Ontario Centre

The Centre was working with an outdated, fragmented system that was having a negative impact on their ability to share their knowledge and deliver effective services to lead agencies. They wanted to provide a means for mental health workers across Ontario to connect in a secure space, while upgrading their internal systems to improve efficiencies.

When The centre decided to modernize, they first developed a detailed business case analysis to determine what they needed as a database, and then went to market with an RFP containing specific requirements. They were looking for a two-tiered solution that would provide:

• a centralized repository for both internal and external sources of information;
• an easily configurable, scalable platform that will adapt to The centre’s changing needs;
• secure online access for stakeholders and The centre’s 33 B2B clients;
• a mental-health-community portal that would give lead agencies a safe space for sharing information and discussing the issues they deal with every day.

We responded and followed up with a proposal that would use Adxstudio Portals and the Azure cloud for an online portal, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM to facilitate The Centre’s core business process.

Within weeks, several staff members at the centre were engaged in a 4-day discovery session and assessment of the proposed business strategy, and were thrilled with our recommendations. At the same time, The Centre was going through another transition; their business model was changing. and our team helped lay the foundation for organizing work within the system. They were thrilled about:

• a centralized product database so information is available instantly and easily, increasing productivity and data accuracy;
• streamlined operations and improves service by managing the flow of information;
• managed contacts;
• structure for their Rapid Evidence Response program which allows agencies to access clinical or research information to help them make better decisions;
• a secure portal built on Microsoft technology;
• an easily configurable and scalable infrastructure that will grow with the centre’s needs.
• a project management tool, that lets administrators track projects by timeline and task, and track data to discover how much each product or project costs, allowing them to see problem areas and make necessary procedural changes.

"They helped us above and beyond the needs of the database. They took our random thoughts and put them into a strategic structure - which became the framework for the system - in a way that we would never have been able to do.” Shared the Director of Strategic Planning & Operations “The wonderful thing about the project management tool is that it links back to the strategic plan, and all of that is linked with the system, so staff can gain access to the information they need quickly and easily, whenever, wherever they need it. Having that at our fingertips makes our work more efficient and effective.”

A major component of the project was to provide a portal for the mental health community, where clinicians could share information with each other, discuss issues that come up in their daily work, and collaborators learn best-practices. The portal facilitates news, blogs, a community calendar, surveys and lead agency profiles. “The portal was designed to allow agencies to talk about key questions they have. We can post articles, we can communicate with other agencies, but it was really important to us to create a safe space where they can communicate with each other. We’re very pleased with the team managing our project. Their expertise in planning was invaluable. And they met some incredibly tight deadlines with ease. Most importantly, they’ve given us the tools we need to deliver better mental healthcare to Ontario’s young people, and you can’t put a price on that.”