The Problem
3 Degrees North is a leading provider of software development, technology consulting, and integration services for nonprofits, associations, and membership groups. Based in Australia and serving clients globally, they specialize in crafting custom solutions that drive efficiency, engagement, and growth. Their approach goes beyond software by partnering with clients to understand their unique goals and challenges. With a successful track record worldwide, 3 Degrees North is passionate about using technology to help non-profits create meaningful impact.
Through their partnership with ProcessMaker, 3 Degrees North helped The Legal Practice Board of Western Australia automate several complex, paper-based processes that created significant backlogs. The automation streamlined operations and improved overall efficiency, reducing delays caused by manual workflows.
The Legal Practice Board of Western Australia faced significant operational challenges due to their reliance on legacy, disjointed systems. Information was scattered across multiple platforms, making it difficult for staff to manage and track member requests effectively. This fragmented approach led to a poor user experience, with processing times being unpredictable and inconsistent. Staff often had to navigate between different systems—such as CRM, document management, and email—to gather the necessary data, resulting in inefficiencies and delays. Additionally, the lack of streamlined member processing capabilities meant that priorities were often determined by who demanded attention the loudest, rather than by any logical or service-level driven criteria. This not only frustrated the members but also made it impossible for the Board to accurately assess workloads and processing timelines.
The Solution
To address the Legal Practice Board’s challenges, a solution was implemented using the ProcessMaker platform alongside a new website developed by 3DN. ProcessMaker was chosen for its seamless integration with existing systems, consolidating data into an automated workflow. The 3DN-built website complemented this by providing a cohesive user experience and a single access point for all key processes. This combined approach allowed the Board to streamline operations, enhance data accessibility, and ensure consistent processing of member requests. Key elements of this solution include:
Integration across multiple systems: With pre-built connectors and extensive APIs, ProcessMaker Platform enabled 3 Degrees North to quickly integrate and streamline across various existing systems, such as the CRM, finance systems, email platform, and a document management system. This integration eliminated the need for staff to manually enter data into multiple systems, reducing time and effort spent on data manipulation.
Automation of workflows: A key part of the solution was automating key processes like the yearly assessment, which brought together data from different systems into a single interface. This allowed staff to work from one place instead of navigating multiple systems.
Use to use, drag-and-drop form creation: ProcessMaker provided an easy-to-use drag-and-drop Form Designer, giving teams a fast and flexible framework and tools to build custom forms and controls without any coding.
Improved workload management: Management was able to monitor staff workload better through dashboards and color-coded task lists, helping to track who was overburdened and who had capacity.
Objective prioritization and process transparency: Tasks were processed in the order they were received, eliminating the subjective prioritization that had been based on the urgency of customer requests. This created a more fair and efficient system.
Reliable reporting with business intelligence tools: ProcessMaker’s ability to streamline and integrate workflows and data exchange with Microsoft Power BI including support of custom dashboards greatly improved the accuracy and efficiency of reporting and decision-making, while preserving investment in creating important reports and dashboards.
Improved user experience: The website was rebuilt to ensure a consistent user experience across different tasks, such as membership renewals and training registration.
The Value Created
With 3 Degrees North’s expertise, The Legal Practice Board’s implementation of ProcessMaker delivered several significant time- and cost-savings as well as increased employee satisfaction.
Increased Efficiency and Time Savings: Staff no longer had to manually enter data into multiple systems, reducing the time spent on administrative tasks and allowing them to focus on more critical work.
Improved Workload Management: Management gained better oversight of staff workloads through dashboards and color-coded task lists, enabling more effective resource allocation and reducing staff burnout.
Greater Process Transparency: Tasks were processed in the order they were received, eliminating subjective prioritization. This made the processes fairer and more transparent, ensuring that no customer’s request was handled based on perceived urgency.
Enhanced Decision-Making and Reporting: The use of Microsoft Power BI and custom dashboards in ProcessMaker resulted in more reliable and data-driven decision-making, with faster and more accurate reporting.
Improved User Experience: Rebuilding the website improved user interactions with key processes like membership renewals and training registration. This streamlined interface led to a more consistent and user-friendly experience for customers.
More Flexibility in Form Creation: The dragand-drop Form Designer in ProcessMaker provided flexibility in customizing forms without needing extensive coding skills, enhancing the speed and ease of implementing process changes.
Elimination of Data Duplication and Errors: Integrating ProcessMaker with the CRM, finance, email, and document management systems reduced data duplication and minimized errors, increasing the overall accuracy of operations.
