Client: Guelph-Wellington Business Enterprise Centre
Industry: Not-for-profit
Solution Type: Custom Software

Background:

Our client, a local not-for-profit agency dedicated to supporting the growth of small businesses and generating an entrepreneurial climate in its catchment area, was awarded a contract from government to manage the Self-Employment Benefit (SEB) program for the region. This program supports unemployed entrepreneurial individuals in the creation of their own businesses, targeting financial support to participants over a period of one year and providing advisory support, training, and a schedule for the creation of business plans, cash flow projections, networking events and marketing materials. To remain eligible for participation in the program, participants agreed to have their progress through a structured entrepreneurial training and action program stringently monitored.

For this client, documentation of the progression of a client through the milestones of a program was a stringent requirement of the sponsoring government. On our engagement, the client’s agents were experiencing difficulty keeping reporting current and accurate because data were being managed using a combination of off-the-shelf software tools and paper-based approaches. Report preparation became a major headache, occupying substantial staff time and cost. Sharing of information among agency personnel was also severely compromised, with data stored in multiple paper files and inconsistently on local hard drives and networks.

Our Solution:

Created a customized Intranet-deployed Client Management software system which:

• Facilitated client intake into the SEB program
• Created a database of resources to support each client (events, seminars, etc.)
• Dynamically created a program plan for each individual client, accessing a managed database of resources
• Tracked performance of each individual to their milestones and flagged those clients not in compliance for follow-up by an advisor
• Stored all documents associated with each client, including business plans, resumés, cash flow forecasts, etc.
• Allowed advisors to directly keep minutes of each client meeting in the database
• Created a substantial reporting engine that allowed on-demand generation of a variety of different reports, including those required by the program’s government sponsor, with Acrobat .PDF exporting capabilities

Our Activities:

Sandbox experts:

• Completed a business process analysis and data management needs assessment
• Identified high priority activities and work flow
• Developed software specifications and confirmed with client
• Coded custom software components
• Tested software to ensure bug-free execution
• Adjusted software functionalities on input from client
• Developed software users’ documentation/manual
• Trained staff on use of solution
• Deployed Intranet solution
• Provide ongoing support

Outcomes:

New custom software, which integrated a wide variety of activities and reports, created an exceptional and cost-effective solution. The solution has reduced staff time committed to administrative tasks and reduced errors in data management. The dramatic improvement in abilities to instantaneously gather and share information on clients, including progression through program milestones, has been an enormous help to Centre staff in guiding program development and personal attention to clients. Centre staff are less flustered by impromptu requests for reports and less intimidated by the periodic reports that must be generated and submitted to the government sponsor of the program.