A Better Way to Innovate Through ‘Agile’ Approach

A Better Way to Innovate Through ‘Agile’ Approach

Circle of Care’s exclusive client management platform, EasyCare©, has been enabling more seamless delivery of care since its launch in 1998.

As with any software, the ability to efficiently modify and enhance its features to meet changing business needs is central to its success.

Over the past year, EasyCare©’s in-house development team joined forces with end-users (key members of Client Services) to adopt an “Agile” approach to project management – a set of methods that enables teams to rapidly adapt innovation through more effective collaboration.

By assigning set periods of time during which specific work has to be completed and made ready for testing and release – referred to as Sprint cycles – changes to EasyCare© are delivered in manageable stages, rather than major overhauls. “Because of the thorough planning and testing that happens during the Sprint cycle, the impact of these software improvements does not cause disruption to coordinators and supervisors whose priority is to manage client needs,” said Martin Davidek, Director, Client Services.

Although the Agile approach is often referred to as “simple to learn, but difficult to master”, it has enabled significant enhancements to EasyCare© including:

• Ability to automatically flag risk and safety events based on keywords within case notes
• Automation of the previously onerous assessment tool used for clients joining our Holocaust program
• Automated scheduling functions including PSW vacation requests

A cross-functional team comes together to plan software upgrades that will improve client care.