#Japan #Tokyo #project management #Backlog #NEC Fielding

Breaking Down Information Silos: NEC Fielding's Journey with Backlog

In the face of challenges posed by information silos and cumbersome collaboration processes, NEC Fielding Inc. has embraced the project and task management tool, Backlog, provided by Nulab, Inc. This innovative solution has enabled the company to streamline its internal projects and enhance overall work efficiency.

Background of Backlog Implementation

NEC Fielding, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, boasts a skilled workforce of over 5,000 engineers. This professional team specializes in maintaining and operating a diverse range of ICT products, from convenience store registers to medical equipment. When the company decided to revamp its maintenance support system after a 29-year run, they launched an extensive development project called "CS-Force".

However, just as the project began, the COVID-19 pandemic forced a sudden shift to a fully remote work environment, complicating face-to-face communications critical for project management. This transition made traditional management approaches unfeasible, especially as many project stakeholders were not well-versed in IT. Consequently, maintaining cohesion among team members became a significant hurdle.

To overcome these challenges, NEC Fielding sought a tool that could centralize information and facilitate real-time sharing. They turned to Backlog, a project and task management tool aimed at enhancing teamwork management through streamlined communication and collaboration.

Effectiveness of Utilizing Backlog

Unified Information Management for Seamless Projects

Within the CS-Force project, user stories detailing feature requests and improvement suggestions were systematically registered in Backlog. Each user story included background information, expected effects, priorities, alternative solutions, and implementation conditions, all contributing to a clear development process. This structured approach allowed project progress to be apparent to all team members, minimizing confusion and reducing dependency on individual contributions. Backlog's intuitive hierarchical structure provided a comprehensive overview of the entire project, facilitating smoother collaboration among multiple stakeholders.

Intuitive UI for Non-IT Departments

Backlog's user-friendly design and intuitive functionality made it accessible even to those in non-IT departments. During the project, a culture of friendly competition emerged over who could register issues first, and discussions in meetings quickly transformed into actionable items documented in Backlog. Such organic engagement led to increased self-initiated usage of the tool across the organization.

Expansion Beyond Development

The application of Backlog extended beyond the CS-Force project, serving as a tool for managing incident records. Previously maintained in Excel, the issue list was migrated to Backlog, where elements such as detection processes, impact range, and response history could be customized and shared among all stakeholders.

Comments from NEC Fielding Executives

Executives such as Kazuto Kawashiri, Manager of the Management Systems Group, and team members Kumiko Hirano and Kenta Uchida expressed their enthusiasm for Backlog's impact on project management. They noted that word-of-mouth within the project led to inquiries from other departments about how they could implement the tool. Currently, Backlog is actively utilized in over ten projects, enhancing operational efficiency as the team shifted from a dependency on individual management to a centralized system on Backlog.

Kawashiri also mentioned that they were considering using Backlog as a backup tool for BCP (Business Continuity Planning) and exploring the possibility of inviting external stakeholders while ensuring proper security and governance.

As the workforce continues to diversify due to a shrinking labor pool, the configuration of working "teams" will also evolve. Nulab believes that effective "teamwork management" will become increasingly crucial for diverse groups of individuals working towards common goals.

Moving forward, Nulab remains committed to refining its services, including Backlog, to meet the needs of clients with varying roles and team structures, allowing them to achieve effective collaboration in their unique environments.

About Backlog

Backlog is a comprehensive project management and task management tool designed to facilitate collaboration across industries. Its user-friendly interface, rich feature set that includes Wiki, Git, and Gantt charts, and limitless user capacity make it suitable for any team size.

Since its launch in 2005, Backlog has empowered countless teams and is currently utilized by more than 1.4 million users worldwide. For additional information and case studies, please visit Nulab's website.

Nulab, Inc.

Headquartered in Fukuoka, Japan, Nulab also offers the visual collaboration tool Cacoo and the information security governance tool Nulab Pass. You can learn more about Nulab’s offerings through their website.