Case Study - Designing a Reporting suite for Gidget Foundation Australia with Power Bi

The Company

Gidget Foundation Australia is a non-profit organisation supporting the emotional well-being of expectant and new parents. In memory of Gidget, a young mother who tragically took her own life due to postnatal depression, the foundation was established by her family and friends. With perinatal depression and anxiety affecting many individuals, the organisation focuses on raising awareness, providing advocacy, and delivering essential services. Their programs include counseling, telehealth services, emotional well-being screening, workplace programs, peer support groups, educational resources, research initiatives, and advocacy efforts. By addressing the emotional needs of expectant and new parents, Gidget Foundation Australia aims to prevent maternal suicide and make a positive impact.

Gidget Foundation Australia heavily relies on accurate data to assess the effectiveness of its services and drive the performance of its clinicians. As a recipient of government grants, the organisation is required to provide detailed reports on the reach and benefits of its activities. Initially, an Excel-based reporting suite was implemented, which served its purpose well. However, as Gidget Foundation Australia experienced significant growth in the number of locations, clinicians, and patients, the Excel-based system proved inadequate in terms of scalability.

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In light of its growth and the need for a more integrated and professional solution, Gidget Foundation Australia made the decision to upgrade its entire reporting suite.

The objectives

1. Enhance scalability: Ensure the reporting suite handles growth in locations, clinicians, and patients while maintaining performance.
2. Improve data accuracy: Enable accurate data collection, analysis, and reporting for informed decision-making.
3. Streamline data refresh process: Automate data refresh to minimise manual efforts and enable timely reporting and analysis.
4. Enable advanced analytics: Provide advanced capabilities like data visualisation, interactive dashboards, and predictive modelling for valuable insights.
5. Ensure data security and compliance Adhere to industry best practices and privacy regulations to safeguard sensitive information.
6. Intuitive user interface: Design a user-friendly interface for easy navigation and data interaction across the organization.
7. Enable easy sharing and accessibility: Support seamless sharing of reports and dashboards with stakeholders and provide accessibility options.

The environment

GFA utilises Microsoft 365 (enterprise license), relying on SharePoint and Teams for daily operations. Clinician appointments are managed with Power Diary, while JotForm captures patient demographic and sensitive health data. Clinicians also employ JotForm for treatment assessments.

The team

Gidget Foundation Australia hired I.T. Lady to develop the reporting suite. I was assigned as the project lead and engineer responsible for project management, meeting objectives and deadlines, as well as designing and developing the reporting suite.

Selected solution

After thorough evaluation, Power BI emerged as the preferred reporting tool for Gidget Foundation Australia. Its ability to meet all requirements and seamless integration within their existing Microsoft 365 environment made it the clear choice.

The challenges

The project posed challenges in integrating the data source into PowerQuery queries and transforming data from various sources. Achieving a common format required applying transformations to ensure consistent data types and establishing relationships using email addresses. Notably, different forms were submitted for the same information based on clinician type, necessitating significant transformations in Power Query to merge and standardise the data. We also focused on removing unnecessary and confidential information to comply with data privacy regulations.

After importing the standardised data, we implemented an external calendar table to establish connections across different sources for simultaneous slicing. We also developed numerous measures and leveraged DAX functions to provide essential information for advanced visuals.

The result

Within a two-month timeframe and through multiple feedback sessions with GFA's program director, we successfully developed a comprehensive reporting suite. This suite incorporates an integrated data flow from the source systems. While the reporting suite is accessible to all stakeholders in the organization, dashboard visibility is tailored based on access levels and departments.

Conclusion

By upgrading to Power BI, Gidget Foundation Australia achieved a scalable and integrated reporting suite. The new solution streamlined data analysis, improved accuracy, and provided valuable insights. With enhanced accessibility and security, the organisation can make informed decisions and drive positive impact for expectant and new parents.

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