I like this program!!

At first it was daunting as there is SO much information but once we figured it out I love it! I'm part of the team that works on our documentation to make things flow easier. It's great to be able to tailor it to our company needs.

Pros

Being able to read my staff input by generating a report whenever I need it. Being able to pull reports to the tableau so I can see my numbers just like that.

Cons

Only being able to access from work computers with the VPN installed there. Would be great to be able to access from personal computers.

Penelope from the Perspective of Reporting and Program Surveillance

I was hired to obtain, process and analyze the raw Penelope data because the built in reports were not sufficient for our reporting purposes. To be fair to Athena, I've observed this is true with any database system; built in reports for any database are static and the reporting needs of non-for-profit organizations are dynamic and shift at least annually. Initially, I had trouble using my credentials to log into Penelope's ODBC interface. It took a couple of months for Athena to figure out the issue was on their end. Once I was able to download the data, I had to figure out where everything was at and how to link it together. Athena's data dictionaries were invaluable, but you have to become familiar with the databases to correctly merge them and prepare the data. Now I can track anything entered into Penelope.

Pros

Penelope is comprehensive in terms of documenting service appointments, client assessments, referrals, notes, agency workshops and meetings, etc. One can access the raw data via ODBC and prepare the data for reporting, projections for grant writing or program surveillance. One can also use the built in reports for these. There is a feature that allows appointments to sync with Microsoft Outlook that is very handy. Athena Software has a lot of documentation for Penelope that I have found extremely helpful. Managers can look at staff caseloads easily.

Cons

I found that support for accessing the raw data, especially in terms of data preparation is very limited unless you pay for a support meeting. They do provide data dictionaries and data maps which I found very helpful. Using login credentials for downloading the data can be frustrating initially because they are not immediately actualized by the engineers. Once that occurs, ODBC works fine and is reliable. With other issues Athena responds fairly quickly. Also, they do not provide support for using R. Thankfully, there is sufficient documentation from R developers that enabled me to figure it out.

UI is poor. Reporting function only in PDF. not SMS friendly. Case file structure = privacy issues

Pros

it has a diary schedule linked to cart items. it's god if you only want Penelope to do one thing, ie, ATAPS service & payments

Cons

UI poor resulting in clunky data entry and more time spent entering data. not mobile / tablet friendly Reporting function does not provide dashboard, only reports in pdf or that you have to cut and past into Excel. Case file / service file structure creates privacy issues - we may have to move away from this product on the basis of legal advice Lack of technical support available in Australia

many used

We are a unique organization in many ways, (arent we all) and the configuration of the software was an undertaking not for the faint of heart. We did have issues where Athena struggled to understand our business model during configuration. Once we overcame this issue, Athena has been very flexible, understanding and creative in helping us maximise the softwares uses to our organizations specific needs. We have found great value for money in this partnership.

Pros

The engage tool (client communication) has made a big difference to our interactions with clients, particularly during COVID lockdowns. The customer service and support is always quick, informed and flexible to our needs. Our particular business pushed the Penelope system slightly out of its intended scope, but the Athena team has been so flexible with us and very creative in solving our issues.

Cons

The software can be difficult to configure and test. The testing environments are extremely helpful for this, but as with all software, it can be impossible to understand the ramifications of system changes without testing each and every expected output. I have seen systems that do this a little better than Athena's Penelope.

Case Management with Penelope - Volunteer Users

It is positive - the reports are essential for being able to accuracy report our statistics regarding the activities utilized by our clients. The Case Management is very important to keep the records that are so important - other agencies come to us for our statisitics.

Pros

We have been able to create a procedures manual for our volunteers based on your instructions to do the very specific tasks they need to know for recording activities and events for which they are responsible. Their experience with case management features is limited; however, even our less computer familiar volunteers are able to perform well. Procedures, once learned, can easily be conveyed by experienced volunteers to our new volunteers.

Cons

There is a lot of capability of this software - as more in learned, it becomes more valuable; but the learning curve can be difficult for volunteers who come in to volunteer may once or twice for a 4 hours shift in a month. Re-learning/retraining is a constant - hence, our procedures manual.