The University successfully updated it's obsolete Archibus facilities management system, overcoming significant challenges and resulting in a modern, efficient system achieved through an impressive collaborative effort by Estates, ISG and their implementation partner Jones Lang Lasalle. What is Archibus/ the project? Archibus is the University’s facilities management system, which is used by the Estates Department to deliver key Estates activities. Archibus records and manages about 558 buildings thereby supporting critical activities, which ensures legal compliance, the safeguarding of built assets, the management and efficient use of space, maintenance activities, management of costs and priorities, environmental efficiency, and the health and safety of those who work on or visit the estate. In August 2023, there were over 6,000 maintenance-related activities managed using the system. It is considered a core IT system of the University. Why did we need to upgrade Archibus? The former version of Archibus was incredibly outdated and no longer supported by the vendor. It has not been upgraded since 2017, was heavily customized and increasingly relied on obsolete technologies. Eptura, the supplier, no longer supported that version of Archibus meaning that it was no longer able to be patched, and some functionality was no longer fully operational. This came with a long list of related issues including that the mobile app would not work with new Android and Apple operating systems, there was a need to purchase additional middleware to address end of life components, there was increasing fragility of the system and frequent restarts, manual workarounds were needed for several Estates activities and there were emerging information security challenges. Upgrading became critical and needed to happen imminently to avoid failure of the old system. What were the challenges? While the delivery of the project was very crucial, it was also nearly impossible. The aim was to deliver a seamless "like for like" replacement of Archibus while minimizing the customizations. This was a particularly complex challenge as the system relied on obsolete technology and many custom modifications had been made to it. There was a need to transition the system from an on-premise setup to a cloud-hosted solution, while preserving the critical functions of the system and ensuring data integrity. This process required careful planning as the system was to be integrated with other University systems, such as People & Money. How did we deliver the “impossible” project? Despite these challenges, the team successfully upgraded Archibus using a strategic and methodical approach. Having started in July 2023, the project finished on time and £21k under budget on June 3, 2025. It involved between 60-70 people from the university and the supplier and took about 767 days of effort. There were 177 end users who were trained in the new system. The highlight of the whole project was the smooth cutover day, starting at 7am and ending at 9pm, marking the transition to the new system. Following a carefully curated plan and under the leadership of Mark Downey, the cutover day went exactly as planned. This project demonstrated real collaboration between ISG, Estates and the supplier, Jones Lang LaSalle Limited. The remarkable project was called “a real example of partnership” by Marjory Howarth, the Project Manager. The new, less customized version will allow upgrades to be made more easily in the future. Experiencing a similar situation? If you are currently dealing with your own “impossible” project and would like to learn more about how to make it possible, please contact the PMO. Publication date 22 Aug, 2025
