Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver uses iGrafx to Pave the Way for Automation

As the demand for affordable housing continues to grow, Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver (HfHMD) found it necessary to expand its scope of services to help meet this increasing need.

To do this, they first needed to understand their current process environment.  What they found was that no real standards existed. Teams scattered processes and procedures across spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, PDF files, and other documents.

Optimize Processes During Growth

“We found that some process information only existed in people’s heads” said project lead, John Thich.  In order to optimize processes during this time of growth, the organization sought a common platform on which to document and capture that knowledge.  “A number of flow-charting systems were evaluated for the following:  ease of use, ability to link between processes, auto formatting and numbering, and ability to output processes in easily distributed formats. iGrafx excelled in all the categories evaluated”. 

Documenting Processes in iGrafx

The team documented and reviewed over 60% of key processes in iGrafx within a year. The documentation process helped in managing and resolving interdepartmental issues because clear lines of ownership and handoffs are clearly visible. Increased understanding and transparency have empowered leaders to make better, more streamlined decisions about organizational changes.

Thich says “We will use these findings in the future as Habitat metro Denver moves to automate some of our business processes via workflows.  Having well documented processes is a must in this regard as well.” 

Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver is one of the largest Habitat for Humanity affiliates in the United States. The nonprofit organization has been building and renovating homes in metro Denver. They’ve been doing it since 1979 and have served over 1,000 local families.