Transforming Operations With Process Automation

The client is a nonprofit senior living organization, the driving force behind three not-for-profit Life Plan communities in the mid-Atlantic region. Its marketing department handled image and graphic requests on paper, so requests were lost and no one could see the status of any given request, and progress toward quarterly goals was discussed informally in meetings even though merit-based compensation was tied to those goals. i3solutions ran a detailed assessment of both workflows, mapped them, and used Business Process Management to replace them with two tracked web applications: a Marketing Request Application with one standardized online entry form, whose requests move through queues that show who completed each step and when, and a goal tracking application in which goals set by team leaders cascade to managers and individuals and roll up into management reports, team status reports, and individual progress tracking. The image and graphics request form is built directly in SharePoint, which holds the requests and, through permission structures, limits who can submit and edit them. The custom applications around it use .NET for back-end logic under an MVC architecture, Angular with Kendo UI, jQuery, Bootstrap and CSS for the interface, Raven DB for data storage, and SMTP for automated status notifications. Both applications took the place of manual spreadsheets and paper forms.

The client, a nonprofit senior living organization behind three not-for-profit Life Plan communities in the mid-Atlantic region, faced significant challenges due to inefficient manual processes. In their marketing department, the handling of image and graphic requests relied on a cumbersome paper-based system. This approach led to frequent lost requests and a lack of visibility into the status of each request. The reliance on paper and verbal communication created bottlenecks and hindered the efficiency of the workflow, making it difficult for the marketing team to manage and track their tasks effectively.

Additionally, the organization struggled with tracking and measuring progress toward quarterly goals. The absence of a structured tracking system meant that departmental progress was only discussed informally during meetings, leaving team members in the dark about their achievements. This lack of formal tracking not only made it challenging to assess goal attainment accurately but also posed significant issues for merit- based compensation. With bonuses tied directly to these goals, the inability to measure progress effectively created complications in evaluating and rewarding performance fairly.

How are marketing requests submitted and tracked?

Through one standardized Marketing Request entry form, an online platform for submitting image and graphic requests. The entire lifecycle of a request, from submission to completion, is tracked through queues, and users can monitor progress and see who completed each step and when. The form is built directly in SharePoint, which serves as the secure repository for the requests, and permission structures mean only authorized users can submit and edit them.

How does the goal tracking application work?

Goals originate with team leaders and cascade down to individuals or managers, who align their own objectives accordingly. The application offers roll-up reports for management, team status reports, and individual progress tracking, so departmental progress is recorded instead of discussed informally during meetings. That record matters because bonuses are tied directly to these goals.

What did the two applications replace?

Manual spreadsheets and paper forms in the marketing department, and the informal meeting discussion that stood in for quarterly goal tracking. Both now run through the applications, which makes requests and tracking uniform: a queue cannot lose a request the way a paper form and a verbal handoff could, and it does not leave anyone guessing about status.

What technologies were used to build the applications?

SharePoint is the collaborative platform the applications are built on and the repository for marketing requests. .NET powers back-end development, including integration, user authentication, and data handling, organized under an MVC architecture that separates data handling, user interface, and application logic. Angular, Kendo UI, jQuery and JavaScript, and Bootstrap with CSS build the responsive interface, including grids and charts. Raven DB, a NoSQL document-oriented database, stores the data, and SMTP sends the automated email notifications about request status and goal progress.

If your team still moves requests around on paper or in email and no one can say where a given request stands, the cost shows up as rework and missed commitments rather than as a line item. A first conversation walks your current process end to end and marks the steps that exist only in someone’s head, the ones a standardized form and a tracked queue would carry instead. You leave with a process map and a list of the handoffs that are failing, which is the material your approval committee will ask for before it funds anything. Start the conversation