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Apricot | Best Practices | Webinar

Best Practices Webinar Recap: Program Structures in Apricot

Implementing Apricot in a way that reflects your service delivery model will allow Apricot to grow and change alongside your organization as you continue to scale. Apricot is a data collection tool that should be used to collect data about your participants within a program structure. Therefore, your Program structure in Apricot should reflect the data you need to collect about your Programs in practice. Structuring your Apricot programs in this manner will make it easier for you to adopt new functionality, ensuring you are always getting the most out of Apricot.

In this webinar, our Product and Customer Success teams review some of the benefits of program best practices and how to make them a reality for your organization. We invite you to watch the recording below and review some common FAQs further down the page. We’ve also shared some additional resources you can check out for more information.

Common pitfalls

Apricot is a very flexible data collection tool. However, there are some common setups that limit its flexibility and add complexity to Apricot when changes need to be made. For example, having too few Programs can limit your ability to control and secure data. While having too many Programs or Programs that are mapped to your staff roles instead of your service delivery model can be unwieldy to manage. Our recommendation is to match your Programs in Apricot to your Programs in practice.

How to Restructure Your Programs  

Follow these steps to reorganize your Programs in Apricot according to best practices. While this is not a time-intensive process, we do recommend being thoughtful with your changes and making them during a time of less activity in your system, particularly step 3.

STEP 1: Determine Ideal Program Setup—This is the planning stage before you make any changes in Apricot. Review your current settings, roles and/or permission sets. Does your staff currently have access to everything they need in Apricot? Consider the data that is required to tell a story about the programs you offer. Funder and reporting needs should also be considered. 

STEP 2: Create New or Rename Current Programs—Depending on how closely your current Programs in practice match your Programs in Apricot, you may need to rename some and add others. If you prefer to start fresh, you can create new Programs and move your data.

STEP 3: Reassign Records to New Programs—Once your new setup is aligned, you will need to update where your records live. This can be done manually or in bulk. This step is ideally accomplished in one sitting, so you know everything has been addressed.  

STEP 4: Streamline New Roles—This is the last step in controlling access. If you haven’t migrated to Role Based Permissions, now is the time. Then you can make any adjustments to your user access based on the Programs and services they support. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

How will making changes to my Programs impact my existing data?

You will need to check and possibly change the Program assignment for existing data. This can be done in bulk or one at a time. Every record must be assigned one program but can exist in several if applicable.

Do I need to change any settings to control how my future data is assigned to Programs?

Possibly. If you are using the manual Program assignment option for your forms, you can leave as is because this allows you to choose with each new record created. However, if you have chosen either of the automatic assignment options, you may want to review to ensure these still match your needs. Adjust Program Assignment Settings at the form level.  

All my staff needs to see all my data. So why should I divide according to Programs?

It is okay to give your staff access to multiple Programs. You can also put data in multiple Programs if that makes sense for your service delivery model. For example, one participant may be enrolled in more than one Program, so their data will be accessible in more than one. The benefits of adding more structure with Programs in Apricot that match your Programs in practice are clarity, control and efficiency in managing and reporting on data.

Can I deactivate Programs I am no longer using?

Yes, but we recommend waiting until after step 3 above to ensure your data is in the new Programs first. You cannot remove a deactivated Program from a record without reactivating it first.

What happens if I deactivate a Program with data still in it?

You will need to reactivate any Program you want to remove before you deactivate again.

How can I use reports to help with this process?

We recommend building a report with Record ID and Assigned Programs from the Systems fields of any given form to see current assignments. Then, you can click into any record that needs to be revised if you want to handle it manually. Use filters to limit your view to just the records with Programs you are updating.

I am not ready to move to Role Based Permissions. Should I still change my Programs?

You will still benefit from the efficiency and control of our best practices. Many of the new features mentioned will require Role Based Permissions. If you have questions or concerns about the migration, please consult your Client Success Manager for direction.

Is Role Based Permissions required for the new functionality?

Yes, you will need to migrate to Role Based Permissions to use Caseloads, Field Level Access and the Referral Network. More information to come on Program Enrollments as we roll out this new feature.

What are my options if I need help making these changes? 

If you have an Advanced Support Consultant, we recommend starting there. If not, contact your Account Manager (accountmanagement@socialsolutions.com), and they can help you decide if a Professional Services engagement or an upgraded Support package would suit your needs. You can also reach out via Chat or Email (Customer.Care@socialsolutions.com) to our Support team if you have technical questions. 

Additional Resources 

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