Situation:

Poor record maintenance and the resignation of three project directors over the course of a five year grant led to the inability to report to the grantor the progress made with grant monies expended. Although anecdotal evidence confirmed the success of the project, these circumstances led to the inability to file a final report.

Challenge:

Resurrect project records left in disarray by former directors in order to file a comprehensive final report, and not jeopardize future funding from this federal agency.

Solution:

• Mine the various filing and bookkeeping methods of the previous three directors into one commonly-formatted file.
• Work with partners to gather information not maintained over the years, but required for final report.
• Develop a Grant Management Manual for organization-wide implementation and use.

Outcome:

The Final Report was accepted by grantor, and the Grant Management Manual is utilized in several departments. The Manual provides a framework for record maintenance and a tracking mechanism for executives.