(^62) 97 Things Every Project Manager Should Know
A Voice from the Other Side
Marty Skomal, MPA
Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
WhIlE IT’S gREAT To hEAR FRoM DEvEloPERS and software project man-
agers, you might find it equally advantageous to hear from the guy with the
metaphorical purse. I’m the customer.
Software developers have now infiltrated the realm of nonprofit and govern-
ment sectors, with promises of low-cost, web-based ways of doing business
using fancy technologies that have heretofore have been too expensive, too
elaborate, and beyond the comfort level of our employees and constituents.
Nonprofit and governmental agencies, subsisting on a shoestring and a few
paper clips, can be seduced by these automated possibilities, but there is a
trap. In an attempt to have it all, you can end up with nothing workable and
longing for the days of a shoebox and a pack of 3×5 index cards to house
your data.
For example, my agency decided to move from a paper-based grant applica-
tion process to an online one. Forms would be submitted directly to the agency
and downloaded into our database, avoiding manual data entry errors, low-
ering cost, and bypassing mailing inconveniences for constituents. We could
also view applications online during their preparation process and provide
assistance before submission.
Our software developers were eager to point out how they could automate
additional aspects of the grant application process, such as vetting potential
organizations against eligibility criteria before allowing them into the system,
ensuring that deadlines were met, and forcing expenses and income to balance
before allowing the Submit button to activate.