ACADEMIC WORK - Streamlining international teamwork with a customized meeting management system
Background
Founded by three students in 1998, Academic Work helps students and young professionals connect with work opportunities at the beginning of their careers. Today, they are one of the largest staffing and recruitment companies in Sweden with offices in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Germany, and Switzerland.
During their monthly meetings, Academic Work collects notes and feedback from over one thousand employees. However, given the high volume of employees from different countries and industries, managing, locating, and sharing meeting files and notes was becoming a real challenge. Academic Work contacted us at Fastdev to help them find a way forward.
Challenge
When we first met with Academic Work, they were storing their meeting minutes, lists, and notes in multiple programs including Word, OneNote, and Notepad. Without a central collection point, it was easy for valuable information to get lost, and difficult to maintain unity and efficiency between international team members.
Since there were no pre-existing programs that could address their unique set of needs, Academic Work asked us to develop a tailored solution from scratch.
Solution
We developed a unique meeting management system. The system not only makes the process of sharing files and locating meeting notes more efficient, but also makes it easier to keep track of each individual employee’s goals and performance.
The meeting management system is a Single Page Progressive Web Application that integrates with Academic Work’s Active Directory. Users can schedule meetings with team members, add agenda points and meeting notes, delegate actions, and get an overview of past and future meetings in an activity log. The system allows users to access and add to it continuously, whether or not internet access is available.
Results
Academic Work’s decision to invest in a custom-made solution has paid off. Since launching their new meeting management system, Academic Work’s management team and employees have experienced great results. Now, all of the information they need is easily accessible and nothing is ever lost or forgotten. The system has also made it easier to collaborate with colleagues, and prepare ahead of time for more efficient meetings.
“There’s a good level of competence on the [Fastdev] team,” says Christofer Sjöberg, Product Owner at Academic Work. “This is evidenced by their fast pace of development, the quality of their deliveries, and their problem solving skills.”
The user activity screen provides an overview of past team meetings, performance reviews and meeting-related to do lists.
The meeting management screen lets meeting administrators manage upcoming meetings, add agendas, and delegate tasks to other meeting attendees.
The team management screen allows administrators to assemble and define different teams.
