Project Overview
Environmental Management Solutions (EMS) is a food bank charity doing incredible work to support those in need. However, their day-to-day operations were managed via excel spreadsheets - Spreadsheets that despite being essential to the EMS team (they tracked everything from food bank visitors, to food distribution metrics) were proving to be ineffective in supporting the SLT given that their workload had practically tripled between COVID-19 and the cost of living crisis. As a result of this the CEO of EMS applied to be a part of the Power to Change programme, so she could access support to streamline operations of the organisation. As an associate consultancy of the Power to Change programme, I was tasked with the objective of helping EMS transition from their reliance on spreadsheets, to a more streamlined, user-friendly system. So following on from a discovery call with both EMS and the Power To Change team I agreed to build a set of 4x apps within Microsoft Power Apps that would simplify and improve how EMS managed their core processes. The main purpose of these apps was to provide technical solutions that were not only functional but also easy for the SLT to use, without requiring them to be tech experts.
Project Outcome
The shift from Excel spreadsheets to Power Apps brought about significant improvements for EMS, providing a more intuitive and efficient way to handle their critical data: Here’s what we achieved:
- Simplified Data Management:
- The SLT at EMS now has four dedicated apps that handle customer data, food distribution metrics, and donation tracking. This shift eliminated the need for multiple complex spreadsheets, reducing the risk of errors and making it much easier to manage and access vital information via the dashboards that I also built into each app.
- Improved Efficiency:
- With the new apps in place, tasks that previously took hours—like updating records or generating reports— were a thing of the past thanks to the in-built automation of the dashboards I made. This boost in efficiency means that the team can allocate more of their time and resources to the EMS’s primary mission: providing provisions to those in need.
- Enhanced Data Accuracy:
- By moving away from spreadsheets, EMS reduced the likelihood of data entry mistakes.
- User-Friendly Interface:
- One of the key goals was to make the apps accessible and easy to use for the SLT, who were more familiar with spreadsheets rather than app-based systems. As a result all apps were designed with a simple, intuitive interface that required minimal training, making the transition smooth and stress-free.
- Better Reporting and Insights:
- The apps provided EMS with powerful reporting dashboards that were far more sophisticated than what they could achieve with Excel. Allowing the team to generate real-time reports on customer demographics, food distribution volumes, and donation trends, helping them to better understand their impact and plan for the future.
- The apps provided EMS with powerful reporting dashboards that were far more sophisticated than what they could achieve with Excel. Allowing the team to generate real-time reports on customer demographics, food distribution volumes, and donation trends, helping them to better understand their impact and plan for the future.
TL;DR: Overall, this project was all about transforming the way EMS manages their core processes. By replacing convoluted spreadsheets with custom-built MS Power Apps, we not only improved their efficiency and data accuracy but also empowered their team to focus on what really matters—supporting their community.
"Janinah, Director of JMK, is hands-on and quick off the mark to support the community business we referred to her. Her knowledge of what Microsoft Power Apps could do for EMS was second to none. The digital package she created will be a game-changer in transforming an arduous task of tracking and monitoring large spreadsheets into a more time efficient process."
— Sona Mahatni: Business Connector - Power to Change Programme
N.B: All work with Environmental Management Solutions was funded by Power To Change for whom JMK & Co was an associate Business Consultancy.
