Difference between revisions of "Quick Start Guide for System Administrators"

From Charitylog Manual
Jump to: navigation, search
(Software License Agreement)
 
(44 intermediate revisions by 3 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
=So, you've decided to go for Charitylog...what happens next?=
+
The system is an all-in-one contact management (CRM) and data logging system for charities and Third Sector organisations. It is internet based, and so is accessible from anywhere you can get an internet connection. It is designed around desktop/laptop use, but works well on tablets and even smartphones.
 +
 
 +
Ideally your whole organisation will use the system as much as possible. This means that the organisation gets maximum benefit from the software, a maximum amount of data is captured for logging and reporting, and a minimal amount of paper is used.
 +
 
 +
The system is not bespoke; rather, all our customers use the same basic system. This means that we can properly support everybody, and the system is very reasonably priced, unlike a fully bespoke system which usually requires a high upfront cost and then expensive development or extension work if required. Of course, the system is hugely configurable, and can be set up to meet the needs of your organisation in any number of ways.
 +
 
 +
 
 +
__TOC__
 +
 
 +
 
 +
==So, you've decided to go for our system...what happens next?==
 +
 
 +
 
 +
First of all, congratulations and thank you!
 +
 
 +
You are probably already in touch with our staff team, but here's who you are likely to be dealing with and when.
 +
 
 +
* '''For the sale of your system,''' you've probably been dealing with our sales team.
 +
* '''For ongoing support through the process,''' when you telephone us, you are likely to speak to one of our support team.
 +
* '''For implementation and issues around getting up and running,''' this will be handled by our Implementation Manager.
 +
* '''For Data Migration,''' you will probably deal with our data team.
 +
* '''For your on-site sessions,''' you will be assigned an implementation consultant who will guide you through the whole process.
 +
 
  
 
==Timescales==
 
==Timescales==
 +
 +
There is no "correct" timescale for implementing the system, and it will depend on the size and scope of your organisation. For small organisations with one or two services, it is perfectly possible to complete all training in two or three days, and have the system live by the end of the training. For an organisation of significant size, we recommend at least six training days, but this is a minimum.
 +
 +
If your staff are going to carry on working as normal around the implementation, your training days should not be taken all at once, as there is a lot to take in on each day. Of course two days involving different groups of people can be taken together and this is often convenient.
 +
 +
Your assigned consultant will discuss your overall implementation timescale with you on the initial training/process mapping day, but we recommend it should take no longer than two or three months between initial process mapping and going live.
 +
  
 
==Implementing the system==
 
==Implementing the system==
 +
 +
 +
You will need to fill in some [[Pre-Implementation Spreadsheets]] so that we can prepare your system for you. It is important that these are done early and thoroughly, as this will speed up implementation.
 +
 +
You may also need to have data migrated into your new system from an existing database, or more likely, a series of your own spreadsheets. For full details on this, please see the [[Data Migration Guide]].
 +
 +
 +
===Choosing your in-house administrators===
 +
 +
You will need some staff to be in-house administrators of the system. They will be able to control access rights, and configure the system the way you want it. These will be the people who are most involved in the training and implementation, and are also likely to maintain the system as time goes on. We suggest you should have at least three administrators. You might like to consider the following when choosing administrators.
 +
 +
 +
====Should you be on the administrator team yourself?====
 +
 +
The vision of the system is that the whole organisation uses the system to maintain their contacts and record their work, so we recommend that chief executives use the system along with everybody else.
 +
 +
Some CEs like to be involved in the running of the system, whereas some take a more hands-off approach, but we advise that you should have administrator rights, and should take some training so that you know your way around the system. This will help you understand the ways that your staff are trained to use the system.
 +
 +
 +
====Reporting needs====
 +
 +
To be able to create the reports that you need, the right information needs to be put in at the start of the implementation process. Therefore, it is very useful if a service manager from each service/project is on the administration team. They may not administer every part of the system - they may end up focusing on their own service/project - but it is vital that each service "has a voice" during implementation.
 +
 +
 +
====IT literacy====
 +
 +
It's not essential that all members of the administration team are skilled with computers, but if someone in the organisation is particularly good with them, it will probably help if they are on the team.
 +
  
 
==How you can support your staff==
 
==How you can support your staff==
  
=Data Migration=
+
The best support you can give to your staff is to make the time available for them to take training. This might mean -
  
You may need to have data migrated into your new Charitylog system from an existing database, or more likely, a series of spreadsheets. For full details on this, please see the [[Data Migration Guide]].
+
* Helping them to arrange work so that they have a full day free for training
 +
* Lending them a laptop so that they can have a look at the system at home
 +
* Shutting the office for a day so that a large group of staff can receive training together
  
=Training=
+
Another thing you can do is to let them know that they are not alone! The system always works best when the staff team work together, so help and support them whenever you can, and direct them to our helpline whenever they need it.
  
    Max 6 people.
+
Finally, it will really help the whole process if there is clear direction "from the top" that everyone is to use the system, and timescales are clearly communicated. For this reason, we very strongly recommend that you email all staff after the first process mapping day, communicating the overall timescale for implementation. Your assigned trainer can discuss this with you on the first day.
  
==What happens in training?==
+
We believe that using the system should always result in less paperwork for an organisation. Therefore, '''if everyone uses the system, volunteers included, this will mean the organisation will benefit.''' Indeed, the more people in an organisation "take on" the system, the greater the organisation's chance of success. It is best not to pitch the system as optional in any way. Rather, make it an organisation-wide change - "this is a new system which we are all going to move to". It sounds blunt, but having a definite decision like this will actually help staff get on board with the new system.
  
==What do we need to provide to make training effective?==
 
  
    One computer per person
+
==Training==
    Projector
+
 
    Fast internet access
+
Training will be carried out at your venue, or you are welcome to book an external venue if you feel it would make training more effective.
    Lunch arrangements
 
  
==First training day==
 
  
==Subsequent training days==
+
====What do we need to provide to make training effective?====
  
==Going live==
+
* The training environment should be free from distractions. Training in the office/at desks is possible, but is likely to be less productive than working in a training room, because staff can be distracted by work. A meeting room is ideal.
 +
* Ideally, everyone attending should have the use of a computer, so that they can practice.
 +
* Sometimes your assigned trainer will require the use of a projector. They will discuss this with you beforehand.
 +
* It is '''vital''' that the training venue has reliable, and reasonably fast, internet access.
 +
* You will also need to make some lunch arrangements for the training. This doesn't need to be anything fancy, it can simply be a close sandwich shop for staff to go out to - but the arrival of lunch and cakes at the venue can be a great motivator for staff at lunch time!
  
==Ongoing support==
 
  
=Data Protection Issues=
+
==First training day==
  
=Software License Agreement=
+
The first day will mainly be spent process mapping with your service managers, and showing your administrators around the system. The aim by the end of the first day will be -
1. BACKGROUND:
 
  
These terms and conditions apply as between you, the User of Services provided therein and Dizions Limited, the owner(s) of the Services and the CharityLog Website(s).  Your agreement to comply with and be bound by these terms and conditions is deemed to occur upon your acceptance of these terms and conditions prior to your first use of the Services.
+
* For your assigned trainer to have a good idea of how your whole organisation works. From this they can plan which parts of the system will need to be used and by which service.
 +
* For your administrators to have a good idea of how the system works. They will not need to know every last detail, but they will have a broad overview.
  
1. Definitions and Interpretation
 
1.1 In these terms and conditions, unless the context otherwise requires, the following expressions have the following meanings:
 
  
“Account” means collectively the personal information, payment information and credentials used by Users to access the Services through the Web Site;
+
==Subsequent training days==
“Agreement” means the binding agreement that shall come into effect between the User and Dizions Limited following the User’s acceptance of these terms and conditions and which shall incorporate these terms and conditions;
 
“Content” means any text, graphics, images, audio, video, software, data compilations and any other form of information capable of being stored in a computer that appears on or forms part of the Website;
 
“Services” means collectively the online facilities, tools, services or information that Dizions Limited makes available through the Website either now or in the future;
 
“Support Fee” means the sum of money paid by Users at annual intervals to keep their Account active and to enable them to access the Services;
 
“Support Period” means the period for which support has been purchased;
 
“User / Users” means any third party accessing the Website and the Services who is not employed by Dizions Limited and acting in the course of their employment; and
 
“Website” means the website through which these Services are provided (currently www.charitylog.co.uk ) and any sub-domains of that website unless expressly excluded by their own terms and conditions.
 
  
1.2 Unless the context otherwise requires, each reference in these terms and conditions to:
+
Subsequent training days will be spent doing more targeted training within each service, with the service managers. This will involve setting up each service with the relevant parts of the system. For example, a befriending service will probably make use of the "Volunteers" functionality; a "Help at Home" project is likely to use the Support Worker module; an "Information & Advice" project may only use the core setup ... etc. The aim of each of these days will be to show the relevant staff around the parts of the system they need, and to make progress on setting up the live system. The aim will be that by the end of each day, the service manager and/or the adminstrators will be at least part way through the setup of their part of the system, and armed with all the relevant knowledge to complete it.
1.2.1 “writing”, and any cognate expression, includes a reference to any communication effected by electronic or facsimile transmission or similar means;
 
1.2.2 a statute or a provisions of a statute is a reference to that statute or provision as amended or re-enacted at the relevant time;
 
1.2.3 a Clause or paragraph is a reference to a Clause of these terms and conditions.
 
1.3 The headings used in these terms and conditions are for convenience only and shall have no effect upon the interpretation of these terms and conditions.
 
1.4 Words imparting the singular number shall include the plural and vice versa.
 
1.5 References to any gender shall include the other gender.
 
2. Provision of Services
 
2.1 Dizions Limited shall use its best and reasonable endeavours to provide the Services on an error-free basis and without interruption.
 
2.2 Notwithstanding sub-Clause 2.1, Dizions Limited does not provide any guarantee that provision of the Services shall be error-free or without interruption and reserves the right to alter or suspend provision of the Services without prior notice to Users.  By accepting these terms and conditions the User acknowledges that the Services may change in form or nature at any time.
 
2.3 Dizions Limited shall have the right, exercisable at its sole discretion, to terminate provision of the Services without prior notice to Users.
 
2.4 Notwithstanding’ Dizions Limited’s right to perform any of the actions detailed in this Clause without prior notice, Dizions Limited shall use its best and reasonable endeavours to provide such notice whenever possible.
 
2.5 Dizions Limited shall provide technical support by telephone and email and reserves the right to pass this responsibility on to a named, suitably trained, third party.  Dizions Limited agrees to provide a response to all support requests from the Customer by close of the next business day.
 
2.6 Defects in the software will be corrected as quickly and as as practically possible. Dizions Limited staff will be permitted to view or copy data in order to investigate and correct a reported problem. These data will subsequently be destroyed.
 
2.7 Product enhancements are provided periodically and will automatically become available to the Customer. On occasions where enhancements to the CharityLog system are treated as additional (optional) modules an additional charge over and above the standard annual support/hosting/enhancement fee will be levied.  Any additional fees will be advised and must be accepted by the Customer in writing before being incurred.
 
2.8 The Customer cannot opt to run a different version of the software than the version uploaded to the server at any time – all users will operate from the same software.
 
3. Access to Services
 
3.1 The User represents and warrants that they have the authority to enter into the Agreement, to use the Services, and to perform any and all acts as may be necessary under these terms and conditions.
 
3.2 If the User is unable to comply with the requirements of sub-Clause 3.1 they shall be prohibited from using the Services and must not accept these terms and conditions.
 
3.3 In order to use the Services, Users are required to create an Account and to submit certain personal details.  By accepting these terms and conditions the User represents and warrants that:
 
3.3.1 any information that is submitted is accurate and truthful;
 
3.3.2 all such information will be kept accurate and up-to-date; and
 
3.3.3 the means by which they identify themselves does not violate any part of these terms and conditions or any applicable laws.
 
3.4 If the User has reason to believe that their Account details have been obtained by another without consent, the User should contact Dizions Limited immediately to suspend their Account. The terms of sub-Clause 3.4 shall apply notwithstanding any related provisions in Clause 16.
 
4. Support Fees
 
4.1 Support fees commence on the date that the User activates their system and will be invoiced annually thereafter.
 
4.2 Dizions Limited reserves the right to change Support Fees from time to time and any such changes may affect Users’ support rates.
 
4.3 Increases in price will be reflected in the User’s Support Fees on the date of the immediately subsequent renewal.
 
4.4 If a User terminates their Account they will continue to have access to the Services for the remainder of the prevailing Support Fee Period up until the renewal date whereupon access will cease.
 
5. Use of Services
 
5.1 The Services are for legitimate use within the not-for-profit sector. 
 
5.2 Users are permitted to use the Services only in accordance with:
 
5.2.1 these terms and conditions; and
 
5.2.2 any relevant law, regulation or other applicable instrument in their particular jurisdiction.
 
5.3 Subject to any express agreement to the contrary, Users may only access the Services through the normal means provided by Dizions Limited.  Users shall not attempt to download, convert or otherwise reverse-engineer any part of the Services.
 
5.4 The restrictions set out in sub-Clause 5.3 shall not apply to Content submitted or created by a particular User where that User is downloading their Content, nor to any other Content that a User may have permission to access.
 
5.5 Users may not engage in any conduct that may disrupt provision of the Services by Dizions Limited.
 
5.6 Subject to any express agreement to the contrary, Users may not reproduce, copy, duplicate, trade or resell the Services.
 
5.7 Users’ rights to use the Services are non-exclusive, non-transferrable and fully revocable at Dizions Limited’s discretion.
 
6. Intellectual Property
 
6.1 Subject to the exceptions in Clause 7 of these terms and conditions, all Content included on the Website, including, but not limited to, text, graphics, logos, icons, images, sound clips, video clips, data compilations, page layout, underlying code and software is the property of, Dizions Limited or other relevant third parties.  By accepting these terms and conditions the User acknowledges that such material is protected by applicable United Kingdom and International intellectual property and other laws.
 
6.2 Subject to Clause 9 Users may not reproduce, copy, distribute, store or in any other fashion re-use material from the Website unless otherwise indicated on the Website or unless given express written permission to do so by Dizions Limited.
 
7. Third Party Intellectual Property
 
Where expressly indicated, certain Content, such as advertising material, and the Intellectual Property Rights subsisting therein belongs to other parties.  This Content, unless expressly stated to be so, is not covered by any permission granted by Clause 6 of these Terms and Conditions to use Content from the Web Site.  The exceptions in Clause 9 continue to apply.  Any such Content will be accompanied by a notice providing the contact details of the owner and any separate use policy that may be relevant.
 
  
8. User Content and Intellectual Property
 
8.1 When using the Services to create Content, Users should do so in accordance with the following rules:
 
8.1.1 Users must not submit Content that is unlawful or otherwise objectionable.  This includes, but is not limited to, Content that is abusive, threatening, harassing, defamatory or fraudulent;
 
8.1.2 Users must not submit Content that is intended to promote or incite violence;
 
8.1.3 Users must not submit Content that may contain viruses or any other software or instructions that may damage or disrupt other software, computer hardware or communications networks;
 
8.1.4 Users must not impersonate other people, particularly employees and representatives of Dizions Limited or our affiliates;
 
8.1.5 Users must not use the Services for unauthorised mass-communication such as “spam” or “junk mail”.
 
8.2 If any Content is found to be in breach of these terms and conditions, Dizions Limited reserves the right to remove it without notice and may, at its sole discretion, terminate the responsible User’s access to the Services.
 
8.3 Users are solely responsible for any and all Content that they submit or create.  Dizions Limited does not endorse, support, represent or otherwise guarantee the accuracy or reliability of such Content.
 
8.4 Users use the Services at their own risk.
 
9. Fair Use of Intellectual Property
 
Content may be copied, transmitted, performed, adapted or otherwise re-used without written permission where any of the exceptions detailed in Chapter III of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or other relevant legislation apply.
 
10. Links to Other Websites
 
This Website may provide links to other websites as part of the Services.  Unless expressly stated, such websites are not under the control of Dizions Limited or that of our affiliates.  Dizions Limited assumes no responsibility for the content of the websites and disclaims liability for any and all forms of loss or damage arising out of the use of them.  The inclusion of a link to another website on this Website does not imply any endorsement of that website or of those in control of it.
 
11. Disclaimer of Warranties
 
11.1 Dizions Limited makes no warranty or representation that the Website or the Services will meet Users’ requirements, that they will be of satisfactory quality, that they will be fit for a particular purpose, that they will not infringe the rights of third parties, that they will be compatible with all systems, or that they will be secure.
 
11.2 Dizions Limited shall use its best and reasonable endeavours to ensure that all information provided on the Website and the Services is accurate and up to date; however Dizions Limited makes no warranty or representation that this will always be the case.  Dizions Limited makes no guarantee of any specific results from the use of the Website or the Services.
 
11.3 No part of the Website or the Services is intended to constitute advice and the Content of the Website and the Services should not be relied upon when making any decisions or taking any action of any kind.
 
11.4 Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that all descriptions of Services available from Dizions Limited correspond to the actual services available, Dizions Limited is not responsible for any variations from these descriptions.
 
12. Availability of the Website and the Services
 
12.1 The Website and the Services are provided “as is” and on an “as available” basis.  Dizions Limited gives no warranty that the Website or the Services will be free of defects and / or faults.  To the maximum extent permitted by law Dizions Limited provides no warranties (express or implied) of fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy of information, compatibility and satisfactory quality.
 
12.2 Dizions Limited accepts no liability for any disruption or non-availability of the Website or the Services resulting from external causes including, but not limited to, ISP equipment failure, host equipment failure, communications network failure, power failure, natural events, acts of war or legal restrictions and censorship.
 
13. Limitation of Liability
 
13.1 Dizions Limited’s liability for any direct or indirect loss or damage, foreseeable or otherwise, including any indirect, consequential, special or exemplary damages arising out of our breach of these terms and conditions shall be limited to the value of the User’s Support Fee prevailing at the relevant time.  For all other direct or indirect loss or damage, foreseeable or otherwise, including any indirect, consequential, special or exemplary damages arising from the use of the Website, the Services or any information contained therein, to the maximum extent permitted by law, Dizions Limited accepts no liability.  Users should be aware that they use the Website, the Services and all relevant Content at their own risk.
 
13.2 Nothing in these terms and conditions excludes or restricts Dizions Limited’s liability for death or personal injury resulting from any negligence or fraud on the part of Dizions Limited.
 
14. Term and Termination
 
14.1 The term of the Agreement shall commence upon the User’s acceptance of these terms and conditions and shall continue until terminated either by the User or by Dizions Limited in accordance with this Clause 16.
 
14.2 If a User wishes to terminate the Agreement they may do so by informing Dizions Limited in writing that they wish to terminate this Agreement.
 
14.3 Dizions Limited reserves the right to terminate the Agreement, a User’s Account and a User’s access to the Services at any time for the following reasons:
 
14.3.1 The User has committed a material breach of these terms and conditions, unless such breach is capable of remedy, in which case the right to terminate immediately will be exercisable if the User fails to remedy the breach within 14 days after a written notice to do so;
 
14.3.2 The User has indicated, expressly or impliedly, that they do not intend to or are unable to comply with these terms and conditions;
 
14.3.3 Dizions Limited is required to do so by law;
 
14.3.4 It has become, in the opinion of Dizions Limited, its affiliates or advisers, no longer commercially viable to continue providing the Services;
 
14.3.5 Dizions Limited is no longer providing the Services in the User’s country of residence;
 
14.4 If Dizions Limited terminates a User’s Account as a result of the User’s breach of these terms and conditions the User will not be entitled to any refund.
 
14.5 If the agreement is terminated for any other reason, the User will not be refunded any remaining balance of their Support Fee.
 
14.6 In the event that Dizions Limited terminates a User’s Account, the User will cease to have access to the Services from the date of termination.
 
14.7 If the agreement is terminated for any other reason the User will cease to have access to the Services from the date of termination
 
14.8 In the event that the Agreement is terminated, the User’s Account will be closed and their access to the Services suspended in accordance with sub-Clauses 16.6 and 16.7.  Any Content that the User has submitted or created will become inaccessible to all Users from the date on which the Services become inaccessible, however copies may be retained by Dizions Limited as part of standard backup procedures.
 
14.9 Upon termination of the Agreement, the User shall cease to be bound by all obligations set out in these terms and conditions with the exception of those expressly stated to survive the termination of the Agreement.
 
15. No Waiver
 
In the event that either the User or Dizions Limited fails to exercise any right or remedy contained in these terms and conditions, this shall not be construed as a waiver of that right or remedy.
 
16. Assignment
 
Users may not assign, transfer, sub-contract, or in any other manner make over to any third party the benefit and/or burden of this Agreement without the prior written consent of Dizions Limited, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld.
 
17. Severance
 
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that these terms and conditions adhere strictly with the relevant provisions of the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977, in the event that any of these terms are found to be unlawful, invalid or otherwise unenforceable, that term is to be deemed severed from these terms and conditions and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of the remaining terms and conditions.  This term shall apply only within jurisdictions where a particular term is illegal.
 
18. Entire Agreement
 
These terms and conditions embody and set forth the entire Agreement and understanding between the Parties and supersede all prior oral or written agreements, understandings or arrangements relating to the subject matter of the Agreement.  Neither the User nor Dizions Limited shall be entitled to rely on any agreement, understanding or arrangement not expressly set forth in these terms and conditions, save for any representation made fraudulently.
 
19. Notices
 
All notices / communications shall be sent to and by Dizions Limited either by post to their premises (see www.charitylog.co.uk for details) or by email to info@charitylog.co.uk.  Such notice will be deemed received 3 days after posting if sent by first class post, the day of sending if the email is received in full on a business day and on the next business day if the email is sent on a weekend or public holiday.
 
20. Law and Jurisdiction
 
20.1 These terms and conditions, the Agreement and all other aspects of the relationship between the User and Dizions Limited shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the Laws of England and Wales.
 
20.2 Any dispute between the User and Dizions Limited relating to these terms and conditions, the Agreement and all other aspects of the relationship shall fall within the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
 
21. Escrow
 
23.1 Dizions Limited and the User mutually undertake to execute the Escrow Agreement promptly following execution of this licence. The Supplier additionally undertakes to procure that the Escrow Agent promptly executes the Escrow Agreement.
 
23.2 On the occasion of a Trigger Event the User may claim the source code of the Escrow Agent under the terms of the Escrow Agreement.
 
23.3 The Trigger Events are:
 
23.3.1 Dizions Limited material or persistent breach of this agreement which has not been rectified within a period of 21 days following receipt of written notice from the User to Dizions Limited setting out details of the breach;
 
23.3.2 termination by the Escrow Agent of the Escrow Agreement, if such termination is occasioned by any breach or default by Dizions Limited of its obligations under the Escrow Agreement including, without limitation, failure by Dizions Limited to pay any of the Escrow Agent’s fees; or the insolvency of Dizions Limited; or
 
23.3.3 Dizions Limited being unable to continue providing any of the services set out under this agreement for a period exceeding 21 days; or
 
23.3.4 If access to the CharityLog website and the User’s login to the database confirming the User Data is unavailable for a period exceeding 7 days.
 
  
CharityLog Source Code Agreement (Escrow Agreement)
+
==Going live==
  
The Escrow agent is: Okell and Stewart, Church Row, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire HR9 5HR. Tel: 01989
+
When you take the system live is entirely up to you, but the most important thing is that '''there needs to be a definite date when the whole organisation goes live'''. This will give all staff and administrators something to work towards. You might like to consider the following when setting a date to go live;
  
The full source code of the CharityLog website has been lodged with the Escrow agent. It does not include any data – this is obtained by the organisation from their own log in to their database. The full source code will be updated every six months with the Escrow agent.
+
* Most organisations start their accounts and reporting on the 1st April. Therefore, some organisations choose to go live on a reporting quarter - i.e. April 1st, July 1st, October 1st or January 1st. This means there is a definite and immediate crossover from an older reporting system to your new system.
 +
* It's best not to pick a date to go live when there are a lot of other things going on in the organisation, for example...
 +
** Summer holidays are a difficult time to go live, as staff tend to be away.
 +
** Christmas can also be difficult, for the same reason.
  
It is available to nominated organisations if they can satisfy the Escrow agent that the CharityLog product has become ‘Unsupported’.
 
  
Currently Dizions Limited is the ‘Supplier’ of the CharityLog system. This agreement is with Dizions Limited. Dizions Limited will inform the Escrow agent of the nominated organisations.
+
===Having your assigned trainer present when going live===
  
 +
If at all possible, it is a great idea to have one of your training days dedicated to the day when you go live. This is because no matter how much training and practice staff do, there is no substitute for working with actual live data. The chances are that on the go-live day, everything will fall into place (even more so than it has by then) and staff will suddenly have a lot of further questions. Of course it is perfectly possible to just use the support line to answer these questions, but having your trainer on site is very beneficial if at all possible.
  
1) Definition of Unsupported
 
  
The software could be regarded as Unsupported if:-
+
===What about end user training?===
  
1) Dizions Limited cannot be contacted and is no longer trading and has not notified the Escrow agent that the rights to CharityLog have been passed on to another organisation.
+
You may have noticed that there isn't very much "traditional" training listed above, where everyone sits at a computer and is taken through exercises with a trainer. There will be some of this - for example, it may well be appropriate to run a session like this near to the go-live date, to refresh everyone's memory about the basics like recording contacts, client searches and the Action List - but generally we try and keep this to a minimum. Your training time is precious and we find it is best spent getting the administrators up to speed and making sure that the service managers have plenty of input on how the system goes together.
  
2) Access to the CharityLog website has not been possible for a period exceeding 7 days and Dizions Limited is not making reasonable efforts to rectify the situation and except when caused by Force Majeure.
+
End users should always be aware that the support line is there to help them, and of course this manual will help them to get around the system and refresh their knowledge whenever they need to.
  
3) The insolvency of Dizions Limited.
 
  
4) Termination by the nominated Escrow Agent of the Escrow agreement, if such termination is occasioned by any breach or default by Dizions Limited of its obligations under the Escrow agreement including, without limitation, failure by Dizions Limited to pay any of the Escrow Agent’s fees. Any change of the current Escrow Agent will be notified to the nominated organisations.
+
==Security and GDPR issues==
  
2) Limits of Use
+
You will want to be assured that your data is safe; so we have taken steps to secure your data every step of the way.
  
If it is successfully proved to the Escrow agent that the software has become Unsupported, the Escrow agent will release a copy of the CD containing the source code to the organisation within 5 working days of the Escrow Agent being satisfied that the CharityLog software has become Unsupported as defined above provided the Escrow agent has been paid and fully indemnified against Costs in accordance with paragraph 4.
+
To ensure your protection, we comply fully with the General Data Protection Act 2018; our system is accredited to IS0 27001:(current standard) Information Security Standard and is registered with the Information Commissioners Office.
  
This software can be installed on the organisation’s own or nominated server and may be adapted by their nominated persons. The use of the software is limited to that organisation. It may not be re-sold or otherwise distributed to other organisations, nor may additions or modifications to the software be re-sold or otherwise distributed to other organisations.
+
We are also accredited to ISO9001:(current standard) International Quality Management Standard.
  
3) Re-installation of Software
+
In addition, the system is fully web based, which means that no information is held on your local computers, servers and laptops. The data is held in a highly secure data centre in the UK operated by Rackspace, who are also accredited to IS0 27001:2015 Information Security Standard and are one of the most respected data centre operators in the world.
  
The source code will be provided in its full directory structure, so loading the root directory to the server would re-instate the whole system, at the point of log in to the organisation’s own database.
+
As the information is never stored on your premises you are also protected from losses through fire, flooding, burglary or equipment breakdown.
  
The organisation would need to provide or acquire the services of a programmer to reload the source code, re-instate the mySQL database from the organisation’s own backup of their data and ensure the connection to the database.
+
Each piece of information is accessed through rigorous security systems which make sure only the right people get to see each piece of information.
  
 +
Every organisation has its own database on the server, so there is no danger of data getting mixed up. When a user logs in there are a range of controls over what they can see, what they can alter and what projects they are allowed to work on.
  
4) Costs
+
When accessing the system, you do so using SSL, the standard encryption process which protects data in transmission from the server to your computer.
  
The cost of proving the fact that the CharityLog system has become Unsupported and of re-installing the software on a different server will be borne by the requesting organisation.
+
In terms of the data protection issues around recording details of service users and contacts with them, you are probably already recording this data in many different forms, and the system simply provides a way to centralise this data. However, implementing the system often provides a natural time for an organisation to take stock of its data protection policies and to start taking formal consent from service users to store data, if it is not already doing so.
  
Similarly the costs of copying the CD would be payable to the Escrow agent by the requesting organisation.
+
If your organisation has an umbrella body, they may have guidance on data protection which they can give you. For example, the PRTC has some excellent guidance for carer organisations.
  
 +
If you have questions around data protection, please be aware that trying to address them in training days may not be the best use of training time. It is much more helpful if you can decide on your internal data protection policies and then discuss how to implement them on your system with your assigned trainer. Actually trying to assess and re-write data protection policies on a training day can take up a lot of time.
  
5) Nominated Organisations
 
  
The Supplier will provide the Escrow agent with a list of Nominated Organisations each time a CD is presented. This list will contain the names of those organisations who have paid their annual support/hosting fee at that time.
+
==Escrow agreement and your own backup==
  
 +
The system has a "backup" menu item, located in the Administration. This will allow you to download a complete copy of your data from the system. You do not need to use this in day-to-day activity, as all data is securely backed up by the data centre. This menu item is to be used in the event of your system becoming unsupported. We have a copy of our source code held by a solicitor. In the event of the system becoming unsupported (which of course we don't expect will ever happen) you will be able to obtain a copy of our source code. By putting this together with a backup from your system, you will be able to restore your data and carry on working.
  
6) Force Majeure
+
This backup item cannot be used without the source code. If you need to get figures and data out of your system for reporting purposes, you can do so using the [[Reports]] menu item.
  
No party shall be liable to the other for any delay or non-performance of its obligations under this agreement arising from any cause beyond its reasonable control including, without limitation, any of the following: act of God, governmental act, war, fire, flood, explosion or civil commotion.
 
  
ends
+
----

Latest revision as of 12:50, 25 October 2023

The system is an all-in-one contact management (CRM) and data logging system for charities and Third Sector organisations. It is internet based, and so is accessible from anywhere you can get an internet connection. It is designed around desktop/laptop use, but works well on tablets and even smartphones.

Ideally your whole organisation will use the system as much as possible. This means that the organisation gets maximum benefit from the software, a maximum amount of data is captured for logging and reporting, and a minimal amount of paper is used.

The system is not bespoke; rather, all our customers use the same basic system. This means that we can properly support everybody, and the system is very reasonably priced, unlike a fully bespoke system which usually requires a high upfront cost and then expensive development or extension work if required. Of course, the system is hugely configurable, and can be set up to meet the needs of your organisation in any number of ways.



So, you've decided to go for our system...what happens next?

First of all, congratulations and thank you!

You are probably already in touch with our staff team, but here's who you are likely to be dealing with and when.

  • For the sale of your system, you've probably been dealing with our sales team.
  • For ongoing support through the process, when you telephone us, you are likely to speak to one of our support team.
  • For implementation and issues around getting up and running, this will be handled by our Implementation Manager.
  • For Data Migration, you will probably deal with our data team.
  • For your on-site sessions, you will be assigned an implementation consultant who will guide you through the whole process.


Timescales

There is no "correct" timescale for implementing the system, and it will depend on the size and scope of your organisation. For small organisations with one or two services, it is perfectly possible to complete all training in two or three days, and have the system live by the end of the training. For an organisation of significant size, we recommend at least six training days, but this is a minimum.

If your staff are going to carry on working as normal around the implementation, your training days should not be taken all at once, as there is a lot to take in on each day. Of course two days involving different groups of people can be taken together and this is often convenient.

Your assigned consultant will discuss your overall implementation timescale with you on the initial training/process mapping day, but we recommend it should take no longer than two or three months between initial process mapping and going live.


Implementing the system

You will need to fill in some Pre-Implementation Spreadsheets so that we can prepare your system for you. It is important that these are done early and thoroughly, as this will speed up implementation.

You may also need to have data migrated into your new system from an existing database, or more likely, a series of your own spreadsheets. For full details on this, please see the Data Migration Guide.


Choosing your in-house administrators

You will need some staff to be in-house administrators of the system. They will be able to control access rights, and configure the system the way you want it. These will be the people who are most involved in the training and implementation, and are also likely to maintain the system as time goes on. We suggest you should have at least three administrators. You might like to consider the following when choosing administrators.


Should you be on the administrator team yourself?

The vision of the system is that the whole organisation uses the system to maintain their contacts and record their work, so we recommend that chief executives use the system along with everybody else.

Some CEs like to be involved in the running of the system, whereas some take a more hands-off approach, but we advise that you should have administrator rights, and should take some training so that you know your way around the system. This will help you understand the ways that your staff are trained to use the system.


Reporting needs

To be able to create the reports that you need, the right information needs to be put in at the start of the implementation process. Therefore, it is very useful if a service manager from each service/project is on the administration team. They may not administer every part of the system - they may end up focusing on their own service/project - but it is vital that each service "has a voice" during implementation.


IT literacy

It's not essential that all members of the administration team are skilled with computers, but if someone in the organisation is particularly good with them, it will probably help if they are on the team.


How you can support your staff

The best support you can give to your staff is to make the time available for them to take training. This might mean -

  • Helping them to arrange work so that they have a full day free for training
  • Lending them a laptop so that they can have a look at the system at home
  • Shutting the office for a day so that a large group of staff can receive training together

Another thing you can do is to let them know that they are not alone! The system always works best when the staff team work together, so help and support them whenever you can, and direct them to our helpline whenever they need it.

Finally, it will really help the whole process if there is clear direction "from the top" that everyone is to use the system, and timescales are clearly communicated. For this reason, we very strongly recommend that you email all staff after the first process mapping day, communicating the overall timescale for implementation. Your assigned trainer can discuss this with you on the first day.

We believe that using the system should always result in less paperwork for an organisation. Therefore, if everyone uses the system, volunteers included, this will mean the organisation will benefit. Indeed, the more people in an organisation "take on" the system, the greater the organisation's chance of success. It is best not to pitch the system as optional in any way. Rather, make it an organisation-wide change - "this is a new system which we are all going to move to". It sounds blunt, but having a definite decision like this will actually help staff get on board with the new system.


Training

Training will be carried out at your venue, or you are welcome to book an external venue if you feel it would make training more effective.


What do we need to provide to make training effective?

  • The training environment should be free from distractions. Training in the office/at desks is possible, but is likely to be less productive than working in a training room, because staff can be distracted by work. A meeting room is ideal.
  • Ideally, everyone attending should have the use of a computer, so that they can practice.
  • Sometimes your assigned trainer will require the use of a projector. They will discuss this with you beforehand.
  • It is vital that the training venue has reliable, and reasonably fast, internet access.
  • You will also need to make some lunch arrangements for the training. This doesn't need to be anything fancy, it can simply be a close sandwich shop for staff to go out to - but the arrival of lunch and cakes at the venue can be a great motivator for staff at lunch time!


First training day

The first day will mainly be spent process mapping with your service managers, and showing your administrators around the system. The aim by the end of the first day will be -

  • For your assigned trainer to have a good idea of how your whole organisation works. From this they can plan which parts of the system will need to be used and by which service.
  • For your administrators to have a good idea of how the system works. They will not need to know every last detail, but they will have a broad overview.


Subsequent training days

Subsequent training days will be spent doing more targeted training within each service, with the service managers. This will involve setting up each service with the relevant parts of the system. For example, a befriending service will probably make use of the "Volunteers" functionality; a "Help at Home" project is likely to use the Support Worker module; an "Information & Advice" project may only use the core setup ... etc. The aim of each of these days will be to show the relevant staff around the parts of the system they need, and to make progress on setting up the live system. The aim will be that by the end of each day, the service manager and/or the adminstrators will be at least part way through the setup of their part of the system, and armed with all the relevant knowledge to complete it.


Going live

When you take the system live is entirely up to you, but the most important thing is that there needs to be a definite date when the whole organisation goes live. This will give all staff and administrators something to work towards. You might like to consider the following when setting a date to go live;

  • Most organisations start their accounts and reporting on the 1st April. Therefore, some organisations choose to go live on a reporting quarter - i.e. April 1st, July 1st, October 1st or January 1st. This means there is a definite and immediate crossover from an older reporting system to your new system.
  • It's best not to pick a date to go live when there are a lot of other things going on in the organisation, for example...
    • Summer holidays are a difficult time to go live, as staff tend to be away.
    • Christmas can also be difficult, for the same reason.


Having your assigned trainer present when going live

If at all possible, it is a great idea to have one of your training days dedicated to the day when you go live. This is because no matter how much training and practice staff do, there is no substitute for working with actual live data. The chances are that on the go-live day, everything will fall into place (even more so than it has by then) and staff will suddenly have a lot of further questions. Of course it is perfectly possible to just use the support line to answer these questions, but having your trainer on site is very beneficial if at all possible.


What about end user training?

You may have noticed that there isn't very much "traditional" training listed above, where everyone sits at a computer and is taken through exercises with a trainer. There will be some of this - for example, it may well be appropriate to run a session like this near to the go-live date, to refresh everyone's memory about the basics like recording contacts, client searches and the Action List - but generally we try and keep this to a minimum. Your training time is precious and we find it is best spent getting the administrators up to speed and making sure that the service managers have plenty of input on how the system goes together.

End users should always be aware that the support line is there to help them, and of course this manual will help them to get around the system and refresh their knowledge whenever they need to.


Security and GDPR issues

You will want to be assured that your data is safe; so we have taken steps to secure your data every step of the way.

To ensure your protection, we comply fully with the General Data Protection Act 2018; our system is accredited to IS0 27001:(current standard) Information Security Standard and is registered with the Information Commissioners Office.

We are also accredited to ISO9001:(current standard) International Quality Management Standard.

In addition, the system is fully web based, which means that no information is held on your local computers, servers and laptops. The data is held in a highly secure data centre in the UK operated by Rackspace, who are also accredited to IS0 27001:2015 Information Security Standard and are one of the most respected data centre operators in the world.

As the information is never stored on your premises you are also protected from losses through fire, flooding, burglary or equipment breakdown.

Each piece of information is accessed through rigorous security systems which make sure only the right people get to see each piece of information.

Every organisation has its own database on the server, so there is no danger of data getting mixed up. When a user logs in there are a range of controls over what they can see, what they can alter and what projects they are allowed to work on.

When accessing the system, you do so using SSL, the standard encryption process which protects data in transmission from the server to your computer.

In terms of the data protection issues around recording details of service users and contacts with them, you are probably already recording this data in many different forms, and the system simply provides a way to centralise this data. However, implementing the system often provides a natural time for an organisation to take stock of its data protection policies and to start taking formal consent from service users to store data, if it is not already doing so.

If your organisation has an umbrella body, they may have guidance on data protection which they can give you. For example, the PRTC has some excellent guidance for carer organisations.

If you have questions around data protection, please be aware that trying to address them in training days may not be the best use of training time. It is much more helpful if you can decide on your internal data protection policies and then discuss how to implement them on your system with your assigned trainer. Actually trying to assess and re-write data protection policies on a training day can take up a lot of time.


Escrow agreement and your own backup

The system has a "backup" menu item, located in the Administration. This will allow you to download a complete copy of your data from the system. You do not need to use this in day-to-day activity, as all data is securely backed up by the data centre. This menu item is to be used in the event of your system becoming unsupported. We have a copy of our source code held by a solicitor. In the event of the system becoming unsupported (which of course we don't expect will ever happen) you will be able to obtain a copy of our source code. By putting this together with a backup from your system, you will be able to restore your data and carry on working.

This backup item cannot be used without the source code. If you need to get figures and data out of your system for reporting purposes, you can do so using the Reports menu item.