FEMS power membership engagement with help from Hart Square

The Federation of European Microbiological Societies (FEMS) was established in 1974 and is a coalition of more than 50 Member Societies from 38 countries and a diverse network of 30,000 individual microbiologists. FEMS is committed to supporting microbiologists, promoting the best in microbiological research and bringing microbiologists together to share that knowledge.

Powering engagement strategy

To enable them to build better connections and develop the European – and global – network they form part of, FEMS aspire to better join up the information they hold about their various interactions with microbiologists across the continent

FEMS were therefore keen to both streamline their processes and improve their information management, enabling them to power their engagement strategy with better information. The implementation of new technology will therefore enable them to be more informed, to make better decisions, and to reach their strategic goals as part of their 2020-2024 strategy.

Getting buy-in and agreement

FEMS first contacted Hart Square in 2018 to establish a business case for the investment they needed to make, and a prepare a roadmap for the identification and implementation of new digital solutions. The business case and roadmap were vital to getting buy-in and agreement within FEMS. As Cameron Wright, Programme Manager at FEMS explains,  “The business case built the link between the project and our overall strategy. It was talking in the language the Board was using around our strategy, allowing them and the team to be engaged from an early stage.”

Discovery and requirements gathering

In 2019, Hart Square then ran a series of discovery and requirements gathering workshops with the team at FEMS, to further understand what will be needed from the technology solutions. “The discovery sessions enabled the team to better understand their current processes, as well as the need for change. This allowed them to understand the potential benefits of the project from an early stage, which was really important for our long-term success.” Cameron continues.

The requirements were collated into a tender document which described FEMS’ background as well as their project objectives and strategic plans. This document was reviewed by FEMS, and the requirements were prioritised to identify what needed to be delivered at each stage of the project. Cameron explains “Having the outside perspective of Hart Square was invaluable and helped to bring our immediate requirements together, whilst also referring to our long-term strategy.”

Selecting the right partner

With the Invitation to Tender documentation approved, Hart Square guided FEMS through the partner selection process, which involved a series of engagement meetings and technology demonstrations. Cameron noted that Hart Square’s expertise in understanding the perspectives of both FEMS and potential partners allowed for clear and open communication, “It was really useful that Hart Square could serve as the translator between what we as an organisation wanted and what the partner was talking about”.

With the new partner selected, Cameron added “Hart Square were great at being the facilitator as we moved from partner selection to implementation, since they had clarity of vision and purpose across both stages which allowed for an effective transition.”