Case Study · Document Management
Nonprofit Case Management System Case Study: How IRARA Replaced Spreadsheets with a Global Case Management System
IRARA replaced fragmented spreadsheets, email chains and paper records with a secure, centralised case management and CRM system built on SharePoint Online and Power Apps.
Reporting cut from weeks to real time
One case record across every country
GDPR controls built into every case
Executive summary
IRARA, a non-profit working with governments worldwide on migration, return and reintegration, was managing critical casework across spreadsheets, email chains and paper records. Inteknix replaced that with a centralised case management and CRM system built on SharePoint Online, with Power Apps canvas applications as the front end, covering the full case lifecycle from referral through to closure. Compliance reporting that previously took weeks now runs in real time, and the system scales to new programmes without being rebuilt.
At a glance
About the Client
IRARA partners with governments worldwide to deliver migration, return and reintegration support, helping people return home and rebuild their lives with dignity. Founded in 2017, it runs reintegration programmes across Europe, Africa and Asia.
Services used:
The challenge
IRARA’s mission is to help returnees reintegrate into society. The tools they were using could not support that mission at scale. Cases were split across Excel files, email chains and paper records, and staff spent significant time chasing updates rather than supporting the people in their care. This caused:
Compliance reports that took weeks to prepare when governments requested them
Sensitive personal data spread across disconnected systems, with a real and growing risk of a data protection breach
Inaccurate or delayed reporting that put funding at risk
Inconsistent records that created accountability gaps
No realistic path to scale as international programmes expanded
The approach
Inteknix started with the process. Before any system was configured, the team mapped how IRARA actually managed cases — from initial referral and assessment through to programme closure — across multiple countries and programme types.
That process-first approach shaped every design decision. The goal was a single, trusted casework management system that could track every case, every step and every document, with the governance controls and reporting infrastructure that international non-profit operations require. SharePoint Online was chosen to hold the case data and documents, with Power Apps canvas applications providing the interfaces staff work in — keeping the system inside IRARA’s existing Microsoft 365 environment and practical for the organisation to maintain.
The solution
SharePoint Online holds the case records and documents; Power Apps canvas applications give staff the interfaces they work in; Power Automate drives the notifications and scheduled reporting. Together they cover the full reintegration case lifecycle in one place, through four core capabilities.
End-to-end case management
Assessments, support planning, approvals, monitoring and evaluation, and case closure are all managed through purpose-built canvas applications, giving staff a complete and accurate view of every case at every stage.
Automated reporting and notifications
Status updates, workflow notifications and scheduled compliance reports are generated automatically, removing the manual effort previously required to keep stakeholders informed and submissions on time.
Secure document management
Evidence, consent records and case documentation are held in structured SharePoint libraries and linked directly to each case record, with access controlled by role-based permissions and a full audit trail.
Real-time government reporting dashboard
A live dashboard gives programme managers and government stakeholders accurate, up-to-date data on demand, replacing the weeks-long process of compiling reports from disconnected sources.
The outcome
The new case management system changed how IRARA operates at every level, from individual caseworkers through to senior leadership and government partners.
Staff spend less time on data entry and chasing updates, and more time delivering support. Case records are consistent and complete. Compliance reporting that previously took weeks now happens in real time. And because the system was designed with scalability in mind, IRARA can roll out to new countries and programmes without rebuilding from the ground up.
Key results
“Inteknix has partnered with IRARA since 2017, helping us evolve from manual, spreadsheet-heavy processes to a secure, scalable digital platform that underpins our returnee and reintegration services. They built an end-to-end solution that streamlines case management, strengthens monitoring and evaluation reporting, and automates key workflows so our teams can focus on client impact.”
“What sets Inteknix apart is their ability to listen, translate our requirements into practical designs, and deliver with pace, while documenting thoroughly and supporting us after go-live. They are proactive problem-solvers and a genuine extension of our team. We trust them with our roadmap and happily recommend them.”
Jason Ollivent, Co-Founder and Chief Executive, IRARA
Conclusion
For mission-driven organisations, fragmented data is not an inconvenience — it is an operational risk that reaches funding, compliance and the people the programmes exist to support. By replacing spreadsheets and paper with a structured case management system built on tools it already owned, IRARA now has one trusted record of every case, reporting that keeps pace with the organisations it answers to, and a platform that grows as its programmes do.
Selected Work
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FAQs
Frequently asked questions
A reintegration case management system is a structured digital platform used to track, manage and report on the support provided to individuals returning to their home countries or communities. Non-profits working in this space need one because spreadsheets, paper records and email cannot reliably handle the volume, sensitivity and compliance requirements of international casework. A dedicated system creates a single, auditable record of every case.
Through role-based access controls, encryption and full audit trails recording who accessed or modified case records and when. In IRARA’s case, SharePoint permissions are applied hierarchically across sites and libraries, so staff in one country cannot reach case data from another unless explicitly authorised. This supports compliance with UK GDPR and equivalent international data protection frameworks.
Yes. The Power Platform supports custom reporting dashboards and scheduled compliance exports aligned to specific government reporting formats and timelines. For IRARA, Inteknix built live dashboards giving government stakeholders direct access to accurate programme data, removing the manual compilation that previously delayed reporting by weeks.
Timelines vary with programme complexity, the number of countries involved and the state of existing data. A phased approach is usually most effective, starting with core case management functionality and extending to additional countries and programmes as the system matures, so each new geography can be added without significant rework.
A CRM tracks relationships and interactions with contacts. A case management system tracks a structured process applied to each individual over time — assessment, support planning, approvals, monitoring and closure — with the documents and evidence attached to each stage. Non-profits delivering support programmes usually need both, which is why they are often built as one system.
By holding case data as structured records rather than in spreadsheets, so reports are generated from live data instead of compiled by hand. Scheduled exports and live dashboards let funders access accurate figures on demand, removing the reporting lag and reducing inconsistencies between submissions.
Yes, provided the data model separates programme, funder and case from the outset. Each case can then be attributed to the correct programme and funding stream, with reporting filtered accordingly, so a single system serves several funders without duplicating records.
Map the actual casework process first, including how it differs by country or programme, because configuring a system around an unclear process embeds the confusion. Then assess data quality in the existing spreadsheets and decide what to migrate. Where SharePoint Online and Power Apps standard connectors are sufficient, the system can often be built within existing Microsoft 365 licensing rather than buying a separate platform.
Looking to achieve similar results?
For mission-driven organisations, fragmented data and manual processes are operational risks. If your current tools are holding your mission back, explore how a structured case management system built on SharePoint and Power Apps could work around the way your programmes actually operate.
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