To streamline fund and information management in its 103 global operations humanitarian relief and development organisation, World Vision International, is migrating its business process to Lotus Domino/Notes and using the Internet for the transfer of critical data. The group has just gone live with a fund management database to track the distribution of finances around the globe, over $300 million of which is earmarked for Africa this year. Worldwide calendaring, human resources, operational procedures, project history and purchasing databases are nearing completion. The Lotus Domino server already drives the group`s Web site. Broader options for sharing, collaborating and tracking information in an organisation too disparate for a wide area network were World Vision`s IT requirements. Larry Johnson, director of finance and administration for emergency relief programmes in Africa, says Domino/Notes was the only viable option. "Our office`s primary objective is to provide emergency relief and front line support in times of disaster. This we do in nine African countries," he says, adding that the Johannesburg office is a technical co-ordination point for the continent. "We have to quickly provide information to staff in the field, and then report it accurately to the rest of the group and, often, the media. And we also have to track the millions of dollars donated from governments and organisations around the world. "These facets of our business need to be documented with precision. We have written databases for information sharing and launched a global budget system - which ties into our accounting package - among other applications. Notes allows us to track processes every step of the way." The logistics of rolling out applications and databases throughout Africa, and ensuring timely and low cost communication were complex. Education and training issues also had to be addressed. World Vision enlisted Lotus business partner, T Norris and Associates. Johnson says that once the previous cc:Mail-based IT infrastructure was installed at a regional office, land telephone lines were used to transmit data to World Vision`s head office in the United States via South Africa. However, the cost of international calls became prohibitive and an alternative method of communication was sought. "The countries in which we operate now have Internet points of presence ... we are starting to use the Net to replicate and update databases. This has resulted in substantial cost savings," says Johnson. In practice World Vision staff in, for example, Mocambique, use a notebook and either cc:Mail or Notes clients to dial in via the Net and stay abreast of group developments. Through the implementation of a cc:Mail to Notes message transfer agent at the Mozambique office, users could select the preferred client - Internet, cc:Mail or Notes. Many users changed to Notes due to the additional facilities and the user training carried out on-site by Norris. The roll out of Notes has prompted greater collaboration and more accurate recording within World Vision. Previously, paper-based collaboration resulted in confusion. Johnson says many people can now provide input on the same budget document, for example, with each party`s comments is identified and recorded. In the future World Vision will expand its use of Domino/Notes to other business processes. Regardless of the application it will be designed to streamline administration, empower staff in the rest of Africa and better prepare the group for emergency relief situations, says Johnson. "We are confident the technology will help get new employees in relief situations orientated and trained quickly. It will also help to distribute operational plans and proposals in new emergencies so we can speed up the process of receiving donations and government grants."
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