NHS Blood and Transplant Unit's Technical Review and Expansion of Dynamics CRM with Pragmatiq

Explore how the NHS Blood and Transplant Unit partnered with Pragmatiq to conduct a thorough technical review of their Dynamics CRM platform, paving the way for an expansion from 300 to 600 users.

Background & Challenges

Background:

The NHS Blood and Transplant Unit (NHSBT) is responsible for the provision of blood and platelet donations, as well as organ, stem cell, and tissue donation and transplantation across the UK. Headquartered in Bristol with 15 centers nationwide, NHSBT collects approximately 2.1 million donations annually and supplies around 8,000 units of blood daily. In line with its strategic programme, NHSBT had implemented Microsoft Dynamics CRM to manage its operations.

Challenges:

User Expansion: The existing CRM platform had been operational for 18 months, serving around 200-300 users. NHSBT planned to extend the platform to support 600 users.
Need for Technical Audit: Before proceeding with the expansion, a comprehensive technical audit was necessary to ensure the platform could handle the increased load and meet functional and security requirements.
Tight Deadlines: The audit needed to be completed within a short timeframe to align with the organisation’s strategic timeline.

The Solution & Implementation

Discovery and Planning:

Pragmatiq initiated the project by consulting with NHSBT’s existing IT partner and reviewing the Dynamics CRM platform in depth. This phase involved detailed planning to ensure all aspects of the system were thoroughly evaluated.

Execution:

Comprehensive Technical Audit: Pragmatiq conducted an extensive audit of the CRM system, focusing on key areas such as:
Secure User Authentication: Evaluated the efficacy of current authentication methods.
Functional Configuration: Assessed the configuration of CRM functionalities.
Database Customisation and Extensions: Reviewed customisations and extensions to ensure they met scalability and performance standards.
Plug-ins and Azure Service Bus Usage: Analysed the use of plug-ins and the Azure service bus to ensure efficient integration and operation.
Supporting Systems and Services: Investigated all supporting systems to confirm their ability to handle the increased user base.

“We engaged with Pragmatiq to conduct an independent health check of our Dynamics CRM implementation. They worked with a partner to produce a very useful and insightful audit report highlighting various areas for improvement, that gave valuable feedback on what we had built so far and left us with confidence that we were on the right development approach for our strategic programme. Pragmatiq worked to tight and fixed timescales to complete a focused delivery which had real business value.”

Nick Breeds Assistant Director - Solutions Delivery at NHS Blood and Transplant Unit

The Transformation

Results:

Detailed Insights and Recommendations: The audit report provided NHSBT with valuable insights into their Dynamics CRM platform and highlighted areas for improvement.
Strategic Confidence: NHSBT gained the confidence to proceed with their user expansion and strategic objectives, supported by the detailed feedback from the audit.
Future-proofing: Pragmatiq provided recommendations for future considerations, ensuring the system could accommodate further growth and leverage additional Microsoft technologies.

Read the full case study here