It didn't take long for French computer-services giant CAP Gemini Sogeti to find out the value of the intranet it intalled last September. Project manager Ed Baugh needed a software-development tool that would help it blend off-the-shelf software packages with custom business applications, and he knew building the tool from scratch would take at least 18 months, too long for his needs.
Hoping CAP Gemini's 17,000 software engineers and technicians might have a lead, Baugh sent out an electronic SOS across the company intranet, dubbed Knowledge Galaxy. Presto -- 48 hours later, CAP Gemini's British unit, Hoskyns Group PLC, reponded. An engineer there knew of a software tool that might be tailered to meet Baugh's needs. Presto -- 48 hours later CAP Gemini's British unit Within three weeks, Baugh presented the solution and clinched a hefty development contract. "We found the missing link," says Baugh.
Knowledge Galaxy has helped CAP
Gemini cut project time in half and prepare sales bids faster by
putting critical resources and expertise within every employee's
reach. As a virtual storehouse for software objects, or prefabricated
chunks of code, it has helped the company avoid reinventing the wheel
for each project. "We now reuse objects like Legos," says
Jean-Paul Figer, group vice-president in charge of developing CAP Gemini's intranet.
The consulting company's network has areas for electronic chats and
bulletin boards, a database of current projects with links to
employees working on them, and hundreds of Web pages aimed at keeping
a global workforce up to date on the latest technologies. CAP Gemini is so enthused wih the Web it
has set up an Internet cafe for employees at its Paris headquarters so
they can surf the Net while on break.