. Especially personnel information, including transfers. Before, the system information staff really had to do the work manually, and it took a long time to respond and reflect it in the system, but now the biggest thing is that we can say, "It will change the next morning," due to the increased efficiency from the data linkage.

As mentioned earlier, the ERP we use is a system that requires some training just to input data, so although it is a great system, it is difficult to use from the perspective of users in the field, and the problem was that the data was not being input correctly. By linking with ArielAirOne, a groupware customized to our company's needs and familiar to us, we were able to make inputting easier, leading to substantial improvements.

Since we have already made various modifications to the system, we would like to keep it as it is and continue to utilize it in the future.

*This article is current as of April 2023.