The Challenge

UNICEF Tanzania was undertaking a large-scale organizational transformation — migrating its entire content ecosystem from legacy shared drives to Microsoft SharePoint Online. The Country Office needed to establish a modern Enterprise Content Management (ECM) platform that would serve as the central hub for document management and collaboration across all sections and state offices throughout Tanzania.

The key challenges included:

• Fragmented Content Landscape: Content was scattered across shared drives with no centralized structure, making document retrieval inefficient and collaboration difficult across geographically dispersed teams.
• Multi-Stakeholder Coordination: Each section (Education, Health, Child Protection, Communication, Administration, etc.) had unique content structures, workflows, and requirements that needed to be captured and translated into the new SharePoint-based platform.
• Design and Usability Requirements: The new ECM portal needed creative, user-friendly page designs with banners, icons, and intuitive navigation — all while adhering to UNICEF’s global branding guidelines.
• Content Migration Complexity: Migrating years of accumulated content from shared drives to a structured SharePoint environment required careful planning, classification, and validation with section focal points.
• Tight Timelines: The migration needed to be completed within 13 weeks, covering the Tanzania Country Office Communication Site and Collaboration Sites for all sections and states.

Velocity’s Solution

Scope of Work

Velocity Software Solutions deployed a dedicated SharePoint resource, backed by a full technical and design team, to work alongside UNICEF Tanzania’s core SharePoint team. The engagement covered the complete ECM migration lifecycle — from requirements gathering through content population and staff training.

Key Features & Deliverables

• Communication Site for Tanzania Country Office: A centralized SharePoint Online Communication Site designed and developed as the primary digital workspace for UNICEF Tanzania.

• Collaboration Sites for Sections and States: Individual SharePoint Collaboration Sites tailored to the needs of each section (Education, Health, WASH, Child Protection, etc.) and each state office across Tanzania.

• Content Migration from Shared Drives: Systematic migration of documents, files, and resources from legacy shared drives into the new SharePoint-based ECM platform, with proper metadata tagging and folder structures.

• Custom Page Design: Creative banners, icons, and page layouts designed to match UNICEF’s visual identity while ensuring intuitive navigation and content discoverability.

• Forms, Views, and Lists: Custom SharePoint solutions using forms, views, lists, and web parts to address specific workflow and data management needs across sections.

• DMS & CMS Portal Population: Working directly with UNICEF’s core team and section focal points to collect, organize, and upload content into the Document Management System (DMS) and Content Management System (CMS).

• Training and Knowledge Transfer: Orientation and hands-on training for UNICEF staff on the new ECM platform, enabling self-sufficiency in content management and page updates.

Technology Stack

• Platform: Microsoft SharePoint Online (Modern Experience)
• Design Tools: SharePoint Modern Web Parts, custom banners and icons
• Content Management: SharePoint DMS & CMS
• Collaboration: SharePoint Team Sites, Communication Sites
• Security: SharePoint permission management aligned with UNICEF’s access control policies

Implementation Approach

1. Requirements Discovery: Velocity’s team conducted in-depth discussions with focal points from each UNICEF Tanzania section to understand their specific content structures, workflows, and collaboration needs.
2. Architecture Design: Based on the requirements, the team designed the overall site architecture — defining the Communication Site hierarchy, section-specific Collaboration Sites, and state-level sub-sites.
3. Visual Design and Branding: Custom banners, icons, and page layouts were created adhering to UNICEF’s global branding guidelines while incorporating Tanzania-specific visual elements.
4. Content Classification and Migration Planning: Content from shared drives was inventoried, classified, and mapped to the new SharePoint structure. Migration plans were created in coordination with section focal points.
5. Site Development and Configuration: SharePoint Online sites were built with custom web parts, lists, views, forms, and navigation structures tailored to each section’s requirements.
6. Content Population: Working with UNICEF’s technical team, content was systematically uploaded, organized, and tagged with appropriate metadata across all sites.
7. Quality Assurance and Review: Each site underwent thorough review with the respective section focal points to ensure accuracy, completeness, and usability.
8. Training and Handover: Comprehensive training sessions were conducted for UNICEF Tanzania staff, equipping them with the skills to manage and update their respective sections independently.
9. Ongoing Support: Post-deployment support was provided with backend technical assistance for any complex configurations or troubleshooting needs.

Key Outcomes & Impact

• Centralized Content Hub: UNICEF Tanzania successfully transitioned from fragmented shared drives to a unified, cloud-based ECM platform accessible to all staff across the country.
• Improved Collaboration: Section-specific and state-specific Collaboration Sites enabled more efficient teamwork, document sharing, and knowledge management.
• Enhanced Document Discoverability: Structured metadata, search capabilities, and organized content hierarchies significantly reduced the time staff spent searching for documents.
• Staff Empowerment: Through targeted training, UNICEF Tanzania staff became self-sufficient in managing and updating their content on the new platform.
• Scalable Foundation: The SharePoint Online architecture provided a scalable foundation that could accommodate future growth, additional sections, and evolving content management needs.
• Compliance with Global Standards: The ECM platform aligned with UNICEF’s global digital transformation strategy, ensuring consistency with other country offices worldwide.

Why Velocity?

Velocity Software Solutions brought an unmatched combination of SharePoint expertise and deep institutional knowledge of UNICEF’s operational environment to this engagement:

• 9+ Years of UNICEF Partnership: Velocity had been working with UNICEF India’s ICT Section since 2011, developing and maintaining the UNICEF India Intranet Portal on SharePoint — providing unparalleled understanding of UNICEF’s workflows, governance, and compliance requirements.
• SharePoint ECM Specialists: With a portfolio spanning SharePoint projects for organizations like GreyB (Singapore), Jumeirah Golf Estates (UAE), Kusum Healthcare (India), and Samsung, Velocity brought world-class SharePoint development and content management capabilities.
• Dedicated Backend Support: The deployed resource was supported by Velocity’s full technical team, including developers, designers, and system administrators — ensuring best-in-class output quality.
• Content Management Expertise: Experience across CMS platforms (SharePoint, Drupal, WordPress) gave Velocity a holistic understanding of content architecture, migration strategies, and SEO considerations.
• Proven Delivery Model: Velocity’s ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 27001:2013 certified processes ensured systematic, secure, and high-quality delivery throughout the engagement.

Velocity Software Solutions — Empowering global organizations to manage knowledge effectively, one SharePoint site at a time.