The Pandemic Requires Fast IT Solutions. Make Can Help with That
The pandemic is putting pressure on healthcare systems and economies around the world, and the hour calls for creative solutions.
The problem we are facing is clear:
What can we do to avoid the economic fallout of the pandemic and, at the same time, keep communities healthy and protected?
As you can foresee, there aren’t fixed formulas to re-ignite a modern economy in the midst of a pandemic.
On the other hand, there are audacious efforts and a spirit of collaboration that makes us think that anything is possible.
One such effort is underway in the Czech Republic by Nula Advisory, which is using technology to help keep the economy afloat.
The solution was quickly adopted by the country’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, which instantly recognized the effort and supported the initiative.
CovPoint: Where supply meets demand
In a similar fashion to other countries around the world, the Czech government quickly enforced social distancing and other protective measures.
As a Czech company headquartered in Prague, we at Make were encouraged by how swiftly the measures were implemented. In addition, it was quite a reassuring surprise to see our fellow citizens come together against adversity. They say extreme situations can bring the best and worst in people, and we got to see the best.
Acting fast proved effective in keeping the COVID-19 spread in check, but also slowed down the country’s economy to almost a halt.
Technology enters the room
Understanding the direness of the situation, Nula Advisory stood up for the challenge of keeping economic wheels spinning. To do so, it developed CovPoint, a platform that does the following:
Monitors supply and demand levels of key economic areas in real-time
Connects suppliers to demand in record-time
The platform is an exchange that fast-tracks suppliers to where demand is, allowing them to focus on their main activity, and also to save valuable time and resources.
It is good to note that the government has limited itself to supporting the project and connecting businesses, and does not interfere further (aside from collaborating with logistics in particularly urgent cases, and under express petition from the actors involved). Deals, contracts and other details remain private as usual.
CovPoint is in itself a remarkable effort. What’s most, the teams behind it were able to develop and deploy the entire system in just three days.
Curiously enough, the hardest part of deploying a national exchange in three days is not the technical side of it. Tools like Make and Pipedrive make it possible.
The hardest part is having a clear vision, a team capable of executing, and the motivation to get there fast. Fortunately, all the pieces were there from the very beginning.
A joint effort for the greater good
CovPoint is all about helping each other out.
Businesses, nonprofits, professionals -- they all get to participate in the exchange. The process is quite simple, and it entails the following:
Submit an offer or request via web form
The offer or request gets validated and processed
If everything is alright, the offer or request gets featured on the exchange
In addition, the CovPoint team will try to find matches for offers and requests, with the goal of accelerating the exchange of services and goods.
In normal conditions, the development and testing of a platform like CovPoint would take a few weeks. However, many different actors came together to develop and launch in a fraction of that time.
Needless to say, this wouldn’t have been possible without the right tools and teams, which came together in a moment of difficulty to fight back. Props go to:
And Make, which allows for the automation of key processes. Lacking the automation power Make brings to the table, the three-day delivery window would have been well-intentioned, but unlikely to attain. We are always happy to partner up and contribute, and this exceeded our expectations.
There is still a lot to do and figure out, but action is where hope resides. And CovPoint is a brilliant example of what coordinated, purposeful action looks like.
If there is a lesson to learn here, it is that solutions can be developed and deployed in record time, and become part of the solution during difficult, challenging times. As long as you rely on the right people and the best tools, nothing is impossible.
Stay safe, and don’t forget to automate.
