This
case study examines how a European pharmaceutical group used Traction
Software's TeamPage (www.tractionsoftware.com) enterprise weblog
software to create a competitive intelligence (CI) knowledge base to
replace previous platforms such as Lotus Notes databases and static
websites.

The CIO chose Traction TeamPage for a
number of reasons:

• the format was ideal
for the type of competitive intelligence material they were
collating
•
it was easy to implement and could be tightly integrated with existing
business systems, such as the LDAP corporate directory, Lotus Notes and
Microsoft Office
• it supports unlimited,
individually permissioned blogs within a single, integrated
installation
• it supports user permissions across
reading, authoring, editing and commenting functions on a blog by blog
basis
• the publishing process allows for
collaborative editing
• it was easy to use and
required minimal training, thus lowering the bar for
adoption
• it was low cost to buy, deploy and
manage

The
CIO put together a small team which began examining the CI problem in
late 2002, beginning development with Traction Software in 2004 and
soft launching that autumn. They decided that, due to the nature of the
material being published, an editorial committee was needed to ensure
content had been validated before publication. They created a clear
publishing process, with a private editorial blog to which readers
could submit potential content via email or a web form. This content
would then be assessed by a member of the editorial committee and
posted to the appropriate blog. This semi-open publishing process is
balanced by a fully open commenting system which allows any reader to
post comments on any article.

The blogs were
promoted via word
of mouth, coverage in the company's internal magazine and viral
marketing, with the CIO and his team mentioning the project in any
presentations they gave. The initial user group was drawn from a pool
of employees already active in the competitive intelligence field.
Users were introduced to the software in informal face-to-face meetings
where they could explore it at their own pace. Formal training
procedures were deemed unnecessary due to the simplicity of the user
interface.

Traction TeamPage has had a very good
reception from
users, who found it to be easy to surf and navigate. The project as a
whole has also been received very well, with feedback from users
indicating that they find the content relevant and valuable. Although
the jury is still out, early reaction is very
encouraging.

The
CIO is now examining the possibility of increasing the number of blogs
from the six currently in place, for use in more project-based work
across the group. He is working with Traction Software on enhancements
to the current system including further integration with third party
applications. His experience with blogging has been overwhelmingly
positive, and the company are keen to see the project
grow.