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.