One of the largest disaster-recovery state agencies encountered significant hurdles in incorporating financial data into their business unit management reports. Their manual processes were inefficient, error-prone, and impeded effective data management. To address these issues, Karma Advisory was brought in to create and deploy an automated solution leveraging Caspio’s low-code platform.
The Challenge
The agency encountered several obstacles in their data management process:
Manual Data Handling: Considerable time was spent manually transforming data to generate reports matching funding for projects with the associated costs.
Data Inconsistency: The manual process led to potential errors and inconsistencies in data transformation.
Inefficient Resource Utilization: Valuable staff time was consumed by repetitive data handling tasks.
Limited Integration: Existing systems lacked system integration, complicating the data transformation process.
The Solution
Karma Advisory proposed a comprehensive implementation plan to automate the data transformation process. The solution leveraged the Caspio platform to create a robust, automated system. Key features of the solution included:
Automated Data Imports/Exports: Utilizing Caspio’s automation tools to streamline data flow.
User Input Mechanism: Development of a system for handling missing values and user inputs.
Dashboard Integration: Seamless integration of data into a user-friendly dashboard.
Results and Benefits
The implementation of this automated data transformation solution yielded significant improvements:
Enhanced Efficiency: Automation drastically reduced the time required for data transformation and report generation.
Improved Data Accuracy: The automated process minimized human errors, ensuring more reliable data outputs.
Enhanced Integration: The solution provided a unified platform for data management, improving overall workflow.
Conclusion
This case study demonstrates how Karma Advisory successfully transformed a manual, time-consuming process into an efficient, automated system. By leveraging the Caspio platform and implementing a well-structured automation plan, the organization achieved significant improvements in data management efficiency and accuracy. This solution not only streamlined operations but also empowered users with better tools for data handling and decision-making.
A department of health in one of the largest states faced challenges in managing a healthcare program, which provides crucial funding to rural hospitals and clinics. Karma Advisory with our Prime Partner was tasked with administering this program, recognized the need for a more efficient and user-friendly system to handle provider applications, quarterly reports, and ongoing funding disbursements.
The Challenge
The existing process for managing the program was cumbersome and prone to inefficiencies:
Manual Data Entry: Staff spent considerable time inputting data from provider submissions into various systems.
Inconsistent Reporting: The lack of a standardized database led to discrepancies in data analysis and reporting.
Limited Accessibility: Information was scattered across different platforms, making it difficult for stakeholders to access and analyze program data.
Inefficient Validation: The process of validating quarterly reports was time-consuming and error-prone.
The Solution
Karma Advisory proposed the development of a user-friendly, Excel-based database to centralize and streamline the management of provider submissions. The solution was designed to operate within the client’s Microsoft 365 environment, utilizing Excel, SharePoint, and Power Automate. This ensured the lowest cost, highest value solution by utilizing existing tools on the client’s platform.
Key features of the solution included:
Automated Validation: An automated system to validate incoming quarterly reports.
Centralized Data Storage: A master report folder to house all validated submissions.
Integrated Data Flow: Utilization of SharePoint and Power Automate to seamlessly add validated reports to the Quarterly Report database.
Service Account Integration: Implementation of service accounts to ensure secure and automated file management.
Results and Benefits
The implementation of this Excel-based database solution yielded significant improvements:
Enhanced Efficiency: Automation of validation and data entry processes reduced manual workload and minimized errors.
Improved Data Consistency: Centralization of data in a standardized format ensured more accurate analysis and reporting.
Increased Accessibility: Stakeholders gained easier access to program data, facilitating more informed decision-making.
Streamlined Reporting: The consolidated database simplified the generation of program reports for the NYS DOH.
Compliance Assurance: By keeping all data within the client’s environment, the solution met stringent data security and privacy requirements.
Conclusion
By leveraging existing Microsoft 365 tools and implementing a streamlined data management process, Karma Advisory successfully transformed the administration of this program. This case study demonstrates how targeted technological solutions can significantly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare funding programs, ultimately benefiting rural healthcare providers and the communities they serve.
I have had the pleasure of working with Krishan and his team at Karma Advisory on multiple initiatives and in different capacities over the years and am always impressed with their strategies around communication, partnership, process, and deliverables. The Karma team knows how necessary it is to take the time to fully understand the unique needs, culture, and objectives of the clients that they work with and invests considerable time and effort in getting to know the organization’s structure and the challenges that are associated with that structure.
Karma brings a truly unique combination of personalized attention, customization, expertise and flexibility that is often hard to find, and has consistently exceeded expectations in delivering high-quality services. Over the course of my engagement with them, they have proven to be a valuable partner, helping to navigate the many complex challenges that come with government work and grant funding. Whether the project is helping to build out a new system in its entirety or assist in making minor modifications to processes and procedures, the team ensures as a priority that they have a deep understanding of business needs which allows them to deliver tailored solutions. These solutions are always presented in a way that is understandable for the user, with key points such as schedule and budget concisely outlined. As a manager, I am always looking to ensure that we are on time and within our funding capacity for each of our initiatives, which Krishan understands and considers as he molds solutions for me and my team.
As an example, with the working environment evolving and with having less staff to handle the same workload, there has been an increasing need to brainstorm in ways that will guarantee that the same output is achieved. I reached out to Krishan for an initial meeting to discuss potential solutions. He and his team were incredibly collaborative and listened carefully to our input and concerns. In our follow up meeting, Karma Advisory presented not just one, but two solutions. When I requested a piece of each solution be combined into a third option, they delivered. Throughout the design, build and implementation processes, they maintain regular check-ins and provide comprehensive updates which safeguard the agency’s budget and schedule.
In closing, I wholeheartedly recommend Karma Advisory to any organization seeking expert consulting services. Their personalized approach and commitment to communication and transparency, combined with their extensive knowledge and dedication to client success which shows true partnership, sets them apart from larger, more impersonal firms. Karma’s professionalism and results-driven approach makes them an outstanding choice for any business seeking consulting services.
The engagement team worked with one of California’s largest cities and major technology hubs to develop a broadband, digital inclusion, and smart-city strategy. This undertaking demanded a comprehensive exploration of global smart-city and broadband initiatives, and analysis of best practices for attracting business and vendors to bridge the digital divide and implement smart technology.
Business Problem
Broadband and smart-city implementations worldwide are unique to the specific policy, governance, and funding mechanisms of the geography. The engagement team had to research and refine findings to ensure client applicability to support future goals.
Challenges
Due to the nature of broadband and smart-city implementation, the requirements gathering process required a comprehensive review, including constant communication and stakeholder engagement to ensure state and federal compliance and client needs. Another challenge was analyzing robust and geographically varied data to inform the city’s market strategy and solution.
Project Impacts and Outcomes
The engagement team’s analysis laid the foundation for the client to understand the varying components needed for successful implementation of broadband and smart-city solutions like the infrastructure and implementation considerations to bring broadband and smart city infrastructure to the city, and the internal technical and resource capabilities to leverage smart city infrastructure (e.g., with additional data insights, there needs to be the technical infrastructure to analyze data and the resources that conduct data analysis to incorporate into policy and operations). As a result of this analysis, the client incorporated our insights into their long-term plans to make the city an innovation hub.
After New York’s five super storms in 2012, the state created a temporary agency to distribute 4.4 billion dollars in federal funds to homeowners, small businesses, and municipalities. From the start, technology served as the foundation for this nascent disaster recovery organization. With continually shifting policies, strategies, and goals, the Information Technology (IT) team was forced to create a complex set of applications for processing, analyzing, reporting, and storing critical data and documents for dozens of programs.
Business Problem
The clients’ technology solutions and processes were developed quickly, and in silos because they needed to immediately begin releasing funds/benefits. Therefore, the client sought a partner who could re-engineer the complex architecture of dozens of disparate systems that needed to be maintained or rearchitected.
Challenges
A consistent challenge across the agency was a lack of centralized strategies, techniques, and frameworks which presented unique complexities. Examples of these include varying customer service and support strategies for both staff and applications, varying frameworks and processes (or the lack thereof) resulting in missing quality assurance and quality control procedures for critical applications and departments, and inconsistent monitoring and maintenance of software through the software development lifecycle.
Project Impacts and Outcomes
The engagement team provided technology strategy and execution services support to the client’s Chief Information Officer, which included the following:
Current-state and future-state IT organizational assessment to determine and implement technology change management initiatives to improve technology delivery.
Future-state business architecture to help determine future-state IT organizational capabilities, roles and responsibilities and staffing plans.
Portfolio and project management support, including software architecture and design, business requirements development, testing and release management support.
Comprehensive training modules to create structure and internal capabilities in technology delivery for project managers, business analysts, and developers.
Through the engagement team’s strategy and execution support, the client’s IT team has significantly improved its service delivery capabilities, including on-time delivery of projects and improved customer service. This work has helped train and empower the client’s IT team to be more customer-centric and improve delivery of services.
