One of our clients was looking for an opportunity to cut down on costs and still maintain existing functionality for scheduling and tracking upcoming events.

Our team at CloudWave is always eager to innovate using emerging technology platforms. We chose the low code platform Google Appsheet to build this new application because it has numerous benefits for users: flexibility, affordability, and mobile accessibility.

The app is designed so that system admins can create an event, and then it can move through a full lifecycle approval process. Criteria within the cycle determines what level of increasing approval is needed from key stakeholders.

Each event starts out as a draft with a minimum of three to five levels of approvalI. Admins can specify the details about the event, the number of attendees, expenses associated with the event, and the supervisor who needs to approve it at the next level. Supervisors will be pinged automatically with an email so that they can review the event details and approve or reject them.

If it is rejected for any reason, it will not be able to move forward to the next phase of the life cycle. Once an event has passed through the entire approval process, users can register to attend the event. Those who are registering will be prompted to fill out follow-up forms on their travel needs for attendance.

Within the application, users can view all of their upcoming registered events and submit expenses connected to them as necessary.

CloudWave initially developed a proof of concept to demonstrate to IT that MuleSoft can perform user synchronization and also unlock the Active Directory data via API.MuleSoft simplified the architecture by replacing a more complex architecture using Salesforce Identity Connect and IBM CastIron, saving tens of thousands of dollars in the process. While designing this project, CloudWave followed an API First approach to make sure that data gets unlocked and will be easier for consumption by other applications using API to avoid redundant point to point integration.

Qualtrics needed to be able to push an unlimited number of survey responses to Salesforce. Then, they needed near real-time survey response synchronization to Salesforce objects with the ability to map survey responses to standard or custom objects. Finally, they needed the ability to custom schedule the synchronization between the surveys and salesforce.

Our CloudWave Smartsheet consultants started by identifying key business needs for the client and agreeing upon a project timeline that would allow their team to maximize the new Smartsheet environment as soon as possible. Then we began building the solution.

First, we designed the technical components based on the needs uncovered in the discovery phase. Since ServiceNow wasn’t a typical out-of-box integration at the time, the integration process required some extra customization.

Ultimately our team created a custom API solution via Smartsheet’s Bridge application to connect the client’s ServiceNow instance with their Smartsheet account, providing bi-directional support. Using Bridge, custom modules are designed to handle specific HTTP calls based on the APIs for the respective platforms that need to communicate. That data is then passed back to Smartsheet where it can be leveraged for decision making, communication, and more.

Then the team created sheets, reports, and dashboards necessary for the overall system. These components allow the customer to leverage their data from multiple sources in one platform, make decisions, communicate efficiently, and take action as needed.

Once the integration was complete, we walked the client through user acceptance testing to eliminate any potential issues. We then provided a knowledge transfer and technical documentation to the client’s admin users and continued to support them in the go-live stage.

To kick off the project, our CloudWave Smartsheet consultants worked closely with the client to understand the current state of their curriculum development system and what they ultimately wanted it to look like for the future.

The curriculum team was seeking a solution to manage the lifecycle of new curriculum development as well as tracking updates and corrections to existing courses. In addition to course development, they also needed the solution to track cost by comparing a person’s hours for their assigned tasks to their bill rate and calculating appropriately.

Based on this feedback, the CloudWave team designed a future state architecture diagram for the client’s approval. The plan was to leverage Smartsheet’s premium Control Center application with automation that would save time for all of the teams involved in the curriculum development process – SMEs, copy editors, graphic designers, and beyond.

When triggered, a new project would be created by Smartsheet. This means that all of the sheets, reports, and dashboards would be created for the users and eliminate manual setup and copy/pasting. Smartsheet then would then add the project to the appropriate workspace and share it to the appropriate people. Project level information would already be shared to those who need access to it upon creation.

The project would also roll up to the portfolio level – dashboards, reporting, etc. are updated by this process. Any needed project-level information would be isolated and pushed to a higher level for easy review and sharing.

As our team continued working on the Control Center solution, they provided routine demos to the client and continued to collect feedback. They also created all necessary sheets, reports, dashboards, and processes, considering both the requirements as well as Smartsheet best practices.

When the solution was finished, we walked the client through user acceptance testing to eliminate any potential issues.

Before handing off the completed project, the CloudWave team also created detailed documentation custom to the solution and provided various levels of training to the appropriate groups – end users, project managers, and admins.

To kick off the project, our CloudWave Smartsheet consultants worked closely with the client to understand how project management was functioning within the organization at the time and what they envisioned for the future.

Our team determined that there were no processes in Smartsheet yet. Instead, proposals for departmental and organizational projects in need of approval were sent to the committee chair via email. These emails had to be manually managed and organized on an ongoing basis and presented to the committee members.

In addition to the email process, the client was using a combination of PDFs and excel files to manage projects. This led to poor visibility with no metrics or dashboards to track crucial financial data.

Using the info from this discovery phase, our team designed a future state architecture diagram for the client that would leverage Smartsheet’s premium Control Center application for automation and add the Jira connector in phase two, upon completion of the Control Center build.

The new system would include automation to streamline internal processes. For starters, new projects would be created automatically by Smartsheet when triggered. All of the necessary sheets, reports, and dashboards would be created for the users and eliminate manual setup and copy/pasting.

Smartsheet would then add the project to the appropriate workspace and share it to the appropriate people. Everyone who needed project-level information would receive it instantly upon creation.

The project would also roll up to the portfolio level: dashboards, reporting, etc. could be updated automatically by this process. Project-level information would be isolated and pushed to a higher level for easy review and sharing.

Once the client approved this proposed system, the CloudWave team began building the solution, creating the sheets, reports, dashboards, and processes, and considering both the requirements as well as Smartsheet best practices.

When the project management system was complete, CloudWave led the client in User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and created detailed documentation custom to the solution. We also provided various levels of training to the appropriate groups: end users, project managers, and admins.

To kick off the project, our CloudWave Smartsheet consultants worked closely with the client to understand the existing Smartsheet environment and used exercises like process mapping to determine the ideal future state for workflows.

We discovered that this team was already using Smartsheet, but not to its full potential or with best practices in mind. For example, the client was:

Our team designed the scope of the ideal future state in detail, noting improvements needed for existing sheets, listing new sheets we would need to create, and documenting overall processes we would facilitate to improve internal communication.

We helped the client leverage Smartsheet’s premium Control Center application for automation and add the Jira connector in phase two, upon completion of the Control Center build. New projects would be created automatically by Smartsheet when triggered. All of the necessary sheets, reports, and dashboards would be created for the users and eliminate manual setup and copy/pasting.

Smartsheet would then add the project to the appropriate workspace and share it to the appropriate people. Everyone who needed project-level information would receive it instantly upon creation.

The project would also roll up to the portfolio level: dashboards, reporting, etc. could be updated automatically by this process. Project-level information would be isolated and pushed to a higher level for easy review and sharing.

The CloudWave team also worked with the customer to set up DataMesh configurations, which maps and updates data across sheets. This eliminates the need for cross sheet formulas while still allowing data lookups from other sheets.

And finally, we helped configure Data Shuttle workflows. These workflows mapped data from spreadsheets pulled from external systems into the appropriate sheet that can then be dispersed and utilized across the projects.

When the configurations were complete, CloudWave led the client in User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and created detailed documentation custom to the solution. We also provided various levels of training to the appropriate groups: end users, project managers, and admins.

Because our client receives physical samples, analysts needed an accurate way to validate client orders against current database entries in one single program. A solution was also needed for lab technicians to enter diagnostic results and for veterinary clinics to easily access those results using a secure, user-friendly portal. While HIPAA privacy regulations don’t apply to veterinary results, our client believes in offering animal patients the same privacy standards as human patients, thereby ensuring clients only see results for their specific animal patients.

Our CloudWave Smartsheet consultants began the project by uncovering the full scope of requirements for the solution, in terms of both functionality and security. The team presented the plan and timeline to the client in a Business Requirements Document (BRD) that included crucial information helpful to the design and implementation of the solution, including process flow diagrams, field mappings, user stories, and more.

With these parameters in place, the team could begin designing the technical components of the solution based on the project requirements. These technical components are what facilitate the communication Smartsheet and the customer’s Lab Information System (LIS), via a custom application.

CloudWave developed a custom portal, linking several solutions and working closely with the client to connect seamlessly with their current database. CloudWave leveraged Smartsheet’s Document Builder and custom-designed WorkApps to create a patient portal that works unidirectionally with the client’s database.

Our Smartsheet team then created sheets, reports, and dashboards needed for the overall system. With the right automation in place, data would move from their LIS to the target Smartsheet location. Sheets would be aggregated in Reports and filtered down as needed by current user, dates, and more. Dashboards would communicate with internal customers regarding updates, tips on how to use the system, and more.

Once the build was complete, CloudWave led our client in User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and created detailed documentation custom to the solution that included recordings of live training sessions. We also supported the client all the way through the go-live stage and continue to provide knowledge transfer support as needed.