Collectivity uses process mapping and individual insights to paint a big picture of operational and technology needs for nonprofit community developer

Seward Redesign’s (“Redesign”) offices are located on the busiest part of East Franklin Avenue, wedged between a local arts-based nonprofit, a tattoo shop and adjacent to the Seward Co-Op: right in the heart of the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis. Redesign is a nonprofit community developer that is committed to serving and supporting small businesses in South Minneapolis through real estate transactions, small business technical assistance, and community planning initiatives, among other services. Their goal, as described by a member of their team is to “help the health and well being of the community with a particular focus on real estate development.” Redesign’s operations, however, were hampered by applications and processes that did not work together in harmony and were in dire need of a change. They wanted to upgrade and make their work processes more efficient. They did not want to replace one tool with another, but rather design a system that fits together to create “one large working machine.” 

A bird’s eye view

During initial conversations with team members, Redesign staff began to understand that their individual insights were painting a full picture of the organization and that many of the issues and pain points they were experiencing had deeper causes and implications that crossed their own functional area

Redesign brought Collectivity on board and tasked them with both understanding the current state of their technology and operations while also providing recommendations to make these upgrades a reality. The first step was to gain a deep understanding of the processes that Redesign team members utilize. Collectivity’s approach was met with a healthy degree of skepticism from an experienced team that was hesitant to tread in an unfamiliar space and who felt that their pain points could be solved without outside help. The next step, then, was to gain trust early on through a Needs Assessment process. During initial conversations with team members, Redesign staff began to understand that their individual insights were painting a full picture of the organization and that many of the issues and pain points they were experiencing had deeper causes and implications that crossed their own functional areas. Simultaneously, Collectivity’s team learned volumes about commercial real estate and the intricate environment in which Redesign operates. 

Collectivity gathered these insights and built a series of process maps that visually displayed the work that Redesign does and effectively connected their pain points to root causes. Being able to see this high level picture enabled Collectivity to identify areas of opportunity and provide relevant solutions that will be made a reality during the ongoing implementation phase. 

The location of Redesign’s office enables them to directly feel the pulse of their neighborhood, which gives them a high level of visibility of what is going on throughout the community, allowing them to be proactive and relevant as they support small businesses. By understanding the small details of their neighborhood, Redesign is able to help their community in a big way. In the same way, understanding the small processes within Redesign allowed Collectivity to make an accurate map of the big picture and then provide recommendations that have a deep effect regarding the success of the organization.