Mallee Family Care, a leading community services organisation operating across NSW, VIC, and SA, manages over 70 programs in areas such as mental health, foster care, family relationships, legal services, NDIS and early childhood. With 300+ staff and over 40 years of service, Mallee Family Care is dedicated to positively impacting their community across a catchment of more than 165,000 square kilometres.

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With such a diverse range of programs and a large geographic area to cover, reporting and data management are essential for the team to track progress and report to the Board. However, with their strategic plan based on a spreadsheet, Mallee Family Care needed an easier, more efficient and robust way to provide updates to make it happen.

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We spoke with Jenny Wescombe, Executive Assistant to the CEO and Shaun Clark, ICT and Business Systems Manager, to understand how Envisio revolutionised Mallee Family Care’s reporting processes. 

   

From Cumbersome Spreadsheets to Streamlined Reporting

Before implementing Envisio, Mallee Family Care's strategic plan was managed through a cumbersome spreadsheet system. The three Executive General Managers would report to Jenny, who would then manually decipher and input data into a spreadsheet. Jenny explains how this process was time-consuming, prone to errors, and difficult to manage:

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“Having to create reports on a quarterly basis from our spreadsheet was incredibly manual and would sometimes take days to complete,” she said. “Our reporting was very high-level and didn’t drill down into actions. This meant we were constantly chasing people up to ensure tasks were completed - it was becoming very challenging, especially when trying to provide monthly updates to the Board.” 

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In addition, the organisation’s tenders and submissions also suffered due to the inability to retrieve and analyse data effectively, which impacted its ability to make informed decisions.

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“Access to data for our tenders and submissions is crucial for securing funding, but it becomes quite challenging when no data is being captured initially," Jenny explained.
 

"It's equally important for our Research, Education, and Training teams to have access to the data to perform their duties effectively – we simply needed a better system for all teams.”

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“It's equally important for our Research, Education, and Training teams to have access to the data to perform their duties effectively – we simply needed a better system for all teams.”

 

Strategic Solution Selection and Seamless Implementation: How Mallee Family Care Successfully Adopted Envisio​​

To address these challenges, Mallee Family Care's ICT Manager, Shaun, led the procurement team in evaluating potential solutions. After reviewing and demoing multiple options, they chose Envisio for its superior reporting capabilities, flexibility, and customisation options. 

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“Envisio’s interface and functionality were impressive, but the reporting capabilities really made the decision easy,” Shaun said.

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“The system is highly customisable and allows us to drill down into live reports, making tracking progress and outcomes across different programs and departments much easier.”

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“The system is highly customisable and allows us to drill down into live reports, making tracking progress and outcomes across different programs and departments much easier.”

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The implementation process was carefully planned to accommodate the team's diverse needs. Training was delivered in small, intimate groups, ensuring staff were comfortable and familiar with the new system. This staggered approach and effective change management helped ease the transition from December to February.

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“We didn’t want the implementation to be overwhelming; we wanted a simplified approach that would accommodate all learning styles and schedules,” said Jenny.

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“We held training in small groups of five people and provided a demo of the solution before training began - this meant staff would be familiar with the system and weren’t going in cold.”

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Shaun emphasised the importance of collaborating with various stakeholders during the scoping phase to ensure a smooth process and get things right from the beginning.

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"Our scoping process was thorough, and we gathered feedback from our CEO and the Board. While it took time, it led to a smooth and seamless transition.

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“Redman Solutions did an excellent job of understanding our needs, extracting the right information and offering us the best options to move forward. The outcome has been fantastic – all teams have embraced Envisio and are performing exceptionally well," he said.​​

 

“The outcome has been fantastic – all teams have embraced Envisio and are performing exceptionally well.”

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Making Data-Driven Decisions with Ease - The Impact of Envisio

Since implementing Envisio, Mallee Family Care has experienced significant improvements in its reporting processes. From enhanced visibility to strategic alignment, Jenny explains how the organisation is now better equipped to track progress, make data-driven decisions, and communicate their impact to the Board and other stakeholders.

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“During a recent Board meeting, our CEO was able to present where we were with our strategic plan, including how it had progressed, what actions had been taken, and what had been implemented. The Board was instantly impressed with the clarity and depth of the information, allowing them to have discussions on the future direction of the organisation.”

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Envisio’s dashboards also provide a comprehensive summary of the organisation’s activities, making it easier to see and present the big picture to stakeholders. 

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“Creating our reports through Envisio is now incredibly simple. What used to take days, now only takes about an hour," Jenny said. "Our dashboards visually summarise our plan, offering genuine transparency."

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“Creating our reports through Envisio is now incredibly simple. What used to take days, now only takes about an hour.”

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Shaun also mentioned that the automation of notifications and the allocation of reporting tasks have streamlined operations, reducing the need for manual follow-ups and increasing alignment. 

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“Envisio has helped us clean up and consolidate our strategic plan, ensuring that all departments are aligned and working towards common goals,” he said.

“The platform has also allowed us to refine milestones to reflect our objectives better. This visibility will strengthen our advocacy efforts, as we can now provide concrete evidence of our work in submissions.”

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Top Tips for Implementing Envisio​

As Mallee Family Care continues to grow and serve its community, Envisio will remain a critical tool in their efforts to achieve lasting, positive change.

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Here’s Jenny and Shaun’s tips for other organisations looking to make the change.

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Jenny: Embrace what you are trying to achieve and understand your milestones before launching into the implementation process.

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Shaun: It's important to understand your strategic plan and direction and ensure it’s aligned. Spreadsheets can sometimes be interpreted differently, but visual consolidation makes it much easier to present and comprehend the information.
 

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