Mitsubishi Steel

MSSC faced stability issues with their SharePoint 2007 and 2010 farms, which were crucial for content management and collaboration across the organization. The challenge was to migrate these farms to a new SharePoint 2013 environment while retaining all content, site designs, forms, and existing workflows without any business interruption. Additionally, the migration pathway was complex, requiring an interim upgrade through SharePoint 2010 due to compatibility requirements.

Our comprehensive approach included:

• Deep Assessment: Evaluated the health and configuration of the older farms, addressing any existing issues and removing outdated or incompatible solutions.
• Strategic Migration: Collaboratively planned and executed a phased migration strategy to transition content first to SharePoint 2010, then to the final 2013 farm, ensuring no data loss.
• Regular Updates: Maintained clear and consistent communication through weekly updates, allowing MSSC to stay informed on progress and participate in decision-making.
• Custom Branding and Enhancements: Applied custom branding aligned with MSSC’s public site aesthetic and enhanced the information architecture with our custom web applications such as Mega Menus and Simple Tabs for improved navigation.
• Modernized Infrastructure: Replaced outdated dashboards with modern, user-friendly interfaces and data integration methods for better user experience.

The migration to SharePoint 2013 was successfully completed with zero business disruption, resulting in a single, robust SharePoint farm that stabilized the company’s content management and collaboration infrastructure. Post-migration, SimpleSharepoint has continued to support MSSC with managed SharePoint services, offering proactive troubleshooting and strategic IT consulting. This partnership has allowed MSSC to refine their IT operations and focus more effectively on their core business activities.

Custom Applications Developed

• CARs (Corrective Action Record/Defective Materials Notifications): Standardized the handling process across three plants with workflows for notifications at each step.
• Metallurgical Requests: Replaced an outdated Excel tracking system with a SharePoint application that notifies the lab of new requests and allows for status tracking via a dashboard.
• PSR (Prototype Service Request): Automated the service request workflow, redesigning from an older InfoPath form to streamline reviews and approvals.
• OTP (Okay to Proceed): Developed to replace an older system, improving the approval process with a multi-stage workflow that alerts each approver when action is needed.

This strategic overhaul and continuous improvement of SharePoint systems have positioned MSSC to leverage their IT investments more effectively while enhancing operational efficiencies.