Transforming Controlled Document Management: A Smarter, Faster IMS Built on Microsoft 365

Our client is a government-owned statutory authority under the Department of Transport and Planning. It connects passengers across Victoria through train services as well as coach services for communities where trains do not run. 

Challenge

Our client faced both an urgent deadline and long-standing frustrations. The retirement of SharePoint 2013 workflows threatened to break approval processes, while the legacy IMS created inefficiencies that drained time and resources.

Publishing a controlled document took more than a month on average, leaving the organisation unable to respond quickly to changes in safety or operational procedures. Search results were often irrelevant, with staff relying on colleagues or support teams to track down critical documents. Authors fatigued from facing a 21-step process just to publish a document were offloading most of their tasks to champions, who had little visibility or control over the process. Unreliable notifications meant frontline workers were missing important updates altogether. Compliance was also at risk as review and approval decisions weren’t consistently captured, leaving gaps in the audit trail.

The poor experience had resulted in reduced urgency and accountability around controlled document tasks, and a sense of helplessness around learning how to use the system. This meant that support teams were fielding more than 60 queries per month, making the burden on IMS administrators unsustainable. The success of the new system hinged on tackling adoption barriers and enabling behavioural change through human-centred solution design and change practices.

Key challenges included:

• Outdated technology risks – SharePoint 2013 workflows nearing retirement, threatening business continuity.
• Slow publishing times – 33 days on average from draft to publication, with a goal to reduce to 14 days.
• Weak audit trails – decisions not consistently captured, undermining compliance.
• Poor search – staff struggled to find documents, with a goal to improve accuracy by 20%.
• Cumbersome processes – up to 21 manual steps required per document.
• High support burden – in excess of 60 queries per month.
• Notification gaps – outdated distribution lists meant staff didn’t always receive the right updates.
• Behavioural barriers – High friction and broken cues contributed to low self-efficacy and weak social norms around system use.

Solution

Engage Squared delivered Doc Hub – a modern, Microsoft 365-powered IMS that reimagined how our client manages safety and business-critical knowledge. The solution went beyond a technical upgrade to create a faster, smarter, and more user-friendly experience for staff.

Doc Hub provides a tailored Microsoft Search and SharePoint Online search experience, where all staff can access the most up-to-date policies, procedures, and standards. Legacy workflows were rearchitected to use Azure Functions and modern Power Automate flows to simplify the management of controlled document processes for all stakeholders. Authoring, review, and approval of documents are supported by custom SFPX components to provide the necessary controls to those interacting with the publishing process. Microsoft Dataverse provided a robust data layer to build a comprehensive audit trail and track document statuses with integrity.

Search was transformed by Microsoft Search, boosting relevance and making it easy for staff to find the right document using everyday keywords. Notifications were modernised with Entra ID groups and Microsoft Teams, ensuring the right people were automatically notified of updates and asked to complete tasks in Microsoft Teams.

Key elements of the solution included:

• SharePoint Online Hub – a single source of truth for controlled documents, organised intuitively.
• Power Platform workflows – automated review and approval processes via Power Automate and Power Apps.
• Dataverse integration – robust data layer for audit trails and approvals.
• Enhanced search – Microsoft Search with Azure Cognitive Search to improve relevance.
• Reliable notifications – automated alerts powered by Entra ID groups, Email, and Microsoft Teams.
• User-focused design – agile delivery with user feedback in every sprint.
• Seamless migration – 2,400 documents migrated with metadata and version history intact.

Results

Doc Hub has transformed how our client manages critical documents, delivering measurable improvements from day one. Staff can now publish, find, and govern documents faster and with greater confidence. Publishing times were halved – from 33 days to 14 – enabling the organisation to respond quickly to changes in safety or operational standards. Search relevance improved by 20%, reducing wasted time and ensuring staff are working with the right information. Auditability was strengthened, with every decision now captured in the workflow, and the simplified 8-step process has made controlled document management easier and less error-prone.

Adoption was strong from launch, with over 1.7K unique users accessing Doc Hub in its first month and 115 controlled documents in various stages of the publication process already. Early indicators also show a reduction trend in support queries, as staff find the system more intuitive and self-sufficient. Notifications now reliably reach the right people, closing a critical compliance gap and giving managers confidence that important updates are never missed.

Key results achieved:

• Publishing time cut by 50% – from 33 to 14 days
• Audit trail strengthened – 100% of decisions captured and traceable
• Search accuracy improved – +20% relevance
• Workflow simplified – reduced down to ~8 steps
• Support burden reduced – on track to cut queries by 20%
• Content migrated – ~2,400 legacy documents transferred with full metadata and history
• High adoption – 1,713 unique visits, 56K search site visits, and 115 documents undergoing update, review or approval within the first month

The IMS replacement project is a clear success, delivering a modern, efficient, and user-friendly system that addresses both urgent technology risks and long-standing operational challenges. Doc Hub empowers staff to work faster, reduces administrative burden, and strengthens compliance, while setting a new standard for knowledge management across the organisation.

Engage Squared has delivered a solution that is not just a system upgrade, but a genuine transformation in how critical information is accessed, managed, and governed.