Project Access consistently re-evaluates our practices in order to operate at optimal efficiency. One area we’re taking a closer look at this year is our data management system which is essential to tracking resident participation, capturing social impact data, and helping us make informed decisions on programming.
Since 2020 we have taken a serious look at how we manage our data and what kind of investment it would take to bring us up to a level of best practices. Our discussions concentrated around the central idea that if we have an easy to use, fast, data system, then we’ll have data to demonstrate we’re being successful and making a positive impact or the data will reveal areas of greater need.
We have three distinct goals in implementing a new data system. Foremost, we will have more time to spend with Residents and improve outcomes data tracking. Secondly, we will experience revenue growth by attracting funders and clients via better data. Lastly, we will have cost-savings through improved program performance and organizational efficiencies.
Knowing our responsibility to Residents and stakeholders alike we did our due diligence by conducting extensive market research. We talked with other Resident service organizations, attended many webinars on data systems, and participated in numerous demos and virtual tours.
Almost simultaneous to our research, we consistently identified (and re-evaluated) our needs as an organization. We assessed our data limitations and capacity, gathered input from all levels of staff, and created a “wish list” of key desired attributes and a framework/criteria for comparing options.
We’re happy to report that REDS (Resident Engagement Data System), which was named by our staff, is our new Salesforce-based data system, replacing the current way we track program success at Project Access. This is an investment in the right place at the right time. With this new system, we’re confident in making informed decisions using real-time data and analytics to address needs and attract an ever-diverse group of highly valued funders and collaborators.
Our REDS onboarding period involves training and support for Project Access program staff up through our launch date which is today, and will continue throughout April. We can’t wait for Project Access to step into this new era of efficiency to the benefit of our staff, Residents, and stakeholders.