As the demand for affordable housing continues to grow, Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver (HfHMD) found it necessary to expand its scope of services to help meet this increasing need.
To do this, they first needed to understand their current process environment. What they found was that no real standards existed. Many processes and procedures were captured in spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, pdf files, and other documents. “We found that some process information only existed in people’s heads” said project lead, John Thich. In order to optimize processes during this time of growth, the organization sought a common platform on which to document and capture that knowledge. “A number of flow-charting systems were evaluated for the following: ease of use, ability to link between processes, auto formatting and numbering, and ability to output processes in easily distributed formats. iGrafx excelled in all the categories evaluated”.
Over the course of a year, more than 60% of the key processes have been documented in iGrafx and reviewed with stakeholders. The documentation process has helped in managing and resolving interdepartmental issues because clear lines of ownership and handoffs are clearly visible. The increased understanding and transparency have also greatly improved and streamlined decisions that must be made about organizational changes. Thich says “We will use these findings in the future as Habitat metro Denver moves to automate some of our business processes via workflows. Having well documented processes is a must in this regard as well.”
Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver is one of the largest Habitat for Humanity affiliates in the United States. The nonprofit organization has been building and renovating homes in metro Denver since 1979 and has served over 1,000 local families.