Case study: EDF Energy created a Collaboration Hub using SMART Meeting Pro Software and SMART Boards, building a highly effective and well-used collaboration space, popular with different teams and with the potential to be introduced to other EDF Energy offices.

1. EDF Energy, London/UK
Enhanced Collaboration and Training
for EDF Energy
Embedding processes and collaboration environment, the challenge
guidelines into hearts and minds for EDF Energy was to deliver the same
benefits within their own offices, as
EDF Energy runs an internal control Simon describes:
improvement programme, disseminating
EDF Energy’s corporate standards and “The sessions at Ernst & Young were
helping departments to improve their a great success and we were very
understanding of the processes and impressed not only by the SMART
guidelines that need to be followed. Boards themselves, but also the whole
Simon Vickers, Internal Control Manager collaborative environment within which
for EDF Energy, explains how EDF Energy they were used, which was a world
initially chose to deliver the training away from the traditional office setting.”
component of this programme in the
SMART Board-equipped collaboration “Our task was to find a framework
space at Ernst & Young’s offices: through which we map out the
processes that flow down from the
“I was responsible for designing a higher level processes at a company
series of scoping, planning and training level, identifying how they can add value
sessions that would raise awareness of for a business unit, ensuring that the
the key principles of our internal control processes are properly linked together
processes and guidelines, which cover and that everyone understands the risks
both mandatory activities and additional managed by those processes. However,
guidance. We wanted to embed these we wanted to move away from the
into people’s hearts and minds, rather traditional environment used for process
than relying on traditional training mapping, which in a typical meeting
methods, so we used a dedicated room relies on flip charts, sticky notes
collaboration space at Ernst & Young’s and rolls of paper.”
EDF Energy is one of the UK’s largest
London offices. This collaboration space
energy companies and is the largest
is very different to the typical meeting The Collaboration Hub:
producer of low-carbon electricity. A
room and equipped with several SMART Engaging, dynamic and creative
wholly-owned subsidiary of the EDF
Board interactive whiteboards. We ran collaboration sessions
Group, EDF Energy generates around
about a dozen sessions there and found
one fifth of the UK’s electricity, employs
them really effective.” The solution for EDF Energy was to
15,000 people and supplies electricity
create its own ‘Collaboration Hub’, with
and gas to 5.5 million residential
A SMART Board interactive whiteboard the Crawley office being the chosen
and business customers. As well as
is a touch-enabled interactive display location, complete with two SMART
operating power stations and wind
that allows users to write and draw in Board 885i interactive whiteboards,
farms, including eight nuclear power
digital ink and to move and manipulate with Meeting Pro™ software, mobile
stations, EDF Energy is planning a new
objects and diagrams using touch- seating and a magnetic whiteboard
generation of nuclear power plants.
enabled gestures, either on unlimited wall. A third SMART Board was installed
whiteboard pages or in any software in another meeting room in Crawley,
EDF Energy has installed SMART
applications. Two people can work whilst a SMART Board has also been
Board® interactive whiteboards in
on the board at the same time, installed in the innovation room of
the ‘Collaboration Hub’ at its Crawley
simultaneously writing, drawing or EDF Energy’s Exeter office. As Simon
office, where it supports a number
moving objects, and all outputs can also Vickers explains: “We wanted to create
of business functions, including
be instantly saved and distributed. a true collaboration environment in
its internal control improvement
the Crawley office. Having converted
programme. EDF Energy also has a
Having experienced the benefits of the it from a regular meeting room, we
SMART Board in its Exeter office.
SMART Boards within Ernst & Young’s deliberately ensured that the hub is used

2. as intended; for genuinely collaborative “The benefits of the SMART Boards, Challenge
working where everyone can work both in the Collaboration Hub in our To deliver a more collaborative
together and contribute in an open, Crawley office and in the innovation learning and working environment
creative way. The hub is not owned room of our Exeter office, have been to support EDF Energy’s internal
by any one department; it is a resource immediately obvious. What is more, control improvement programme
for the whole company. For anyone after a couple of months we surveyed
requiring a space for brainstorming and users to find out how effective they Solution
freethinking, the hub is here for them. It thought the Collaboration Hub was A purpose-designed Collaboration
is very well used at present, for example, in meeting objectives. 91% said Hub in EDF Energy’s Crawley office,
the team behind EDF Energy’s smart they found it very useful; the equipped with SMART Board interactive
metering programme are making very remaining 9% found it fairly useful.” whiteboards and Meeting Pro software
good use of the space.”
Other EDF Energy locations around Result
SMART’s Meeting Pro software is the country and a new campus A highly effective and well-used
also very well suited to EDF Energy’s collaboration space, popular
requirements, with the ability to Simon Vickers can see the benefits that with different teams and with
easily convert handwriting into text, SMART’s visual collaboration solutions the potential to be introduced
to annotate any document, a drag- can deliver across EDF Energy’s extensive to other EDF Energy offices
and-drop feature for shapes that network of UK offices, utilising SMART’s
fit in with EDF Energy’s process Bridgit® software that can link up two
mapping terminology and the ability or more SMART Boards for real-time
to instantly save and distribute the remote collaboration: “The Crawley
outputs from a collaboration session. office was the right starting point for
us but I’d like to see facilities of this
91% said they found it very useful type in other EDF Energy locations
around the country. We’ll certainly be
According to Simon Vickers, the considering the benefits of SMART’s
benefits have been immediately evident Bridgit software, which would allow
in delivering engaging, dynamic us to collaborate remotely. There is
and creative collaboration sessions: great potential in us being able to
“Everyone took to using the SMART deliver training remotely across multiple
Boards very quickly and easily. There locations or collaborating in real time
has also been a significant boost in from different offices.”
staff engagement, both ‘on-the-day’,
where everyone can walk up to the “EDF Energy is also establishing a new
SMART board and contribute, and campus near Bridgewater, Somerset,
afterwards where they can immediately which will serve as a major location for
see the tangible output of their work, research, development and training, not Steljes Ltd
instead of waiting a week or two just for our nuclear programme but in Steljes is a SMART authorised distributor
for someone to write up notes.” supporting all parts of our business. for SMART Technologies
We see SMART Boards as an info@steljes.co.uk
Simon is also confident that the integral component of the 08450 724 800
SMART Boards have been a worthwhile collaboration environment that www.smartwaystowork.co.uk
investment and the response from we aim to create there.”
staff has been equally positive:
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