How to work with us
CLEO leads the design and technical development of the Guided Pathway. Your organization shares its knowledge of your clients, services, policies, and how you work.
Each project is different, but most follow these steps:
- Begin with a service problem. The first step is to identify what is not working well. What parts of your services are difficult for clients? What tasks take up staff time that could be better spent helping clients?
- Choose a specific use case. We identify a process that you use regularly and that a Guided Pathway could help with. The process should serve a clear group of clients, involve questions or decisions that can be clearly defined, and have reliable information to draw on. It should also be a process that will give us a result that is possible to evaluate.
- Map the workflow. CLEO works with your organization to understand how you provide the service. Together, we identify who will use the Guided Pathway, what information it needs to collect, what documents or information it should produce, and what happens when someone completes it.
- Design, build, and test. CLEO uses the agreed process to build the Guided Pathway. We write the questions, prepare the content and documents, and set up the technology. We then test the Guided Pathway and make improvements based on the results and your organization’s feedback.
- Prepare for launch. CLEO helps your organization get ready to use the Guided Pathway. This may include training staff, testing access and notifications, preparing instructions for users, and helping your organization adjust how it works. In some cases, we may start with a small group of users before making the Guided Pathway more widely available.
- Maintain and improve. Your organization tells CLEO when something changes that could affect the Guided Pathway. This includes changes to forms, eligibility rules, referral arrangements, contact information, policies, or services. CLEO maintains the technology and helps keep the Guided Pathway up to date.
Roles and responsibilities
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How much work will your organization need to do?
CLEO does most of the design and technical work. Your organization’s main role is to share its knowledge of the service. You help us understand how your service works, review and test the Guided Pathway, and introduce it to your staff and volunteers.
If your organization already has forms, policies, procedures, manuals, or other written information, you may not need to spend much time on the project. CLEO can use these materials to understand your process and ask you specific questions. Your staff do not need to design the Guided Pathway themselves.
Your organization’s work will usually include:
- meeting with CLEO staff to explain how your service works
- sharing existing forms, policies, procedures, and other information
- reviewing how the Guided Pathway will work and what it will say
- testing the Guided Pathway and suggesting changes
- getting any necessary approvals from your organization
- helping staff and volunteers understand how to use the Guided Pathway in their work
Your organization may need to spend more time on the project if the service is new or important policy decisions still need to be made. Projects may also take more time if several teams or organizations need to agree on how things will work, or if the Guided Pathway needs many special features.
In general, the more clearly your organization has defined its existing process, the less work it will need to do to help build a Guided Pathway.
Can we start small?
Yes. Starting with one clear, manageable process is often the best approach.
Your organization could start with an intake process, a simple form or document, a way to identify client needs, or a referral to another organization.
Starting small lets you test how well the Guided Pathway works for clients and staff. You can see whether it saves time, fits into your existing work, and helps clients before deciding whether to expand it.
Where possible, CLEO can adapt an existing Guided Pathway or use features we have already developed. This can reduce the time and work needed to build something new.
How much does it cost?
The cost of a Guided Pathway depends on what it needs to do. Before your organization agrees to a project, CLEO will explain any expected costs for development, hosting, support, and ongoing maintenance.
CLEO may be able to develop a Guided Pathway at no cost to your organization if:
- the project fits CLEO’s current priorities and we already have funding that can cover the work
- the Guided Pathway helps your organization identify legal needs that might otherwise go unnoticed and, if your organization agrees, connects users with relevant legal information from CLEO
These projects must still fit CLEO’s mandate and available resources. CLEO and your organization must also agree on what the project will include and get any necessary legal, privacy, or other approvals.
If CLEO develops your Guided Pathway at no cost, we will also host it at no cost. For other projects, we include hosting costs in the project budget.
What about maintenance and updates?
CLEO provides general maintenance at no extra cost. This includes updates to the Guided Pathways system and routine changes to questions, documents, or other information in your Guided Pathway.
Some changes may require additional funding. These include major changes, new features, or higher levels of support. CLEO will work with your organization to identify what is needed and how much it will cost.
How are larger projects funded?
Larger projects and major changes usually need separate funding. This often comes from a grant or funding agreement between a funder and CLEO or your organization.
If your organization is interested in a project, CLEO can help prepare a grant application. CLEO can also receive and manage funding for projects we develop together.
Your organization will not usually need to hire or manage technology companies directly. CLEO normally takes care of these contracts as part of the project.
How long does it take to build a Guided Pathway?
A simple Guided Pathway project usually takes about 6 months from the agreed start date. This assumes your organization already has clear processes and the documents CLEO needs.
Larger or more complex projects can take about 18 months. The timeline depends on the legal issues, documents, technical requirements, number of organizations involved, testing, and approvals.
CLEO can usually begin planning once your organization agrees to move forward and provides the forms, policies, procedures, and other information we need. Currently, we do not have a waitlist for simple projects, but this may change as we take on new projects.
Projects may take longer if important documents are missing or your organization is still developing its service process. Delays can also happen when several people or organizations need to make decisions together, or when a project needs many special features.
These timelines are estimates, not guaranteed completion dates. CLEO will confirm the expected schedule after reviewing the project requirements.