How Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care Overhauled and Automated their Research Operations

^Problem

Modernizing Research Operations for Growth

For over a century, Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care—a 315-bed academic hospital in Ontario—has delivered specialized care in mental health, addiction, and geriatrics, serving some of the province’s most complex and underserved populations. As the organization expanded its clinical trials program, the research team found itself struggling with outdated, manual workflows that couldn’t keep pace with growing demands.

Key processes like project tracking, approvals, and onboarding relied heavily on email threads and spreadsheets, making collaboration inefficient and prone to delays. Critical initiatives such as grant approvals and study launches required coordination across multiple stakeholders, often leading to confusion and inconsistent data capture.

Despite the team’s analytical strengths with tools like SPSS, the absence of formal tech training made it essential to find a scalable, easy-to-use platform that could accommodate dynamic metrics, structured onboarding, and expanding administrative needs.

Q1

^Solution

Scaling Research with No-Code Efficiency

Waypoint adopted SmartSuite nearly two years ago to centralize and digitize its core workflows. Initially, the focus was on automating approval processes—connecting everything from project intake to grant submissions using SmartSuite forms and record-based logic. From there, they rapidly expanded the platform’s use into operational areas including onboarding, directories, and department-wide metric tracking.

Stephanie led the charge, becoming the department’s “super user,” with support from Jessica Caston, who noted, “SmartSuite really did achieve our initial goals.” With Meagan now onboard to support dashboard builds and data theming, the team is evolving its reporting capabilities with dynamic visualizations and external sharing options.

SmartSuite’s ease of use—especially its pre-filled forms, dashboards, and data-labeling options—helped the team implement complex solutions without formal IT support. Features like shared dashboards, guest access, and project-based grouping let them tailor experiences for both internal and external stakeholders.

Q2

^Results

From Manual Processes to Strategic Impact

Waypoint has transformed its research operations into a connected, scalable system. Approval cycles that once relied on scattered emails are now automated, with real-time tracking and updates managed through SmartSuite. The researcher directory has become a central hub—integrating bios, project details, and thematic groupings for both internal insight and external reporting.

With Meagan leading dashboard development, the team is piloting interactive dashboards to serve diverse audiences, from directors to cross-functional teams. As Jessica noted, “It’s been exciting to see how much SmartSuite has grown and what we’ve been able to build.” Most importantly, the research team has reclaimed time to focus on strategy over spreadsheets, proactively planning next-phase solutions and using account team partnerships to bring their vision to life.