Stonewater has gone live with a new SharePoint-based EDRM integrated with its MIS-AMS housing management system.
With over 32,500 homes and more than 70,000 customers, Stonewater generates huge amounts of data and documentation. A systems review determined that its existing data handling solutions were starting to feel clunky, with inefficient processes, a lack of functionality and limited remote access. The holy grail was to be able to manage documents and records in a way that would ensure compliance with all data laws while making information fully accessible to staff and customers across a range of locations and within a mobile context.
Stonewater’s programme board approved the business case for an innovative plan to replace its Documotive EDM, e-post and invoice processing system with a fully digital document and records management system, electronic post system and purchase to pay solution using Microsoft’s SharePoint platform, fully integrated with the housing provider’s existing MIS Active Housing Management System.
Application development partners Blacklight Software and technical and project delivery advisors 3C Consultants worked alongside Stonewater’s internal team to map out and deliver the transition over an 18-month period.
Despite the impact of coronavirus and the lockdown, Stonewater’s new system went live across the organisation in early June 2020. The housing provider said that its secure, cloud-based solution with robust access management control is ground-breaking in the sector, it being one of the first to fully migrate away from its legacy EDRM provider.
Amit Patel, director of IT, Stonewater’s, said, “It’s an amazing achievement to have migrated all of our data, encompassing housing, assets, development, finance and corporate services, from Documotive to our SharePoint platform.
“Our extended project team should be proud of getting us over the line in the most challenging of circumstances. For the last four months of the project, we have been working remotely, adding an extra layer of difficulty, not least in ensuring our 500+ end-users were trained on our new system through our digital training platform.”
