#Japan #Osaka #Nulab #Backlog #Kintetsu Group

Transforming Digital Consultation

In a significant move towards digital transformation, Kintetsu Group Holdings (KGH), a conglomerate composed of approximately 250 companies, has successfully implemented Nulab's project and task management tool, Backlog. This initiative is designed to establish a robust digital consultation service across the group, converting individual expertise into organizational knowledge assets.

The Need for Change

KGH's ambition to enhance group management through digitization is grounded in their mid-term management strategy. They are focused on advancing their digital transformation (DX) efforts while addressing challenges posed by the unique business characteristics and varying digital maturity levels of their diverse subsidiaries.

Previously, IT and digital-related inquiries were heavily reliant on specific individuals, resulting in a knowledge-sharing bottleneck. When challenges arose, employees would have to seek out knowledgeable personnel, often leading to scattered responses and lost insights when staff transitioned between roles. This dependency on particular experts made it difficult to standardize processes and maintain continuity in operations.

To address this, KGH set up a digital support team to facilitate the DX journey of its member companies. Backlog was chosen as the foundational tool to create a centralized digital consultation hub.

Harnessing Backlog for Effective Management

The newly established digital consultation service utilizes a structured approach to manage inquiries and their resolutions. Employees across KGH can submit DX-related requests through a dedicated form, which automatically generates tasks in Backlog.

Once logged, these inquiries are tracked until resolution, ensuring tasks are not merely handled and forgotten. This shift from informal email exchanges to a formalized task management system fosters a clear understanding of who is addressing each inquiry and what the current status is.

The end result is a transparent and accountable environment, allowing for constant visibility of ongoing issues.

Building Organizational Knowledge

One of the key advantages of Backlog is its capacity to document not only the inquiries but also all responses, decision-making processes, and related materials. This repository enables staff to quickly reference previous actions and insights, greatly enhancing the reproducibility of solutions. Should primary contacts leave the organization, the accumulated knowledge within Backlog ensures that transitions can occur smoothly, allowing new team members to acclimatize without losing vital information.

KGH has also instituted a structure for evaluating and delegating inquiries to the appropriate departments, ensuring a systematic approach to problem resolution. Training sessions and procedural guidelines have been established to embed this new operational framework, emphasizing a user-friendly and approachable digital interface for those seeking assistance.

A Look into the Future

The leaders at KGH, including Sayaka Sakata and Shindo from Kintetsu Information Systems, voiced their enthusiasm for the Backlog tool, highlighting its role in visualizing consultation efforts and building organizational intelligence. They expressed that moving away from reliance on individual memories and connections means that accumulated knowledge now stands as a collective asset for the organization.

As the workforce evolves with increasing diversification in roles and employment types, Nulab anticipates that collaborative environments will become even more necessary. They envision a greater emphasis on teamwork management that accommodates diverse backgrounds and expertise.

In the coming years, Nulab plans to continue enhancing Backlog and other services to meet the evolving needs of their clients, fostering efficient teamwork across a range of professions and industries while supporting realistic usage scenarios to maximize the benefits of digital tools.

Nulab and Their Offerings

Nulab, headquartered in Fukuoka, Japan, offers a comprehensive suite of products to enhance team collaboration and productivity, promoting seamless PDCA cycles within organizations. Their flagship tools include:

• - Backlog: A project and task management tool designed for effective coordination across teams.
• - Cacoo: An online whiteboard tool for brainstorming and visual collaboration.
• - Nulab Pass: A service aimed at strengthening organizational information security and governance.

For more information about Nulab and their services, visit their official website: Nulab.