Ministry of Ecological Transition: managing the communication of 8 ministries in project mode
In 2018, the communication department of the Ministry of Ecological Transition began an ambitious transformation: moving from an organization in silos to a collaborative operation in project mode. With more than 100 users from various professions and the responsibility to coordinate 8 ministries, the challenge was significant. Wimi has enabled this transition by offering a sovereign, secure solution that is perfectly adapted to the needs of the public administration.
“Wimi is a solution perfectly suited to collaboration in project mode. Its ease of handling and the flexibility offered according to uses convinced us. Covid-19 and the periods of teleworking have only amplified the need for such a solution to maintain exchanges and continue our projects.”
What is the Ministry of Ecological Transition?
The Ministry of Ecological Transition implements the French Government's policy in strategic areas: sustainable development, environment, protection of biodiversity, energy transition, climate, prevention of natural and technological risks, transport and equipment.
With missions of national scope and major challenges for the future of the country, the Ministry coordinates the action of multiple departments and services, requiring fluid collaboration between multidisciplinary teams.
The challenge: coordinate 8 ministries with dispersed tools
In 2018, the communication department of the Ministry of Ecological Transition began a structural reorganization to meet a critical need: to improve interministerial collaboration and gain in agility.
The problems identified:
- Siloed organization: Teams worked in silos, limiting the flow of information and responsiveness.
- Scattered tools: Multiplication of platforms that are not connected to each other, generating information losses
- Diversity of jobs: Communication managers, project managers, community managers, community managers, graphic designers, video artists, journalists, press officers... each with specific needs
- Complex coordination: Manage the communication of 8 ministries simultaneously with limited visibility on the progress of projects
- User adoption: Need for a simple solution to guarantee the adherence of all, regardless of their digital appetite
Technical and regulatory requirements:
For a public administration of this size, the selection criteria were strict:
- Solution 100% French to guarantee digital sovereignty
- Enhanced security Complies with government requirements
- Fast deployment to limit business interruption
- Intuitive interface to promote adoption by +100 users
- Business flexibility to adapt to the specificities of each team
The solution: Wimi, the sovereign alternative for the public sector
Faced with these challenges, the Ministry of Ecological Transition has chosen Wimi as a unified collaborative platform, allowing to work in project mode while respecting the imperatives of sovereignty and security.
A gradual and controlled deployment:
The adoption strategy was designed to ensure success:
Phase 1 — Pilot groups: The deployment was carried out by cluster of users, allowing each team to take ownership of the platform at their own pace. The first groups served as demonstrators for the following teams.
Phase 2 — Business Adaptation : Each project manager was able to:
- Create dedicated workspaces by project or theme
- Invite the collaborators concerned (internal and external)
- Select relevant modules according to needs (chat, documents, tasks, calendars)
- Define access rights adapted to each profile
Phase 3 — Mass adoption: Intuitive ergonomics and ease of use quickly dispelled the reluctance to change. The visible successes of the first groups naturally led to widespread adoption.
The key functionalities adopted:
On a daily basis, ministry teams use Wimi to:
Instant Messaging & Channels :
The most used brick, which has become indispensable in teleworking. Team channels allow you to:
- Streamline communication without multiplying emails
- Maintaining the link between remote employees
- Keep the history of exchanges per project
Document management centralized:
- Centralization of communication documents
- Automatic versions to avoid duplicates
- Secure access according to defined rights
Traceability of activities :
- Monitoring of tasks assigned by project
- Clear vision of progress for management
- Management of key milestones and deadlines
Real-time control:
- Consolidated view of the 8 ministries
- Reporting simplified for management
- Quick identification of blockages
The results: a successful cultural transformation
The benefits of Wimi are now clearly measurable for the Ministry of Ecological Transition.
Organizational impact
- Successful transition to project mode: The historical organization in silos has given way to transversal and collaborative functioning. Communication projects now naturally involve several trades and services, with complete visibility for all participants.
- Simplified coordination of 8 ministries: The communication department effectively manages the projects of 8 different ministries from a single platform, with a consolidated vision of the activity.
- +100 users equipped with: More than one hundred employees from various professions use Wimi on a daily basis: communication managers and directors, business managers, project managers, content managers, community managers, developers, press officers, photolibrarians, photolibrarians, photolibrarians, graphic designers, graphic designers, video artists, photographers and journalists.
Operational impact
- Centralization of information: No more documents lost in emails or on disparate servers. All project information is accessible in the same place, structured and secure.
- Better flow of information: Channels and workspaces ensure that each collaborator has the necessary context to intervene effectively on a project.
- Flexibility of use by profession: Each team was able to adapt Wimi to its specificities: graphic designers prefer document management, project managers use tasks extensively and Gantt, field teams prefer instant messaging.
- Resilience in crisis period : During the Covid-19 pandemic and periods of intensive teleworking, Wimi made it possible to maintain the continuity of communication projects without interruption, thanks in particular to team channels and integrated videoconferencing.
Development perspectives
Deployment expansion: Satisfied with their experience, the ministry's teams now want to extend the use of Wimi:
- Deployment to other internal services
- Opening of collaboration to external partners (agencies, service providers, other administrations)
Continued skills development: Each project group has developed its expertise on the platform and set up sustainable operations, continuously optimizing their organization.
A reference for public administrations
The case of the Ministry of Ecological Transition shows that the digital transformation of the public sector is possible with the right tools. Wimi made it possible to reconcile:
- Digital sovereignty: 100% French solution, hosted in France
- Security: Compliance with government requirements
- Simplicity: Fast adoption by 100+ users with varied profiles
- Efficiency: Management of 8 ministries from a single platform
- Agility: Organization in project mode promoting transversal collaboration
This success is now inspiring other public administrations in their transition to more collaborative and sovereign ways of working.