Centre de services scolaire des Chênes (CSSDC) is a major player in the education sector in the Centre-du-Québec region, based in Drummondville. The organization has several hundred employees, spread across various administrative departments and establishments.
As part of its efforts to optimize the employee experience, the CSSDC launched a project to create its own intranet, with the aim of centralizing information, facilitating internal communication, and strengthening collaboration between its teams.
Business objectives
The CSSDC wanted to equip itself with a modern, scalable, and user-friendly intranet capable of meeting the needs of its employees and supporting the organization’s digital transformation.
The main objectives were:
- Centralize organizational resources and communications.
- Standardize document management and communication practices.
- Facilitate access to information for all departments and facilities.
- Promote employee engagement and recognition.
- Equip teams for better change management and effective adoption of the solution.
Proposed solution
Nexus Innovations assisted the CSSDC in designing and implementing an intranet based on Microsoft SharePoint. The process began with a detailed scoping exercise to clarify the scope of the project and align expectations through collaborative workshops. This scoping exercise enabled the client to visualize the various stages and validate the functional choices prior to development.
The solution includes:
- Publication sites for each administrative department, offering increased autonomy and customization.
- A local search feature, facilitating quick access to information specific to each department.
- An alert banner to instantly broadcast important messages to all staff, particularly during major events or emergencies.
- An employee recognition module, allowing you to highlight achievements and internal initiatives.
- Synchronization of the employee directory with internal tools, for simplified management of the organization chart and contacts.
- User guides tailored to different user profiles (administrators, super-users, collaborators), to support team training and autonomy.
Impact on the organization
The project unfolded in an atmosphere of trust and collaboration, with a project team committed from the outset. Nexus Innovations’ iterative delivery method allowed CSSDC to track project progress transparently, adjust priorities, and adopt the solution gradually.
The intranet quickly became a central tool for organizational communication, document management, and internal recognition. Customized features, such as the alert banner and recognition module, were particularly appreciated and helped to strengthen employee engagement and a sense of belonging.
Change management was facilitated by the training of internal “champions,” who were able to relay best practices and support their colleagues in adopting the solution. The organization was thus able to benefit from a smooth transition, despite the summer shutdowns typical of the education sector.
Adoption of the solution
The intranet was adopted incrementally, thanks to the constant involvement of the project team and rigorous milestone planning. Final training sessions, user guides, and the hypercare period ensured a smooth rollout and optimal adoption by key users.
The CSSDC demonstrated great maturity in managing the project, anticipating periods of downtime and adjusting the delivery schedule accordingly. The commitment of the project team members, who were present at every stage, was a key factor in the success of the initiative.
We carried out an intranet project with Nexus. They provided excellent support to help us design a high-performance tool for our organization. A great collaborative effort! Thank you!
Anne-Marie Janelle, Performance Office Manager, CSS des chênes
Project team
The project mobilized a team of specialists at Nexus Innovations, including:
- Alicia Villeneuve, Agile Project Manager
- Jacques-Alexandre Bergeron, Power Platform Specialist
- Jean-Philippe Beaulieu, Power Platform Specialist
Our team particularly appreciated the smooth collaboration with Anne-Marie Janelle, our main point of contact, William Ouellet for his excellent contract management, as well as Céline Bahl, Andréane Proulx, and Philippe Beaudoin, the key users and technical experts of this new intranet!
Alicia Villeneuve, Agile project Manager
