With an integrated, modular and flexible structure, cloud hosting and a focus on user experience, GPF 2.0 (provisional name) is the new project management system that will be developed based on a strategic partnership between Fundep and Fiotec – Foundation for Scientific and Technological Development in Health, linked to Fiocruz. The implementation of GPF 2.0 represents a strategic advance in the way supporting foundations can carry out project management. Commenting on this milestone, the president of Fundep, Professor Jaime Arturo Ramírez, highlights the Foundation's continuous commitment and the importance of joint action:

"The development of GPF 2.0 reaffirms Fundep's commitment to the search for excellence in project management, always focusing on offering efficient and safe service to coordinators. This partnership demonstrates our ability to join efforts, build solutions, and act strategically to overcome common challenges. Initiatives like this strengthen the role of foundations with their supported institutions, contributing to the transformation of knowledge into achievements that positively impact the ICTs served."

The director of Fiotec, Cristiane Sendim, contextualized the partnership and the strategic importance in the development of the foundations' processes and systems. "Our main motivation was to look for another foundation of the same size, with a similar number of projects and recognized efficiency among the support foundations. With the technical visit of our team to Fundep in May last year, we noticed a high adherence in the processes and support systems for the institutions we support. This partnership is a 'marriage' between our demands and what Fundep had already developed as systems and work processes that meet the needs of the coordinators", says Sendim.

According to her, the project also signals a change in culture and routine in Fiotec's processes:
"We hope to achieve a transformation in the performance of project analysts, improve the analysis and execution of activities and offer coordinators the agility they need. We want to increase efficiency from end to end, always focusing on deliveries to coordinators and continuous innovation."

A modern and flexible solution

GPF 2.0 will be a complete platform for the management of processes related to the execution of projects, including purchases, imports, contracts, payroll, accountability and other strategic modules for the activities of Fundep and Fiotec. Among its main technological differentials are:

• State-of-the-art technology based on .NET, React and PostgreSQL;
• 100% cloud hosting, with infrastructure in Microsoft Azure;
• Hybrid development methodology (agile and traditional practices);
• Compliance with legal requirements and integration with government systems;
• Focus on the user, prioritizing usability and operational efficiency;
• Use of artificial intelligence to automate tasks and monitor processes and systems.

The initiative brings together technology and project service teams from the two institutions, which will act in an integrated way, adding technical knowledge and institutional vision. Specialized professionals also strengthen the internal team at this stage of development.

"This is a partnership that promotes digital transformation with a focus on people. People define processes and processes define systems", highlights Professor Walmir Caminhas, director of Fundep and responsible for the Information Technology area.

For André Oliveira, Fundep's Systems Manager, the initiative goes beyond the adoption of a new technological tool. "More than a change of system, this project will also represent a change in mentality. We are building a solution that is born out of practice, from dialogue with the areas, and that translates our reality and our challenges. Today, systems are born as legacies - technology evolves fast - and it is a great challenge to keep them up to date and adherent to the needs of the business. Therefore, we are betting on an architecture that allows for continuous adjustments without the need to constantly rewrite codes", says Oliveira.

Professor Caminhas also points out that the flexibility of the system is one of the main expected breakthroughs: "It is common for us to buy ready-made systems and need to adapt our processes to them. We want the opposite: a flexible system that adjusts to our processes and allows for continuous evolution," he explains.
From technical visits to the a strategic partnership

The rapprochement between the foundations that gave rise to the initiative began in May 2024, when Fiotec's administrative director, Marcelo de Amaral Wendeling, sought out Fundep to learn about the visual management system developed by the IT team. The visit of Fiotec representatives to Belo Horizonte was the first step in a series of exchanges between the teams of the two institutions.

Throughout the year, the areas involved in the management of Fundep's end-to-end projects received visits from representatives of Fiotec, who had the objective of getting to know processes and systems. A comparative report was prepared to identify points of improvement and opportunities for integration until, in December, Fiotec approved the digital transformation plan in partnership with Fundep and UFMG.

Shared training and innovation

In addition to modernizing management, the project will make room for the involvement of undergraduate and graduate students at UFMG, expanding the potential for innovation, especially in the use of AI.

The initial phase, expected to last three months, will be dedicated to the detailed definition of the system. The second stage will begin between October and November: the development of the platform, which is expected to last 24 months.

A solution for foundations

The expectation is that GPF 2.0 will become a reference for other support foundations that face similar challenges. "The market lacks robust management solutions aimed at large foundations, due to the complexity of the operation. What we are building here can become a model to be replicated in institutions across the country", reinforces Professor Caminhas.

Source: fundep.ufmg.br