Don't Scale on a Weak Foundation

Scaling Data-Driven Education to 300K+ Learners Yearly in South Africa

About Client

  • Leading national agency for workforce development and sectoral training across South Africa. 
  • They are known for supporting skills development with 8.3 million+ USD  in funding, reaching 300K+ locals and 5,000+ businesses across 21 sectors in South Africa. 
  • With a strategic mandate to improve financial transparency and internal capacity, the agency plays a critical role in enabling data-backed policy and funding decisions for the nation’s economic uplift and skills pipeline.

Problem STATEMENT

To modernize reporting, streamline data operations, and empower internal teams, our client needed to completely revamp their analytics setup while also upskilling staff along the way. But with outdated systems, limited resources, and tightening compliance requirements, they quickly realized they needed external expertise to drive an end-to-end analytics transformation, without slowing down day-to-day operations.

Fragmented Data Landscape

Data was scattered across multiple internal systems—Dynamics 365, MIS, HR, and Payroll, making it difficult to consolidate and analyze information efficiently.

Limited In-House Analytics Expertise

The internal teams had minimal experience with advanced analytics and Power BI-based reporting, limiting their ability to extract meaningful insights from data.

No Centralized Data Warehouse

Without a single source of truth, reporting pipelines were manual, inconsistent, and prone to errors.

Skills Gap in Modern Data Tools

From ETL processes to SQL, Power BI, and DAX, the client lacked in-house capabilities to design and maintain a modern analytics ecosystem.

Compliance-Driven Reporting Pressure

Regulatory demands required faster, standardized, and fully auditable financial and operational reporting, something the existing setup couldn’t deliver at speed.

Tight Timelines, No Room for Traditional Hiring

Delivery expectations were aggressive, making conventional hiring or long training cycles impractical.

Solution

To meet the client’s needs, we assembled a dedicated team of three Data Analysts, a DevOps Engineer, a QA Engineer, a Power BI Developer, and a Project Manager. Together, we built internal capability for sustained analytics.

Data Integration & Centralized Storage

We brought together data from ERP, HR, MIS, and payroll systems using Azure Data Factory, then stored it securely in a centralized Azure Data Lake and SQL-based Data Warehouse. The medallion architecture approach ensured clean, structured, and scalable data layers for all downstream analytics.

Analytics Framework & Automated Dashboards

Using Power BI, DAX, and SQL, we developed descriptive and diagnostic models that automated insights into financial performance, grant management, and workforce operations, replacing slow manual processes with real-time, interactive dashboards.

AI-Powered Forecasting for Strategic Planning

We built ML-based forecasting models to simulate scenarios, optimize budget planning, and predict outcomes across grant cycles and operational KPIs, turning strategy into a more data-driven exercise.

Skills Transfer & Knowledge Uplift

To make the transformation stick together, we ran a hands-on skills transfer program with instructor-led workshops, detailed training handbooks, post-training mentorship, and on-demand video tutorials for internal teams to manage and extend the solution independently.

Security & Compliance by Design

Every component was built to meet POPIA/GDPR standards, with role-based access controls (RBAC), full data encryption, secure API integrations, and detailed audit logging for complete transparency.

Technical Implementation

Wireframing & UI/UX Design

  • Initial dashboard wireframes were sketched to outline key sections and data flow.
  • High-fidelity UI designs were created in Figma to finalize layout and interactions.

Power BI Dashboard Development

  • The redesigned dashboard was implemented in Power BI with optimized visuals and interactivity.
  • DAX functions were used to enhance calculated metrics and improve analytical capabilities.

Testing & Deployment

  • User testing was conducted with real-time data to ensure usability improvements.
  • The final dashboard was deployed with continuous monitoring and user feedback integration.

Technical Architecture

Business Impact

Accelerated Reporting & Automation

Automation pipelines and real-time dashboards cut manual reporting effort by 65%, freeing up valuable analyst time for strategic tasks.

Enhanced Financial Transparency

Audit-ready reporting and AI-driven insights improved financial visibility by 80%, enabling clear, accountable decision-making across departments.

Scalable Skills & Knowledge Retention

Over 1,000 hours of targeted training empowered internal teams to build, manage, and optimize analytics workflows independently.

Regulatory Compliance Assured

End-to-end data handling maintained 100% compliance with national data protection standards, reducing legal and operational risks.

Faster, Data-Backed Decisions

Role-based, real-time KPI access accelerated decision-making by 40%, ensuring leadership could act on insights without delay.

With the implemented solutions, the client not only modernized their data infrastructure but also embedded a culture of self-reliance, compliance, and agility. 

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Ankush

Business Development Head
Discussing Tailored Business Solutions

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