CY2 Data to Information
Project description
How can an easily maintainable and scalable structure be designed for the poorly organized information in the CY2 SharePoint, enabling employees with different roles to find the information they need more efficiently while properly handling outdated information?
Context
This project focuses on improving information retrieval within the CY2 SharePoint environment. Employees currently struggle with finding, identifying, and using the correct and most up to date documents due to inconsistent folder structures, duplicate files, and unclear version control. This leads to inefficiencies, knowledge fragmentation, and frequent reliance on colleagues for locating information.
To address this, the project proposes an AI powered SharePoint navigation solution using Microsoft Copilot Studio. The AI agent acts as an intelligent interface on top of the existing SharePoint environment and helps users retrieve relevant documents through natural language queries. It supports different user roles such as consultants and developers by providing faster access to templates, technical documentation, and project related files.
The solution is designed as a short term improvement that enhances usability without requiring a complete restructuring of SharePoint. It integrates with Microsoft 365 services and aims to reduce search time, improve document discoverability, and increase consistency in information use across the organisation.
Results
The most important outcomes of this project demonstrate that CY2 can significantly improve information retrieval without immediately restructuring its entire SharePoint environment. The research showed that employees currently face major challenges when searching for information due to inconsistent naming conventions, duplicate and outdated documents, unclear folder structures, and the absence of clear governance. These issues lead to wasted time, reduced productivity, and dependence on colleagues to locate information.
Based on interviews with employees in different roles, it became clear that consultants and developers have different information needs. Consultants mainly require quick access to templates and client related documentation, while developers need efficient access to technical documentation and implementation information. This highlighted the importance of designing a solution that supports multiple user perspectives.
As a result of these findings, an AI driven navigation layer was identified as the most suitable short term solution. A Proof of Concept was developed using Microsoft Copilot Studio, enabling employees to retrieve relevant SharePoint information through natural language queries. Rather than requiring users to manually navigate complex folder structures, the AI agent helps them locate the correct information faster and identify the most relevant documents.
The usability testing demonstrated that the AI agent has the potential to improve the user experience by reducing the effort needed to find information and by supporting employees in their daily tasks. The solution leverages the existing Microsoft 365 environment, making integration with SharePoint relatively straightforward while minimizing implementation complexity.
In addition to the AI solution, the research identified several best practices that are essential for long term information management. These include implementing SharePoint governance, adopting metadata driven information architecture, establishing standardized naming conventions, and introducing role based access control. Furthermore, automation opportunities were identified through Power Automate, particularly for archiving outdated documents and maintaining information quality over time.
Overall, this project demonstrates that combining an AI powered navigation solution with future improvements in governance and information management can create a more efficient, scalable, and user friendly SharePoint environment. The proposed approach addresses immediate user needs while providing a foundation for continuous improvement of knowledge management within CY2.
About the project group
We all have a background in IT Business. Here we had a mixture of data and business analyses.