Project Management to Improve Processes

Knowing what needs to change is only the start. The harder part is making it happen while the everyday work does not stop. For most teams, overhauling workflows or implementing a new system lands on top of jobs that are already full, and even the best-intentioned plans may stall.

Brumaire Consulting does the hands-on work of making change happen, alongside your team. We help streamline workflows, reconfigure the systems you already have, guide the search for new tools when you need them and see any rollout through completion. We take on as much or as little of these projects as needed to allow your people to stay focused on the work that only they can do.

After mapping and measuring existing processes, sometimes the best decision is to try to work with what you have. This is where most organizations begin with process improvements. 

In these situations, we review the systems you already pay for and how your team uses them, then help you make changes that better align with the way you work now, your clients’ expectations and your organizational goals. Common improvements might include:

• Optimizing workflows. We clarify who owns each step, cut redundant handoffs and  add backup reviewers so approvals do not stall.
• Using what you already have. We rethink current system setups, look for potential connection points to unify data across systems and help implement new features in existing systems.
• Configuring it differently. We review permissions, data fields, report templates and automations that may no longer fit how you work.
• Training for how the work is done today. We ensure that everyone has short, role-based training and clear procedures to use tools more effectively.
• Understanding your data. We provide insight into your current data management practices to improve functionality in your systems and make any future changes easier.
• Aligning changes with your goals. We connect processes with your organization’s mission or operational strategies and consider the impact of potential improvements on clients, employees and longer-term priorities.

There are times when your current tools have reached their limit or a novel technology might be worthwhile to add to the mix. When that happens, whether you need practice or case management, financial management, a donor database or AI capabilities that nearly every vendor is now selling, the groundwork we do to scope and improve processes weaves into the successful rollout of a new system. 

The system you choose will play a significant role in how your team works, and we believe that selection of any new system is a decision for your organization alone. As a partner to you, we can help you navigate the process by defining your needs, working with you through vendor selection and managing the eventual implementation to make the lift as light as possible on your team. These are some of the details that we handle which can make or break a new system:

• Gauging flexibility. We look at how well a system may adapt to your processes and flag where customization will mean ongoing costs or reliance on the vendor.
• Mapping what needs to connect. We identify the systems that should share data across your organization and determine if integrations are available.
• Testing AI claims. We ask vendors for live demos of the AI features available today, not a roadmap, and determine whether those features can be turned off without losing functionality you require.
• Understanding vendor data practices. We get clear answers on how your data is secured, used and retained while you are a customer, how easy it is to migrate your data out of the system in the future, then help you determine if that is acceptable for your organization.
• Planning for data cleanup. We scope data migration and cleanup issues early and look for pitfalls. We press vendors on who maps the data, how errors get caught and what cleanup typically involves for an organization your size.
• Comparing the full cost. We gather itemized pricing for subscription, implementation and migration services and any add-ons for the full length of a vendor’s contract. 
• Checking references. We connect you with current customers to learn how support really works and hear what it is like to use the product on an everyday basis.
• Timing the rollout. We build a realistic timeline with your chosen vendor around your busiest seasons and your team's availability, with extra room for testing.