The CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis
CPB’s Transition To Futureproof Digital Meeting Management
The CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (Centraal Planbureau in Dutch), sought to streamline its operations with the help of technology. They wanted to utilise software to ensure efficient management of meetings, agendas, and document-handling processes.
Erwin Zijleman, the head of the Information Technology and Research Support department of the CPB, detailed the Bureau's experience and how the organisation found a solution that not only improved the efficiency of their meetings but also ensured all stakeholders had access to the same information.
The Bureau's meeting preparation procedures involved the use of tablets and employees had already grown accustomed to reading documents on them. However, it was difficult to find specific pieces of information or keep track of changes due to the lack of a structured system.
At the time, the organisation relied on pre-existing software that did provide the capability to share documents digitally but didn’t help streamline the meeting management process itself. Zijleman expressed the struggle, stating:
"It was not an option to have 125 permanent employees hold digital meetings with our custom-built tool."
CPB also had to ensure that the selected digital meeting solution complied with the guidelines for Dutch government organisations for storing data.
The solution
Zijleman had already heard about iBabs from colleagues working at other departments. This was one of the reasons why he decided to learn more about this solution.
However, a more important consideration for CPB was compliance with data storage and management legislation. In this regard, iBabs offered an important benefit, Zijleman explains:
”iBabs stores data within the EU, and that was a very important selection criterion for us. Not all providers of digital meeting solutions meet this requirement.”
After an initial ‘pilot phase’, where CPB tested iBabs extensively, the IT team was convinced that iBabs was the solution that would make it easy to create and share agendas, distribute relevant documents in the cloud while keeping everyone informed and up-to-date with the most recent version of the board papers.
“We now save a lot of time, especially before and during meetings. During a meeting, people can quickly take notes and share them, which makes the meeting process smoother for us.”
The result
With iBabs implemented, CPB was able to realise a number of important benefits, including:
Optimised meeting process: iBabs facilitated the transition from physical to digital meetings, aiding CPB's initiative to make digital meetings the standard. Employees found iBabs’ interface to be user-friendly.
Data storage compliance: iBabs' ISO-certified information systems enabled CPB to meet the requirements for Dutch government organisations, ensuring data security and compliance.
Efficient collaboration: With iBabs, directors can quickly take notes during meetings or comment on agendas and minutes before meetings. Secretaries can capture minutes digitally and keep track of action items.
Futureproof system: The adoption of iBabs aligned with CPB's future plans of keeping a complete digital meeting archive.
As a result, CPB has significantly improved the efficiency and organisation of its board meetings. Board members are more informed, engaged and up-to-date with relevant information.
Zijleman stated:
"We now save a lot of time, especially before and during meetings."
Conclusion
iBabs has helped CPB streamline its board meeting management process, allowing the board to focus more effectively on the important aspects of steering the business forwards. With iBabs, CPB enjoys improved communication and better document management processes. At a higher level, the platform enables a more organised approach to preparing, running and following up after board meetings.
If you are looking for a solution like this, you can request a free demo of iBabs here.
