University of Colorado Boulder The Game of Operations

Living in a paperless world

• We started our move to a paperless system 7 years ago• We upgraded our student information system to Oracle PeopleSoft Campus

Solutions in 2008• We receive almost 40,000 applications and over 100,000

documents per cycle• Over 95% of applications are received

electronically• About 60% of supporting credentials are received electronically, and this percentage is increasing annually

Receiving and routing of documents

• Hard copies are checked for officiality (from institution vs. from applicant)• They are then prepped for scanning and looked up in Campus Solutions so that an

SID may be written on them if available• Hard copies are kept for 6-12 months, are stored by scan date, and then

confidentially shredded• Electronic documents are received directly from the issuing institution or through a

certified vendor like Docufide• Both hard copies and electronic documents are “captured” into our electronic

imaging or filing system• Capture = match to appropriate student ID number and label as high school

transcript, college transcript, essay, etc.• When documents are released, they enter workflow and are routed according to

various programmed criteria

Receipt of documents ctd.

Hard copy document path:

Mail room Prep & look up Scanning Capture Workflow Storage & shredding

Electronic document path:

Electronic receipt Capture Workflow

What is workflow?We will only process an application once an official transcript is received.Workflow allows us to prioritize processing by

sorting transcripts and other credentials into different groups (or “buckets”) in our scanning system based on the application information such as:• Level (i.e. grad or undergrad)• Citizenship (i.e. international or domestic)• Admit Type (i.e. freshman or transfer)• Term (i.e. spring, summer or fall)• Application status (i.e. received but not

processed, incomplete, admitted, etc.)• Application date or deadline (i.e. Dec 1st and

before or after Dec 1st)As documents are scanned, the application information is passed from Campus Solutions to Singularity to determine which “bucket” the document should get sent to.

December 1st or

earlier

December 2nd to

January 15th

After January

15th

Application submitted November 30th

December 30th

Transcr

ipt submitted December 3

0th but

App submitted November 3

0th

Transcript Submitted December 30th

Application submitted December 12th

Transcript Submitted November 15th

December 12th

Transcr

ipt submitted Nove

mber 15t

h but app

submitted December 1

2th

Holding Bucket for

no app

Transcript submitted 11/15

Bucket Prioritized in order they come into

Bucket

Bucket Prioritized in order they come into

Bucket

Bucket Prioritized in order they come into

Bucket

Processing applications

Instead….we have a workflow dashboard with tasks:

No more stacks of paper files in Admissions!

Workflow processing

• Workflow targets populations by deadlines and dates of application and document submission

• Processing of applications is driven by receipt of official transcripts• Supplemental documents do not drive processing, but are funneled into a bucket for

incomplete applications• Allows priority by application status

• Incomplete applications with missing transcripts• Past term students who send transcripts to lift holds

• Applicants with initiative and interest are processed first

When files are complete

• Undergraduate recruiters and graduate departments have access to the scanning system, so that when files are complete, they can be reviewed by the appropriate staff.

• College transcripts for undergraduate applicants stay in a workflow holding group until applicants are admitted and confirmed, when they move on to the transfer credit team buckets for evaluation.

• Decisions are posted and applicants are notified through their online student portal and by mail.

• As students confirm, we process their MAPS from edit lists.

Communication• Applicants sign into the portal electronically to check

their status, request term deferrals, update their address, confirm their intent to enroll, etc.

• Much of our communication is done via email and is scheduled through our CRM system, i.e.:• One day after student applies: Thank you for your application email• Seven days after student applies: How to check status email• Four days after student is admitted: Urge to confirm email• Seven days after student confirms (beginning January 4): Tips for applying for

housing email• Some communication is still done via paper, such as admit and deny letters,

granting of deferral requests, etc., although much of this is also available in the portal.

Requirements for a successful paperless system

• Strong IT support • Initial coding, updating scripts throughout the year, troubleshooting

• Emphasis on training and accuracy• Lengthy training process, detailed manuals, buy-in from staff

• Management oversight and monitoring• Workflow buckets need to be monitored to move staff where it is needed,

priorities and goal-setting necessary on a daily or weekly basis• Communication

• Representatives from all areas of office (IT, scanning and capture, CRM, application processors) should meet regularly to make sure everyone is on the same (paperless) page

Forum

• Do you have questions for us or comments about your process?