“This programme is an exemplar for Synapsys in how genuine partnerships with our clients can contribute to significant positive impact across a sector in challenging times.”
The Department of Internal Affairs (“DIA”) is New Zealand’s public service department, responsible for issuing documents like passports, citizenship grants, registering births and deaths, and more. They also advise the government on a variety of relevant policies and issues.
DIA’s National Library’s New Zealand Libraries Partnership Programme (NZLPP) was established to support librarians and library services throughout Covid-19, in order to ensure that public libraries were able to continue supporting their communities. Library services, like other public-centric services, experienced similar challenges as other public services in retaining trained staff to provide services to the level their communities expected. This NZLPP initiative provided funding to place approximately 200 people into public libraries, either experienced or new to the sector. Either way, this group would require significant support and training. To do so, DIA sought a partner to provide a training platform and manage the process, which is where Synapsys came in. As a result, Synapsys became responsible for building the Learning Management System (LMS), Totara TXP, which then went live within 12 weeks, built to the specific requirements. Synapsys were also responsible for mapping learning opportunities against an existing competency framework, sourcing, vetting and contracting learning providers from across Aotearoa to provide learning which was then managed through the LMS platform. Although the project officially ends in June 2022, DIA and Synapsys are now working to provide wider access and opportunities across the sector.
We contacted Jonathan Beveridge at the DIA to gauge some feedback on how DIA found the experience of working with Synapsys, who had the following to say:
“We can only assume that Synapsys pulled all the stops out, because the whole process from initial contact to going live was phenomenal. Under pressure, they never pushed back, and were able to deliver the entirety of the project in just 12 weeks.
We always felt that in our dealings with Synapsys, it was one of partnership, rather than a contractual vendor relationship. We knew we were dealing with people who were going to deliver the terms and requirements of the contract, but whom were also invested in the project and what we were doing. They felt our pain as we felt it, and were always looking for ways to improve the process, and were open to doing whatever was necessary to make it work.
We love how proactive Synapsys have been, and the group of individuals who have worked on this project have been phenomenal – which reflects well on the leadership and company culture at Synapsys. In the same way that we had a positive experience working with the individuals involved, we found the same level of “phenomenal individual syndrome” or whatever you wish to call it in the same day-to-day interactions at the top, with Phil and Shayne.
The huge amount of success that we’ve had across the programme is testament to the individual successes, and the improvements we were able to make so quickly because of the exceptional partnership that we had with Synapsys.”
We look forward to progressing work on the NZLPP project in our collaboration with the DIA.