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A Case Management System Case Study: Providence House
In April of 1998, Providence House, a small agency providing transitional housing and support to disadvantaged women and children, embarked on developing a strategic technology plan. The agency recognized that in order to remain competitive in its grant applications it needed to implement sophisticated data storage and tracking procedures to provide the outcome measures many of its funding sources were requiring. Additionally, the agency wanted to explore promotion and marketing through the Internet and, on a broader level, share the work of Providence House with a larger audience. The Plan Providence House operates six communal style residences in Brooklyn, Queens, and Westchester, where it also maintains a small permanent housing program. A three-phased technology plan was designed to create a network between these separate sites while addressing the requirements of such regular funders as the NYC DHS, Westchester DSS, NYS Parole, and NYS OCFS. The first phase prioritized the building of the client database, launching the Web site and purchasing the necessary hardware and software. Phase II covered the beta testing of the system, staff training, and implementation of the local area network (LAN). Phase III provided for continued testing and training, enhancement of the Web site, and connection between the agency's remote sites. Realizing the Plan The necessary first step was to secure funding for the project. Sister Janet Kinney, who had just become Executive Director of Providence House, began to write and submit proposals in the Fall of 1998. By June of 1999, the first technology grant award of $10,000 was received. Later, a second grant of $24,000 was secured for implementation of the LAN. Providence House, based on its research of software packages, volunteered to serve as a beta test site for TESCO, a software company focusing on small providers. Providence House provided TESCO with the sample data and forms it wanted included in its case management system and Sister Marie Sorensen, Associate Director, became the agency coordinator for the project. The initial design took seven months and required about seven to eight hours of work each week. It quickly became apparent to Sister Marie that much of the troubleshooting of the system had to be worked out at the administrative level before being introduced to the case managers for testing. Beta testing to refine the software development began in June of 2000 with the agency's case managers. When Providence House was ready to go forward with the installation of its LAN, it hit a road bump in the plan. Bids had been solicited from LAN providers earlier in the year, and a vendor was selected based on the low fee guaranteed. Unfortunately, this vendor dropped the ball and the follow-up service provided for in the contract was never adequately fulfilled. Further, some of the necessary software was not received up front, leading to months of haggling with the vendor and delay and frustration with the system. As the system development moved forward it suddenly became clear that the agency's hardware - CPUs, memory, hard drives, CPU cases - was no longer sufficient to meet the agency's needs. An additional $5,000, which had not been originally budgeted, had to be allocated in order to realize the plan goals. Further, when Providence House moved to implement its wide area network (WAN) it discovered new hardware problems, such as insufficient memory capacity, modem speed, and monitor size. Lessons Learned The experience of Providence House reveals that there are often unforseen costs when implementing a strategic technology plan. It is important to budget more money - and time - in order to cushion for these surprises down the road. It is also necessary to remember that training and technology costs are ongoing. Finally, it is critical to assign someone within the agency to be responsible for coordinating the project. The glitches that occurred were manageable because Sister Marie was coordinating the work of TESCO, the vendors, and the agency staff and was able to maintain the "big picture" view and keep the plan moving forward. Despite the various adjustments that needed to be made along the way, Providence House now has a highly effective case management system in place and operational. Providence House found that beta testing of the case management system was best done with a small, select group of staff. Agency-wide beta testing was too unwieldy.
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Planning & Management.... An Agency Profile: Transitional Services for New York, Inc. (August, 2003) Software for Nonprofit Accounting (March, 2003) How to Accurately Plan Your Agency's IT Budget: A Workshop Synopsis (October, 2002) Would You Like To Improve Agency Communications? Develop an Intranet! (October, 2002) "Something from Nothing" - How Housing Works built a state-of-the-art IT infrastructure on a shoestring budget. (August, 2002) Making the Build-or-Buy Decision: A Thorough Analysis Before You Decide (February, 2002) Online Facilitation (December, 2001) The ABCs of ASPs (November, 2001) The Pros and Cons of ASPs (November, 2001) Using an Application Service Provider To Transform Your Agency (November, 2001) The Nonprofit Web Site: Tips for Attracting and Retaining Visitors (April, 2001) A Case Management System Case Study: Providence House (January, 2001) Covering Web Site Costs and Online Fund Development (January, 2001) I&R Best Practices: Profiles of Three NYC I&R Services (November, 2000) One To One Marketing for Nonprofits (May, 2000) Planning for Success: A Practical Approach to Technology (March, 2000) Networking for the Small Nonprofit: The Asian American Federation of New York (December, 1999) Developing a Technology Plan: Key to Getting Needed Funds (October, 1999) Should Your Organization be an E-Commerce Provider? (October, 1999) Stretch Your Technology Budget - Take Advantage of Product Donations (June, 1999) Contact Tracking That Works (April, 1999) How We're Using Information Technology to Further Our Mission (February, 1999) PeopleKnowledge: One Solution to Data Management (December, 1998) Softward Licensing: Protecting Your Organization From Lawsuits (October, 1998) Other Articles of Interest.... GuideStar: Getting Form 990 Online (October, 2001) Nonprofits Benefit from ePayments Technology (April, 2001) Paving the Way to the Future: DYCD's Comprehensive Contract Management System (January, 2001) Creating the Paperless Office (November, 2000) Globix Technology Grants Help Nonprofits Realize Operating Efficiencies (November, 2000) TECH-U-NET: Providing Technology Guidance to Nonprofits (November, 2000) Technology Technical Assistance: Why Use it, How to Manage it (May, 2000) New Web Site Facilitates Quality Program and Evaluation Planning (March, 2000) Lessons From the Life of a Learning and Access Center (December, 1999) Distance Learning and Training can be Low-Key, Low-Tech, and Low-Budget (October, 1999) If Your Computer is Looking a Little Green Around the Ears, it Might be a Virus (June, 1999) Program Donates Technology to Nonprofits (April, 1999) New York Today Offers Free Web Services for Nonprofits (February, 1999) Register Your Internet Domain Name Now (February, 1999) Diffusion Fund Enables Advanced Telecommunications for Disadvantaged. . .(December, 1998) BrookynX - A Guide to Getting Your Communities on the Net (October, 1998) Learning the FAQs: Free Education and Training for Nonprofits (October, 1998) |
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