How LS3P Created a One-Stop Shop for Firmwide Knowledge
CASE STUDY
LS3P faced a critical challenge: their 500+ employees spread across 12 offices were struggling to find key firmwide information to do their jobs.
The culprit? Firmwide knowledge, employee data, and project information were stored in knowledge silos.
The Challenge
Knowledge was spread across multiple disconnected systems.
“We had a collection of applications that were combined together to form our intranet. We used a custom LS3P dashboard, Deltek Vantagepoint, OpenAsset, Zendesk, a BookStack wiki—none of it was really integrated at a high level.”
Employees had to remember where to find each type of information, creating frustration and inefficiencies.
LS3P’s knew they needed to break down knowledge silos and create a one-stop shop for firmwide knowledge using people, process, and technology.
The Solution
Chief Marketing Officer, Katie Robinson, knew that a knowledge management platform like Synthesis could consolidate all of LS3P’s firmwide knowledge into one searchable intranet.
Her team chose Synthesis over other solutions for many reasons:
Synthesis is designed specifically for AEC firms
Synthesis integrates seamlessly with their AEC tech stack that includes Deltek, OpenAsset, and Zendesk
Synthesis leverages the power of AI Search and AEC-specific AI features such as video transcription
Synthesis has strict security protocols
Synthesis implementation team has 15+ years of experience and best practices for implementing knowledge management platforms for AEC firms
“We wanted to make sure that whatever we brought to our team incorporated data from Deltek, OpenAsset, and Zendesk seamlessly so our intranet could truly be a one-stop shop.”
The Playbook
So, how did LS3P create a one-stop shop for firmwide knowledge?
Let’s meet FRANK, LS3P’s new intranet.
FRANK is named after Frank Lucas, one of LS3P’s founding partners and also stands for Firmwide Resource All News and Knowledge.
Katie and her team built FRANK around 4 Key Principles:
Principle 1: Create a single, searchable knowledge base
Use the Synthesis no-code content editing tools to build an internal intranet database
Upload and store any kind of resource type, from PDFs to videos
Lean on Synthesis AEC best practices and templates to ensure content organization and user experience is optimized
Leverage Synthesis AI Search to surface answers quickly
Impact:
With everything practice-related accessible on FRANK, LS3P has eliminated knowledge silos. Their teams now have instant access to accounting FAQs, HR policies, project management best practices, codes & standards, IT documentation, branding guidelines, and marketing resources.
“FRANK makes it easy to look things up. I have used the search field many times and it takes me right where I want to go. It also has a clean, easy UI (not intimidating).”
Principle 2: Give each Practice Area its own home page
Create Community Pages for key practice areas
Feature practice area-specific resources such as standards and codes, proposal materials, and workflow guidance for each practice area
Call out practice area leaders, experts, and contributors
Impact:
Each practice area at LS3P now has a home base within FRANK’s broader firmwide knowledge base. Community homepages contain sector-specific project data, marketing materials, practice standards, and key contacts.
Community homepages also list key contacts and sector leaders, so users can quickly find the right go-to people, as well as their Microsoft Teams status, in case users need to ask a practice area-specific question.
“I absolutely LOVE the searchability of FRANK. I also really like that communities give a designated place for different groups to share knowledge on relevant topics within that community, while still being accessible to the whole firm.”
Principle 3: Make Project Data accessible and trustworthy
Create a Project Directory that pulls project data directly from Deltek Vantagepoint and OpenAsset
Use Saved Views to provide preconfigured searches for commonly accessed project information
Drive data quality by empowering employees to share responsibility for correcting outdated project data
Impact:
Project data is now unified in a single directory with data pushing directly from Deltek Vantagepoint and OpenAsset. This integration enables employees to search projects efficiently across all sectors and access project details without navigating multiple systems.
This increased visibility makes project data more actionable across the firm, leading to more informed decision making and increased operational efficiency.
Principle 4: Share Employee Experience to drive collaboration
Create an Employee Directory that pulls people data directly from Deltek Vantagepoint and OpenAsset
Make the directory searchable by skill, experience, certifications, and market sector expertise
Integrate Deltek timesheet data to filter a team member’s project experience
Impact:
Integrating FRANK with Deltek Vantagepoint and OpenAsset, streamlines searching for colleagues based on specific skills, certifications, and project experience.
It also enables project leaders to more effectively match team members with projects that fit their experience and expertise.
“The employee directory has been super helpful for me so far! As a new employee, I’ve been able to get so many quick questions answered quickly.”
Big Picture Results
LS3P team members are finding the information they need.
Five months after launch, more than 80% of LS3P team members were actively using FRANK, with more than 6,000 page views each week.
That means FRANK is answering more than 6,000 questions each week, saving LS3P’s business operations teams hours of time and emails.
This level of engagement demonstrates the success of FRANK in empowering team members to find the answers they need, no matter their role or location.
“I like that FRANK is one place for all types of LS3P information: firm news, personal achievements, forms, templates, and general information.”