NZ Post was planning a national launch of new postcodes to provide more accurate sorting and faster delivery times to customers. Switching to 1049 unique four digit codes (up from 500 in the current system) involved a nationwide campaign, and a key element in the rapid adoption by the public relied on providing an online Postcode look up tool. A basic tool existed, but NZ Post identified it was very limited in function and intuitiveness. The intention was to provide a postcode lookup tool that could capture mis-spellings, equivalent names, offer alternative suggestions and map confirmation to enrich the search.
THE PAIN
It was time to retire the existing online Postcode search tool as 'Return to Sender', and provide a new search tool with a 'Google' style level of performance.
How to Successfully Engage Many Players in a Multi-Vendor Project
NZ Post identified that it needed to outsource major requirements of the postcode technology to a variety of companies, and many - for example, distribution houses - were not familiar with on-line applications. As a starting point they engaged Intergen as technical consultants with a wide overview and experience with co-ordinating multi-vendor projects. Intergen initially provided software design and architecture consulting as well as supplying developers to help the New Zealand Post in-house development team.
The fit proved very successful, and Intergen's role expanded into project leadership, or as Gabriel Smith, Lead Developer on the project for Intergen prefers to put it, "We seamlessly became the glue that locked in the technical decisions, kept a tight eye on the timing, and brought all the players together so each could deliver without the delays that can sometimes hijack projects where many players are involved. It became a very tight unit with Intergen, DNA Design, MSI, and MultiMap each delivering what they all do best, to get the job done right for the customer."
- 6011 for Intergen, Wellington
- 0622 for Intergen, Auckland
- 8011 for Intergen, Christchurch
Finding a postcode is as simple as going to www.nzpost.co.nz. There are now 1049 unique postcodes carving up New Zealand into locations. Resulting gains are more accurate and faster mail sorting and reduced handling and redelivery, giving NZ Post customers an even more reliable service. Performance testing was naturally a very important aspect of this project due to the high profile of this website that supports the nationwide launch of the new postcodes.
Intergen provided performance testing expertise to test and tune the solution to a highly reliable level. NZ Post went into its nationwide launch in June with confidence, and the site received 300,000 plus hits per month in the first few months. The technology that drives the postcode search tool was built using Microsoft asp.net and Microsoft content management server. A new feature is a map finder designed by MultiMap that matches the postcode to a pinpoint location on a map.
THE GAIN
The Postcode project was delivered to the letter. The project was ready for release on time and delivered on all of its must-have requirements within what was initially a very tight timeframe.