Human systems first
I was happy to hear from one of my clients last week that they've done something really smart.
It's something I often recommend, because it saves a ton of effort and expense, and applies resources only where needed.
In short, it's this:
Seeing an opportunity to improve their workflow, they did not begin with software. Instead, they simply implemented a change in their human processes.
Here's the background:
A big part of their mission is connecting people to services. They get dozens of new inquiries per month, from people who may need any number of the services they offer.
Previously they would offer separate intake forms on their website, one for each program.
A new contact would sign up for a particular program and the program coordinator would take it from there: make sure they're a good fit for the program, and then get them enrolled.
It wasn't a bad system, but they realized that people were often missing out on services in other programs.
They needed a way to centralize the enrollment process so that service recipients could be fully aware of all the options available to them and get connected to the services that would really help.
So they designated an Intake Coordinator.
This person is responsible for all new inquiries: for making sure they get connected to the right programs, that each program coordinator is doing the right follow-up, and that the service recipient is being connected to new services as needed.
And here's the smart thing that they did:
They started with the human process.
They made sure everyone was clear about the process, designated and trained (and actually hired) the Intake Coordinator, and set up very simple communications: ad-hoc email notifications and a shared spreadsheet.
That was enough. They got to work.
They did not insist on having a customized set of software features to manage this information. They just started with the human process.
6 months later, it's time for the software:
Their president reached out to me about it this week.
They've been using this system in the real world for 6 months now. They know what works and what doesn't. They know where the choke points are.
With that knowledge, we’ll be setting them up with CiviCRM’s case management features to streamline communications and tracking. And we can use their 6 months of experience to be sure we're building the features that are needed, not just what someone imagines might be needed.
From this they get two big benefits:
They were able to start their new intake management process quickly, without waiting on a software development project.
The software project itself is focused, meaningful, and well informed.
Here's the thing:
Yes, you’ll hear me grouse now and then about the inefficiency of ad-hoc emails and shared spreadsheets as a data management tool set.
But there's a greater inefficiency to be had.
It's the one you get when you hurry off to build the “perfect” software system for a human process that you don't fully understand yet.
Build a human process first. Then you'll know where the software can provide real value.
All the best,
A.