How CTG Helped A Grant Management Firm Organize and Automate Tasks Across Stakeholders

Key Challenges

The client faced challenges managing grants manually using MS Excel, Word, and Outlook, hindering scalability and transparency due to a growing pipeline of proposals.

Lack of a secure and consolidated system to manage the entire grant lifecycle.

Business Benefits

Provided a single platform for managing, tracking, and storing all grant-related information, leading to a more streamlined and efficient workflow.

Implemented a cloud infrastructure and incorporated role-based access restrictions, strengthening data security.

Initially intended for internal use, the solution was successfully commercialized as a SaaS product, creating a new revenue stream for the client.

The client is a full-service grant management firm with a proven track record of writing successful grant applications, winning a majority of all proposals prepared on behalf of clients. Their expertise revolved around needs assessment, grant writing, research and identification, grant management, post-award compliance, and liaison and advocacy services. All their tasks involved the collaboration of multiple stakeholders under strict deadlines, and the projects were managed almost entirely with spreadsheets, word documents, and email.

The Challenge and Opportunity

The client's team was struggling with a manual grant management process that involved accessing and extracting data through MS Excel and Word, coupled with reliance on Outlook Calendar reminders. This approach lacked the scalability to handle the increasing monthly influx of grant proposals and presented numerous limitations, making the process tedious and lacking transparency. The central challenge was the need for a secure and consolidated system to manage the entire grant lifecycle, encompassing assessment, writing, research, management, compliance, and liaison services. Recognizing these inefficiencies, the client understood the necessity for a digital solution to enhance both the scalability and security of their end-to-end grant process.

The Solution and Results

A software solution was necessary to centralize information management, tracking, and storage. This led the client to engage CTG to develop a multi-tenant SaaS solution. CTG implemented a custom format authentication module and migrated all documents from Egnyte to cost-efficient MS Azure storage, enabling cloud-based tracking of grant and project schedules. Built with MS Azure services, the platform automated the entire process, including sending automated deadline notifications and offering a more streamlined workflow. Furthermore, the cloud infrastructure enhanced security through role-based access restrictions, and an Audit Tab allowed executive management to assess projects for compliance and budget. A dedicated team of experts successfully implemented the initial solution within 20 weeks, resulting in a significant increase in process efficiency immediately after its launch.