Case Study Pack: Metrics that Prove Digital Transformation Works

The most powerful evidence for any business intervention is not theory; it is a documented,
real-world result. This is the story of how we worked with Gatewen Training Service to
transform their data operations, reduce reporting time by 30–40%, and give their
management team the visibility they needed to lead confidently.
Background: About Gatewen Training Service
Gatewen Training Service is a training provider based in Wrexham, Wales, delivering
vocational and skills-based training programmes. Like many training organisations, they
serve a combination of learners, employers, and funding bodies, each with different data
requirements and reporting expectations.
When we first engaged with Gatewen, their team was working hard and delivering genuine
outcomes for learners. But behind the scenes, the administrative and data infrastructure was
creating real pressure, particularly at reporting periods and during compliance checks.
The Challenge: What Was Happening Before
The organisation had grown over time, and their data processes had grown with them, but
without structure. What we found when we first mapped their operations was a picture
familiar to many SMEs:

Learner records were stored across a combination of physical files, email
attachments, and multiple disconnected spreadsheets.
Different staff members held different versions of the same data, leading to regular
discrepancies and confusion.
Preparing reports for funders and management took days of manual consolidation
work, collecting data from multiple sources, reformatting, cross-checking, and often
starting again when errors were discovered.
Compliance readiness was stressful. Audits required significant advance preparation
because the data was not organised in a way that was immediately accessible or
audit-ready.
Management had real-time, limited visibility into learner progress. Important
decisions were made on data that was days or weeks old.
The team were not failing, they were working incredibly hard. But a significant proportion of
that effort was going into managing the data system rather than delivering the service.
The Solution: What We Built
Step 1: Mapping the Current State
We began by conducting a thorough process mapping session with the Gatewen team,
walking through how data was collected, where it was stored, who accessed it, and what the
reporting requirements were from funders and internal leadership.

This gave us a clear picture of the gaps: where duplication was happening, where manual
steps could be automated, and what a clean, centralised system needed to look like.
Step 2: Centralising Data into a CRM System
We designed and implemented a centralised CRM structure to bring all learner records,
programme data, and employer information into one accessible, searchable system. This
became the single source of truth for the organisation.
Data was migrated from the existing spreadsheets and cleaned during the process,
removing duplicates, standardising formats, and validating records against existing
documentation.
Step 3: Automating Reporting Workflows
With clean, centralised data in place, we built a series of automated reporting pipelines
connected to the CRM. The CRM gave management and operations staff instant access to:

Learner enrolment and progress status by programme
Completion rates and upcoming milestone dates
Employer engagement data
Compliance-ready summary views for funder reporting
Attendance and engagement trends over time
All these were then turned into a dashboard using Power BI. Reports that previously
required a day of manual work to compile could now be generated in minutes or refreshed
automatically on a daily schedule.
Step 4: Training the Team
Implementation without adoption is wasted effort. We ran training sessions with the Gatewen
team to ensure every relevant staff member understood how to use the new system, update
records correctly, and access the dashboards relevant to their role.
We also created documentation so that the organisation could onboard new staff
independently without needing to call us for every new starter.
The Results
Reporting time reduced by 30–40% from days of manual work to minutes of dashboard
access.
Compliance readiness improved significantly, and audits now require minimal preparation
because data is always current and well-organised.
Management gained real-time visibility into decisions about learner support, resource
allocation, and programme delivery, which are now informed by live data.
Staff freed from admin time previously spent on data consolidation were redirected to
learner engagement and service delivery.
What This Means for Your Business
The Gatewen project is not unique. The same pattern, fragmented data, manual reporting,
and limited visibility exists in thousands of SMEs across the UK. The tools and approaches
that worked for Gatewen are available to any business of a similar size and complexity.