Challenge
For tracking cases (such as environmental permits, notifications, subdivision requests, etc.) at the Urban Planning Department, the city of Dendermonde was using an Excel spreadsheet. All applications received by the department through various channels were added to this Excel sheet, and the progress of the different cases was tracked by updating information per case. While this method worked fairly well and was continuously expanded, Excel's limitations for such an application were eventually reached. The logic required to further expand this Excel became too complex, and it was also not always easy to find cases, maintain a good overview, sort or filter cases, etc. Additionally, since the sheet was stored on a network drive, only one person could edit it simultaneously, and theoretically, anyone could modify any information in any case.
Desired solution
To address these drawbacks and to allow for further expansions in the future, it was decided to develop a web application for this purpose. The goal of this application is to convert the functionality of the existing spreadsheet into a more dynamic experience, addressing the aforementioned shortcomings. The application has also been further developed to support, for example, appeal procedures and is flexible to accommodate potential changes in regulations and other factors.
Technology
Microsoft 365 is used as the platform, specifically an implementation on SharePoint Online. Power Automate is utilized for the workflows that manage the status of files and send automatic reminders.
Result
Thanks to the new application, all the drawbacks previously experienced in Excel have been eliminated. Each case manager easily finds their own files, the head of department has a clear and accurate overview of the status of various applications, and automated workflows for status tracking prevent human errors.