Managing projects efficiently while ensuring they stay on track and within budget can be a daunting task. It's not uncommon for project leads to find themselves navigating multiple software platforms, searching for vital information that could make or break a project's success. That's where Vizient found themselves and where we stepped in to build a custom solution that pulled information from their project management tool, Kantata, and their custom reports in Tableau to give project leads the information they needed, in the context they needed it, so they could manage their projects effectively.
By pulling all of the information together in one place, Kalon streamlined the ability for project leads to schedule a large numbers of resources, submit accurate project health reports, and be alerted to issues in their projects. This resulted in more accurate project data and a reduction in time for project leads to complete their monthly tasks from several hours to several minutes.
For the custom dashboard, our team at Kalon focused on a visually appealing and accessible design. We selected a primary color palette featuring Vizient's signature blue that borders on purple, complemented by secondary colors such as vibrant orange and various shades of gray. This balanced palette maintained a clean aesthetic while highlighting essential information effectively.
In terms of typography, we chose the versatile and legible Soleto font, using different weights and sizes to establish a clear visual hierarchy. This combination of color and typography created an engaging interface that enhanced the user experience, allowing project leads to easily access and understand vital information for efficient project management and improved decision-making.
With every project Kalon takes on, we want to know what success looks like for our clients so that we can build a solution that has a positive impact on the business instead of simply building to a spec. From the outset, we engaged closely with stakeholders to pinpoint the key wins and shaped the platform with a deliberate focus on achieving those specific objectives. This collaborative approach ensured that the resulting solution truly addressed Vizient's needs and contributed to their ongoing success.
In order to make informed decisions, project leads needed relevant information for the task they were completing at their fingertips. When scheduling hours for people on a project they needed to know how many hours someone was budgeted for on a project, but also how much time have they actually spent. We not only surfaced this information by created visualizations to make it easy for project leads to digest and act on the information. Similarly, for project health reports we surfaced up-to-date information about each project so project leads could provide accurate assessments and give qualitative updates based on the quantitative data.
Each project received its own dedicated project dashboard with all of the relevant information summarized for that project. The project lead was responsible for 4 tasks each month, so we streamlined the process by creating an intuitive interface that allowed them to effortlessly complete those tasks and view their status, ensuring they were always aware of their progress and completion. For tasks that could be completed in the PL Hub, the platform marked those off automatically to save time and improve data accuracy.
One of the things we always try to balance is simplicity and flexibility. Often times, the more flexible a solution is, the more complex it becomes. It takes great design to come up with a powerful, yet simple solution. Scheduling hours for larger projects with 50+ people was a time consuming process before the PL Hub. We designed a process to allow project leads to schedule hours in one intuitive screen. With bulk actions and thoughtful defaults, 90% of project leads could update scheduled hours in less than a minute. For those that wanted a more nuanced approach, smart defaults could be adjusted on a case-by-case basis, saving time and providing accurate results.
Recognizing the need for seamless integration with Vizient's existing project management software, Kantata, our team at Kalon leveraged Kantata's API to efficiently pull and push data between the custom dashboard and Kantata's platform. By utilizing the API, we were able to access the relevant data, cache it to ensure optimal performance, and serve it quickly and accurately through the dashboard.
Furthermore, this integration enabled project leads to submit health reports and update schedules directly from the custom dashboard, with the data being synchronized back into Kantata's platform via the API. This streamlined approach not only facilitated more effective project management but also ensured data consistency and accuracy between the two systems.
In today's fast-paced world, project leads need the flexibility to manage their projects on the go. Understanding this critical requirement, Kalon ensured that the custom dashboard and scheduling tool were designed to be responsive and mobile-friendly. This allowed project leads to access vital project information, update schedules, and complete their monthly tasks efficiently from their mobile devices. By providing a seamless user experience across various devices, our solution empowered Vizient's project leads to stay on top of their projects and make informed decisions, regardless of their location or the device they were using.
