00:00:01 Introduction

We're excited to be with you today to talk about case management and specifically how ActivityInfo can be used to support case management workflows. Today, we have a simple agenda. We're going to be introducing ourselves and our company, BeDataDriven, and sharing a little bit of information around ActivityInfo, the features, and then we'll dig into the focus of this webinar, which is ActivityInfo to support case management. We'll take a practical look and dig into the technology itself. I'll turn it over to my colleague, Alex, who will go into a deeper dive in doing a demo of our Electronic Medical Record template, as well as our Protection case management template.

Before we get started, I wanted to launch a quick poll to hear from you. We're interested in understanding a little bit more about you and your role in case management, as well as how your organization is currently managing case data. We want to know your main challenges with case data management, who in your organization is typically building out systems to support case management, and how many staff are working in your organizations on this topic.

00:02:52 About BeDataDriven and ActivityInfo

Just a little bit about BeDataDriven. BeDataDriven is the company that Alex founded and that both of us work for. The mission of BeDataDriven is to help social impact organizations increase their impact, be more efficient, and do more good through being more data-driven. The way that we are pursuing that mission is by both engineering the ActivityInfo platform and helping organizations implement it to support their work.

ActivityInfo at its basic level is a centralized data management platform that supports every stage of the data life cycle, from data collection and entry, validation and correction, data management, aggregation, analysis, and finally reporting and dissemination. These layers build on one another. Data collected in the field flows securely into ActivityInfo's Cloud, where it can be validated, organized, analyzed, and then information derived from this data can be shared. This structure allows organizations to maintain data quality while keeping information accessible across teams and systems.

Regarding deployment options, the easiest way to deploy ActivityInfo is SaaS, which stands for Software as a Service. This version is fully hosted and maintained by ActivityInfo. We also have a self-managed option for organizations that want to deploy the system on their own on-premise servers or in their own cloud environments. We also have a hybrid approach called Sovereign managed deployment, where you can select the cloud environment of your choice, and we help you implement and manage the deployment.

00:05:47 Case management workflow

ActivityInfo supports each step of a typical case management workflow. The platform's flexibility allows organizations to design data structures that fit their own case processes, from intake to closure and reporting, while also allowing you to maintain control over data quality, permissions, and scalability. When it comes to intake and registration, ActivityInfo handles this through customizable forms. This captures all the necessary client and case information that you've defined. Serial and key fields automatically generate unique case IDs, and reference fields make it easy to link each case to a location, project, or service provider. Role-based permissions protect sensitive data and limit visibility for entire datasets or specific records.

ActivityInfo also enables structured assessments and planning directly within the same database. You can use linked subforms to capture needs assessments, risk ratings, and action plans, all tied to the parent case record. Conditional logic and validation rules guide the data entry process to reduce errors, while supervisors can review and update plans through controlled access settings. When it comes to implementation, ActivityInfo tracks services, referrals, and follow-ups through linked subforms. Each service entry includes automatic timestamps and user tracking for full transparency. The mobile app provides two-way synchronization, enabling caseworkers to record new data offline and access existing case information.

For monitoring and follow-up, supervisors can use built-in reporting tools to monitor active cases and performance indicators. Dashboards, pivot tables, and calculated fields make it easy to track caseloads or service frequency. Case closure is managed through status fields that trigger relevance rules to display closure details only when required. Once closed, case records remain accessible for reporting and audit but are protected from further edits. Finally, for reporting and learning, ActivityInfo centralizes case data for easy aggregation and analysis. Built-in dashboards visualize outcomes and trends, and teams can export data or connect via API for integration with other systems.

00:12:57 Demo: Electronic medical records

I'm going to start on our website under Support and Templates, where you can find a library of pre-built templates. We will start with the EMR template, which is focused on managing cases in health. In this account, I have two different databases. If your organization adopts ActivityInfo, you can have multiple independent systems in one server. Databases provide a security boundary so that everybody on the team only sees what they're meant to.

Looking at the EMR system as an administrator, I have a structure with reference data and a Patients form. Opening the Record Detail View zooms into an individual patient. You can search for specific people by name, case IDs, or date of birth. The Record Detail View gives an overview of the key information around the case, a summary of source events, and allows you to quickly jump in to record a new consultation.

Regarding the mobile app, you can see the same view of the data from a mobile phone. You can download this for offline use, meaning if your caseworkers are in areas without a strong internet connection, they can create a secure replica on their device. They can see key information followed by related subforms, such as laboratory results or initial triage. They can save drafts, work offline, and synchronize automatically back to the server once a connection is available.

ActivityInfo also features strong language support. You can work in a multilingual environment, for example, with English as the working language for an NGO but Arabic for working with individuals. You can translate the interface and questions into local languages. As an administrator or database specialist, you can manage these translations, view the audit log to see exactly who made changes, and revert changes if necessary.

Role-based access is crucial. You can configure exactly the roles you want to give to different people. For example, a medical worker might have view, add, or edit access to the patient's folder but only view access to reference data. A lab tech might have limited access to patients and no access to finance, only allowed to access the laboratory results form.

The Form Builder allows you to easily make changes to forms as your process evolves. You can add new fields, structure text fields into selection lists, and add validation rules. For example, if "Known Allergies" is "Other," then a specific text field becomes relevant. You can then use the Data Cleaning view to fix up data for new fields, allowing for bulk changes and ensuring all records remain valid. Finally, the record deduplicator helps manage duplicate entries. It prevents exact duplicates and allows you to scan for potential duplicates based on specific fields, then merge records and their related subforms using a merge wizard.

00:32:27 Demo: Protection case management

Now let's move to the protection case management database. This template is based on the standard established by the Global Protection Cluster. It has a similar structure with reference data and an intake form, which is the root of a case. You can see individual referrals made to a case, such as a referral to the health sector.

This template highlights the built-in reports. We set up reports that give a demographic profile of the active client base and automatically calculated indicators for the M&E team. As cases flow in, you have live results for donors and internal analysis. These indicators show caseworker load per month or quality standards, such as the number of urgent cases referred within 48 hours. These calculations can be simple drag-and-drop or complex calculations using our formula language.

Case management is inherently longitudinal. In the table view, you can see a case record related to various sub-forms. Some are one-to-one, like PII information, while others are one-to-many, like safety plans or referrals. You can also create relationships to external forms. For example, you can create a post-closure follow-up or a referral audit that links back to the original referral and the parent case, allowing you to pull in information like the original caseworker for quality control.

Regarding role-based access in this context, you can give an MEAL officer access to reference data but block access to personal data. For caseworkers, you can set conditions so they can only view or edit records when they have been assigned to the case. You have complete control over which records and which fields can be edited based on specific conditions.

00:41:05 Costs and implementation

One of the things we often hear is regarding cost. We need to think about the total cost of ownership. For software, we are looking at around 3,700 Euros. This includes unlimited data hosting, unlimited reporting, unlimited collection, and access for your data teams, caseworkers, and field officers. It also provides access to technical support.

The other part of the equation is implementation. Compared to developing an in-house system, it is competitive. On the lower end, you are looking at about 7,000 Euros for your first year of investment. The recurring cost is only for the software. During the implementation phase, our team of specialists helps translate your workflows into a data model, configure it, test it, and provide training. You don't need IT support for the implementation and management; if you are comfortable with spreadsheets, you have the technical capability to manage the system. The time investment is around 65 to 90 hours spread out over a number of weeks.

00:45:30 Q&A session

What makes ActivityInfo unique compared to platforms like ODK, CommCare, and SurveyCTO? ActivityInfo is unique because it is a fully relational database that covers the full cycle of data management. While ODK-based tools are great for anonymous or population surveys, ActivityInfo is better suited for longitudinal tracking where you need to link multiple forms (risk assessments, follow-up visits, referrals) together. It also covers management and cleaning of data, allowing administrators to make changes, view history, and control access on a fine-grained level within one platform.

Is it possible to build a page or dashboard that pulls data points from different sub-forms into one place? Yes, this can be done at two levels. At the record detail level, you can pull information from various sub-forms into one table or value using the new record detail view features. At a population level, you can use reports to aggregate information across multiple clients to see averages or specific metrics.

How does offline mode work? Both the mobile and web applications are built to function when disconnected. You can mark a database to be available offline, which downloads a replica. You can view data, add new data, and make changes while offline. When the connection is restored, it synchronizes automatically. You must be logged in before losing connection to access the offline functionality.

How are referrals managed? We support different referral workflows. The basic "offline referral" involves recording the referral details and printing or emailing a PDF to the agency. A more advanced method involves granting the referee access to part of the system. Using permissions, you can give them access to specific fields in specific forms, allowing them to provide feedback directly in the system without seeing sensitive personal information.

Can a supervisor be limited to reviewing only their direct supervisees? Yes, you can use parameters to assign caseworkers to a supervisor, ensuring they only see and review the files relevant to their team.

Is ActivityInfo suitable for Child Sponsorship CRM? Yes, a number of organizations manage child sponsorships through ActivityInfo. We also use ActivityInfo as a CRM to run our own business, so it is very suitable for that use case.

Is it possible to create and manage separate user accounts for each organization? The platform supports distinct organizational accounts. On ActivityInfo.org, we host many different organizations that are logically separated. You can also create sub-accounts for billing purposes. For partner reporting, you can use role-based access to create a "Partner" role and use parameters to limit users to seeing only data related to their specific partner organization.