What to include in your Grant Management Software implementation plan?
Are you a Grants Manager tasked with switching to a new Grants Management System (GMS)? Or perhaps you’re a Finance or IT Manager?
No matter what your day to day role is, a Grants Management Software Transition Project requires careful planning and execution.
Regardless of your level of experience with project planning or implementing a solution like this, here’s a quick guide to help you get started. You should also check out our free to download Grant Management Software Project Plan Template and Grant Management System Requirements Gathering Document Template.
Key stakeholders and who should be part of your Grant Management System project team?
This is not an exhaustive list – your key stakeholders will vary based on your organisation and project brief. Consider all parties who will be internal users like staff, end users like grant applicants and roles within your organisation who may play an important part in the project planning or implementation phase.
Internal Stakeholders
- Grants Manager
- Grant Officers and Reviewers
- Finance Team
- IT Department
- Executive Leadership
- Project Manager
End Users
- Grant Applicants and Recipients
- External Auditors (if applicable)
External Stakeholders
- Implementation Partner
- Developer or Relevant Contractor
- Data Privacy and Compliance Officers
Estimated Grant Management Software implementation duration?
This can vary greatly depending on your GMS project requirements. Plan for a project timeline ranging from 3 months to 1 year, depending on the complexity of your grants applications requirements, and grants programs and their application windows.
How much will it cost to implement a new Grant Management System?
Costs can vary depending on you the complexity of your requirements. Expect anywhere from tens of thousands (for a simple deployment with no integration) to low hundreds of thousands of dollars (if the implementation requires deployment of an integrated Finance system and/or integration to 3rd party systems including ERPs).
It is crucial that you consider not just the software licence cost or user costs of the chosen system, but also the cost of resources to implement and configure the systems for your organisation’s requirements as well costs for any data integrations or training that maybe required. Understand that not all GMS providers have implementation costs included in their licensing (only customer success or support hours), and these are usually additional.
Consider customisations, data migration or integration, training, and support requirements and their influence on cost, alongside the traditional software license or user fees.
Key Steps for implementing a Grants Management System
1. Project Initiation:
Define the scope, objectives, and assemble a project team.
2. Needs Assessment:
Analyse your current grant management processes and gather requirements from stakeholders (including compatibility and integration with your current systems – ERP, CRM etc).
3. Project Brief & Vendor Selection:
Formalise your project brief based on your confirmed requirements. Research, shortlist and select a Grants Management System that best aligns with your organisation’s project brief and requirements.
4. Planning and Budgeting:
Develop a project plan, allocate budget, and create a risk management strategy.
5. Data Migration Strategy:
Plan how to migrate existing data accurately.
6. Training and Change Management:
Develop a training plan and change management strategies.
7. Implementation and Testing:
Configure the Grant Management System, conduct testing, and resolve issues.
8. User Adoption and Support:
Provide ongoing support and encourage user feedback.
9. Monitoring and Evaluation:
Continuously monitor performance and make improvements as needed.
Get expert help planning your Grants Management Software implementation
It may seem a bit daunting, especially if you’re new to this process. Remember that you can consult experts if you need help, no matter what Grant Management Software you end up choosing. With careful planning and collaboration, your organisation can make a successful transition to a new Grant Management Software and start enjoying the many benefits and efficiencies it will create for your management processes.
About Us
Walkerscott are certified Microsoft Solutions Partners in Australia and New Zealand. We specialise in helping Government and Non-Government Agencies and large Not-for Profit organisations implement Microsoft Dynamics 365 and extension apps that integrate with the D365 platform.
Did you know you could be managing your entire Grant program online on the Microsoft Cloud?
Built on the Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform, Klevr Grants has been designed to streamline and simplify the way in which your organisation manages and administers grants.
If you would like to find out about our Grants Management app and how it can seamlessly integrate with your Dynamics 365 set up, please contact us today.