Case Study
Phase 2: Transforming Montana’s Grants & Loans Management Framework
Client
State of Montana Department of Commerce
Services Provided
ServiceNow Expertise
Data Architecture
Training & Knowledge Transfer
Primary ServiceNow product(s) used/purchased
Customer Service Management
ServiceNow Catalog Builder
01
Overview
Servos with the State of Montana’s Department of Commerce
During the first phase of the project, Servos helped Montana’s Department of Commerce establish a foundational grant application intake system. This allowed users to submit their applications efficiently and gave them ways to view different funding opportunities for grants and loans.
During this second phase of the project, the level of effort was focused on refining and further developing the back-end for the rank and review process. This helped to alleviate new issues and allowed the staff to review applications much more efficiently.
02
Challenges
Lack of Review Cycles
The Montana team needed a way to implement a series of review cycles specific to their process. This included several rounds of reviews based on specific criteria, and a list of recommendations for final decision making. Phase 1 allowed for some of these processes but didn’t cater to the complete cycle.
External User Limitations
External users needing to take part in the approval process quickly found themselves limited. Their roles were not authorized to review and provide applicant feedback, hindering an essential part of their workflow.
Creating and Managing Contracts
The MT DoC staff needed a quick and smooth transition after reviewing and escalating applications. However, once reviews were finalized and applications accepted, the team had no way of creating contracts. This created a bottle neck and made the process cumbersome and harder to manage.
03
Process
Research and Findings
Like the workshops held during our phase 1, our team met with Montana’s DoC to go over existing processes, manual steps, pain points, and their new wish list.
In this second phase however, a closer look was taken at the legalities with grant contracts and the legal proceedings for the grant approval process. Having already worked with the MT team facilitated this research stage even more. Our team was able to get a deeper look into the legal implications of a winning grant, and tailor a custom workflow that would level-up the system’s rank and review process
04
Solution
Extending Functionality
We extended functionality during this second phase 2, providing a seamless way for employees to track applications and making this a one-stop-shop for grant and loans management.
External Users
External reviewers who worked from other offices not within this new platform had no authorization to rank and review applications. Including these external users without compromising the system was a big requirement and logistical hurdle. We addressed this edge case by customizing the platform to securely authorize external users without hindering their workflow. This gave team members a seamless user experience and saved them time.
Scores During Review Cycles
We provided the ability to apply scores during review cycles, and improved the dashboard experience by allowing team members to see who was assigned to which case. This re-structure of the workspace resulted in a smoother workflow.
“Client quote TBD“
— Client Name, Position Name for Montana’s Department of Commerce
Rank and Review Process
We built out the back-end for the rank and review process, which gave users access to a large cue of applications to review and work from. We also enabled reviewers to create and manage contracts to better escalate applications.
About the Author
TBD
Position Title
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