Business Challenge
The organization’s previous website was used primarily as a static information page. Over time, internal teams needed more dynamic tools for member communication, secure content distribution, and document access. Key goals for the new portal included:
- Creating a structured knowledge hub for public and member-only content.
- Enabling secure login for members to access benefits, forms, and internal updates.
- Managing documents and agreements with search and tag functionality.
- Supporting content publishing workflows for press releases, announcements, and safety bulletins.
- Providing admin teams with tools for user management and access control.
Solution
The organization had a large volume of content spread across different departments, but no consistent structure or controlled access for members. Our work started with an audit of all existing materials — from public safety updates to internal labor agreements — to understand how the platform should be organized.
One of the main priorities was building a system where members could log in and access documents and announcements relevant to their role or region. We worked closely with internal stakeholders to define access levels and ensure that content was grouped logically by topic, document type, and organizational structure.
From a technical side, we developed tools that allowed association staff to upload new content, tag it, and control who could view it — without needing developers involved. The platform also needed to support press releases and policy updates that were visible to the public, so we configured editorial workflows for different content types.
Search was a practical challenge due to the number of documents and overlapping terms. We implemented Elasticsearch to make the internal search more reliable and added filtering tools to help members find materials based on date, category, or keywords.
Throughout the project, our goal was to align the portal’s functionality with how the association actually works — with chapters in different regions, evolving contracts, and a constant need to distribute timely updates. We focused on supporting those day-to-day operations with a system that’s structured, searchable, and easy to maintain.
Project Stages
- Requirements & Planning: Reviewed existing content flows, permission structures, and key admin needs.
- Design: Built templates for public content, searchable document sections, and member dashboards.
- Development: Integrated CMS features, user login, search, and permission logic into a unified backend.
- Launch & Training: Deployed in stages and trained association staff on content publishing and user management.
Business Outcomes
- Over 1,000 documents restructured and made searchable via Elasticsearch.
- Unified platform now supports both public information and internal operations.
- Members can securely log in to access forms, agreements, and regional news.
- Internal staff can manage users, permissions, and content without developer assistance.
- Increased engagement from members via direct updates and localized content access.
Why It Worked
To support content control, secure access, and flexible publishing, we used the following stack:
- Symfony / Drupal: For backend CMS logic and admin panel features.
- MySQL: For structured data and user management.
- Frontend (HTML, CSS, JS): For responsive web layouts and interactive modules.
- RESTful APIs: To allow future integrations with external systems.
- Elasticsearch: For high-performance, filterable content search.
Need a Similar Solution?
If you're managing a member-based association or public sector union and need to improve content delivery, access control, or internal tools, we can help build a system that fits your structure and workflows. Let’s talk!
