Smartsheet and Google Apps ensure that the most current information is shared between community leaders, technical consultants, and the project development team with different levels of access according to the participant’s role.
Customer
Anthrotect is a private environmental services partnership based in Bogota, Colombia. The group provides tools and resources to enable community-based ecosystem monitoring in order to conserve tropical ecosystems and prevent climate change. Deforestation accounts for as much as 20% of global carbon emissions in addition to its detrimental impacts on biodiversity and rural communities. New approaches to keeping forests standing can thus help prevent climate change while at the same time benefiting local communities and wildlife.Vendor
Smartsheet provides an online collaboration tool used by thousands of organizations to manage projects, shared task lists, sales pipelines, marketing events and other types of work. More information on Smartsheet's online project management and other solutions are available at www.smartsheet.com.
Challenge
To effectively plan, fund and execute numerous projects simultaneously, Anthrotect staff, community leaders and other project stakeholders must be able to access, revise, and share project information from multiple locations (including remote tropical locations) in a secure and reliable manner. Stakeholders have a wide range of technical expertise, so ease of use is a requirement for any software solution.
Solution
Anthrotect currently has a staff of 6 using Google Apps to manage email, calendar, and contacts. Google Apps serves as a convenient and cost-effective repository for project documents as well as large files, such as satellite images and community maps. Smartsheet extends the ability to store and share files by enabling the team to post comments, share files and information, and track multiple versions in the context of projects. Smartsheet and Google Apps ensure that the most current information is shared between community leaders, technical consultants, and the project development team with different levels of access according to the participant’s role.
Result
Through Google Apps and Smartsheet, community leaders can now immediately access the latest project documents and status, dramatically reducing the number of phone and email requests. Sharing privileges enable different levels of access between Anthrotect, community leaders, and external investors and consultants. Smartsheet Project Management for Google Apps allows project stakeholders to more easily track progress toward objectives, make comments, and receive regular updates whenever information is added or revised. Project participants and communities now spend less time in the office communicating routine information, leaving more time for conservation activities in the field.
For more information, watch the video below or visit www.anthrotect.com.
