Codesigning the TGMS

The Tri-agency grants management solution (TGMS) project is committed to engaging in codesign activities with users to acquire knowledge that is foundational in guiding the configuration of the grants management solution. The team continues to work with stakeholders to incorporate feedback where possible.

Approach

In fall 2019 and winter 2020, individuals from the research community (primary users of the agencies’ systems) participated in workshops to identify key needs, tasks, and pain points within the current tri-agency grants management systems. Through these sessions, users mapped their end-to-end grants management experiences to gain greater visibility into their interactions with current grants management systems and to define their ideal future-state experience. Below is a summary of the insights gathered from applicants, reviewers and research administrators.

User design principles

Insights gained from these workshops are shaping the implementation of the agencies’ grants management solution. Users have identified five design principles that reflect their expectations for the new solution.

• User design principles - Text version

  • Automation: Features such as auto-save and automatic notifications.
  • Collaboration: Helping users to delegate access and tasks to other users to promote collaboration.
  • Reusability: Ability to pre-populate information from previous submissions and requests.
  • Simplicity: Collection of essential information is performed efficiently.
  • Visibility: Integrated templates, workflows and dashboards promotes collaboration and transparency.

What we heard

End-to-end journey maps

End-to-end journey maps offer a glimpse into the ideal user experience for applicants, reviewers, and research administrators.

The applicant

Applicants seek a flexible solution that allows them to access all funding opportunities with a single username and password along with a reuseable profile that only needs to be created once. They also want a dynamic portal that facilitates seamless collaboration with other funding opportunity participants. Additionally, applicants value transparency and wish to stay informed about the status of their submission as it goes through the grants management lifecycle.

• The applicant - Text version

  There are four phases to a candidate’s envisioned journey through the new solution. The map identifies certain tasks for each phase. These tasks are enabled by desired user experience attributes: harmonized processes and tools, automation and system-enabled workflows.

  Phase 1: Funding opportunity setup, identification and profiles

  1. Icon of a computer screen and cloud with arrows depicting a cycle. Search the tri-agency database that hosts all funding opportunities (FO)
  2. Icon of a silhouette. Create a single tri-agency user profile
  3. Icon of a check mark. Match profile to FOs across agencies
  4. Icon of a ringing bell. Receive automated notifications for new FOs
  5. Icon of a handshake. Send requests for letters of support and signatures through the portal

  Phase 2: Application and CV submission

  6. Icon of a document. Use harmonized CV templates and reusable data and materials
  7. Icon of an arrow pointing to up a cloud. Import CV information and external material to create CV
  8. Icon of a question mark. Access checklists, training and guidance through self-service and self-help
  9. Icon of a gear with two flags. Confirm eligibility and application completeness through automated checks
  10. Icon of a diskette. Ensure version control, automatically save and preview documents
  11. Icon of an open hand and a key. Delegate access for application completion
  12. Icon of a pencil and two arrows forming a circle. Delegate read and write access in portal
  13. Icon of a computer screen showing graphics. Track application status using dashboard

  Phase 3: Grant allocation

  14. Icon of an opened envelope. Receive automated email notification when results are ready to be viewed in the portal
  15. Icon of a computer. View, query and respond to results and action tasks such as accept/reject in the portal
  16. Icon of two arrows forming a circle. Download and repurpose past applications
  17. Icon of a clip board and check list. View grant allocations and fund-related tasks in the dashboard

  Phase 4: Post-grant administration

  18. Icon of two gears. Submit and track reports and ensure ongoing awardee eligibility through a harmonized electronic process
  19. Icon of a computer screen showing graphics. Manage amendment requests in the portal
  20. Icon of a ringing bell. Receive automated notifications for upcoming reporting deadlines
  21. Icon of an open hand and a key. Delegate access to research administrator to support the reporting process

The research administrator

Research administrators work closely with one or multiple applicants on various applications, making their role highly complex. They seek a single solution that provides real-time responses from the agencies for support and guidance. Additionally, they want centralized communications and information within the solution portal, ensuring access to the most relevant and accurate resources for their needs.

• The research administrator - Text version

  There are five phases to a research administrator’s envisioned journey through the new solution. The map identifies certain tasks for each phase. These tasks are enabled by desired user experience attributes: harmonized processes and tools, automation and system-enabled workflows.

  Phase 1: Funding opportunity setup, identification and profiles

  1. Icon of a computer screen and cloud with arrows depicting a cycle. Search the tri-agency database that hosts all funding opportunities (FO) and includes historical funding and review information.
  2. Icon of a silhouette. Access a unique profile to support applicant submission.
  3. Icon of a computer screen showing graphics. Track progress and view full application in dashboard.
  4. Icon of a ringing bell. Receive automated notifications regarding upcoming FOs.
  5. Icon of an open hand and a key. Receive access from the applicant for trouble-shooting and application completion.

  Phase 2: Application and CV submission

  6. Icon of a computer screen showing graphics. Consult high-level overviews and monitor application progress in dashboard.
  7. Icon of a computer screen. Receive in-portal notifications of applicant submissions.
  8. Icon of a pencil and two arrows forming a circle. Track changes and amendments when conducting review in system.
  9. Icon of a computer screen showing an envelope. Access agency staff via portal or phone.
  10. Icon of a document and magnifying glass. Accomplish tasks related to submission previews, internal institutional reviews, approval process and monitoring in portal.

  Phase 3: Grant allocation

  11. Icon of a ringing bell. Deliver results simultaneously to institution and applicant.
  12. Icon of arrow on a cloud pointing down. View notices of decision in portal and download them.
  13. Icon of an open hand and a key. Receive access from the applicant to written reviews and notices of decision.
  14. Icon of a ringing bell. Receive system-generated institutional notifications and respond in portal.

  Phase 4: Post-grant administration

  15. Icon of a ringing bell. Receive reporting notifications by “opting-in”.
  16. Icon of a document. Access pre-populated report templates that include relevant database information and indicate sections to be filled.
  17. Icon of a document with a dollar sign. Follow fill, modify and approve workflows for automated financial reporting.
  18. Icon of a computer. View amendment requests submitted by applicants in the portal to facilitate internal approval and final submission.

  Phase 5: Evaluation and monitoring

  19. Icon of a question mark in a comment bubble. Access usable data for program and performance evaluations through a self-service query tool.
  20. Icon of a computer screen showing graphics. Get a holistic view of the grant’s lifecycle in a dashboard.
  21. Icon of a ringing bell. Receive automated reminders for webinars, deadlines and reporting.

The reviewer

Reviewers want to be able to provide their availability, area of expertise, experience and possible conflicts of interests within the solution. They also seek a system that allows materials to be accessed both online and offline for review, commenting and scoring. If needed, these materials should be uploadable to the portal prior to assessment discussions.

• The reviewer - Text version

  There are three phases to a reviewer’s envisioned journey through the new solution. The map identifies certain tasks for each phase. These tasks are enabled by desired user experience attributes: harmonized processes and tools, automation and system-enabled workflows.

  Phase 1: Funding opportunity setup, identification and profiles

  1. Icon of a computer screen and cloud with arrows depicting a cycle. Sign-in with one username, one password and a single tri-agency profile.
  2. Icon of a computer. Receive portal-assisted review invitations that use personal calendar information to track availability.
  3. Icon of a calendar. Confirm availability through online scheduling using personal calendar (e.g. Outlook, Gmail).
  4. Icon of two arrows forming a circle. Prompt system to automatically re-use declarations of conflict of interest.
  5. Icon of a ringing bell. Receive notifications when review material is available or updated.

  Phase 2: Review process and management

  6. Icon of a puzzle piece. Be automatically included in pools of potential reviewers based on profile.
  7. Icon of silhouette pointing at a blackboard. Receive online guidance and training to support review process.
  8. Icon of arrow on a cloud pointing down. Download application data from portal to safely conduct reviews offline.
  9. Icon of a handshake. Rely on the system to accommodate the differing review processes and models one-on-one or by committee.
  10. Icon of arrow on a cloud pointing down. Download documents from the portal to apply reviews and comments offline and easily upload them back to the portal.
  11. Icon of a computer screen with mathematical symbols. Avoid manual efforts via online scoring and electronic voting.
  12. Icon of a computer screen showing graphics. View scoring trends and impacts in the dashboard.

  Phase 3: Administration

  13. Icon of document with an x and signature field. Submit expense claims online using a template with pre-populated fields.
  14. Icon of two arrows forming a circle. Re-use past claims data.
  15. Icon of a ringing bell. Receive automated notifications regarding competition results.

CV Management journey maps

The applicant

Through workshop discussions with applicants, the TGMS team learned about their the need for both online and offline CV management.. The online experience allows users to complete and submit CVs directly within the grants management solution, featuring user-friendly features like import/export functionality and auto-save. The offline experience enables users to create a CV separately, in an offline document, upload it and attach it to the application content. Applicants have indicated that an offline experience would better support participants who work with international and community-based partners as many face significant barriers to submitting their CVs on time. Many applicants also maintain a master CV outside the agencies data repositories, which could easily be copy/pasted and tailored to create offline CVs for agency programs.

• The applicant - Text version

  There are three phases to the applicant’s CV management journey.

  Phase 1: Ongoing CV management

  1. Option to complete the CV offline or online (in-portal).
  2. Create a single tri-agency user profile (e.g., personal and contact information).
  3. Complete/update personal and contact information in the user profile (in-portal).
  4. Access the tri-agency harmonized CV instructions.
  5. Navigate in-portal CV tool easily with features such as auto save.
  6. Easily import information into the in-portal CV template from a variety of external sources.

  Phase 2: Complete the CV

  1. Personal information: Relevant personal information for the CV pre-populates into the in-portal CV template from the user profile.
  2. Personal statement: Write a narrative personal statement (free form) to provide contextual information to distinguish themselves in the CV.
  3. Most significant contributions: Identify and describe the most significant contributions relevant to the application.
  4. Contributions to knowledge: Enter a short list of contributions and/or publications and format the information to highlight certain components such as authorship, trainees, Open Access, and breadth of outreach.
  5. Research funding history: Tri-agency grants prepopulate from the internal database into the CV template and select the entries of research funding history to include in the CV if they are relevant to the application.
  6. Supervisory and mentorship activities: Complete a summary table of the number of students trained/mentored (aggregated) and describe your past training program(s) and the impacts of training on the next generation. Training may be formal or informal (e.g., mentorship).
  7. Other relevant information: Describe activities supporting the project proposal that were not described in earlier sections of the CV.

  Phase 3: Review, Refine and Submit the CV

  1. Delegate access to the research administrator to support in-portal CV review.
  2. Pre-review the CV output (online) and modify/edit content if needed.
  3. Upload the CV (offline) with the application.
  4. In-portal user profile and CV information is saved and managed by the applicant from one submission to the next.
  5. Reuse in-portal CV information by downloading the information into usable formats.

The reviewer

The TGMS team also met with reviewers to understand the needs for the desired experience reviewing CVs. Reviewers would like to see CVs that are intuitive to navigate and short, with only the personal information and contributions that are relevant to the application at hand.

• The reviewer - Text version

  There are three phases to the reviewer’s CV management journey.

  Phase 1: Access the CV

  1. Receive a secure link to access the tri agency portal.
  2. Create/update a single tri-agency reviewer profile.
  3. Access assigned applications and CVs together in the same location.
  4. Access harmonized evaluation criteria that is aligned with each section of the CV.
  5. Access CVs that are intuitive to navigate and no more than eight pages long.

  Phase 2: Review the CV

  1. Personal information: Personal information is limited to what is relevant to the review.
  2. Personal statement: Read a narrative summary of the applicant to contextualize the sum of the information in the CV and how it relates to the project being proposed.
  3. Most significant contributions: Read a narrative description of the applicant’s most significant contributions to science, society, community, etc.
  4. Contributions to knowledge: Review a short list of contributions and or publications that are relevant to the application with clear indication of the contribution of trainees, Open Access and authorship.
  5. Research funding history: Review research funding history with a short description of research project to understand the impact of funding on research.
  6. Supervisory and mentorship activities: Review a summary table of Highly Qualified Personnel (aggregated) and read a narrative description of the applicant’s previous training program.
  7. Additional information: Review new information not presented in earlier sections, and only information relating to the project being proposed.

  Phase 3: Preview and Submit Review

  1. Preview, edit and submit review in the portal.
  2. Continued access to review and modify, if needed, comments in the portal.