WebCATS Add-On Component: Custom Activity Forms Module

Business outreach programs have a lot in common. First and foremost, you all share the same goal: to help businesses become more successful. Many of you also share either SBA or DLA as a significant funding source. Because these wide-reaching commonalities exist, OutreachSystems is able to design WebCATS to meet many of the client tracking requirements that are essential to your program's mission statement. We're also able to design WebCATS to be in full compliance with the reporting requirements that are part and parcel of your DLA or SBA grants.

You're Unique!

But for every one thing your program has in common with its fellow outreach programs, there are probably ten more that you don't have in common. Differing internal operating procedures, activity under special grants or contracts, local government programs, and pet projects can all contribute to the need for performance tracking that is unique to your program.

And while it's not feasible or cost-effective for OutreachSystems to program every possible unique tracking requirement into WebCATS, there's nothing stopping us from giving you the tools to do so!

These "tools" all come in one neat little package called the Custom Activity Forms Module. This add-on WebCATS component lets you build your own custom forms to track any type of specialized assistance your program provides to its clients—and the resulting impact of that assistance. For example, you may want to track counseling provided as it specifically relates to environmental issues, or local tourism, or homeland security.

Each user-defined form that you create is, at its essence, a compilation of user-defined fields. When establishing these fields, you choose which fields are mandatory, their data formats (e.g. text, date, currency, number, yes/no, picklist), and their default values, among other options. With the exception of a couple of fields that WebCATS requires for database consistency, your custom activity form can store whatever data you desire, in whatever order you desire.

Unique Reports and Queries Too

Along with custom forms comes custom reports and queries. WebCATS allows you to build your own set of reports and queries for the custom activity forms you design. In other words, you can extract or organize the data stored in your custom client activity records using in an unlimited number of meaningful ways.

With the addition of the Custom Activity Forms Module, you'll have an answer for every entity that wants to see your program's impact measured in hard data.