Implementing Electronic Document Management in a Community College

Implementing Electronic Document Management in a Community College Setting Recommendations for Success Chuck Zettler, Director of Information Technology Project Management, Palm Beach Community College October 29, 2008

Overview l l l l Environment Challenges and Objectives Project Timeline Conducting a Technology Needs Assessment Project Analysis Methodology Results Recommendations for Success What to Look for in a Vendor

Palm Beach Community College l l l Serves one of the largest counties in Florida Approximately 47, 000 students Comprehensive community college Urban, multi-campus environment One hour drive b/w some campuses Two failed attempts at implementing EDM

Challenges (Continued)

Challenges l l 4 million mission-critical documents — paper format only Located in Hurricane Alley Separation of campus locations Objectives: – – – Reduce paper Provide Web self service Retain some paper-based processes (Continued)

Challenges (Continued) l Paper-based processes – – l Hindered services Made work distribution cumbersome (multiple campuses) Required numerous phone calls to verify information Led to customer service inequities Unstructured information (PDFs, emails, web pages, scanned images) — not organized or managed

Objectives l l Disaster recovery (three hurricanes in two years) Remote, simultaneous Web access to information Improved efficiency Ability to retrieve, track, share, revise, and distribute documents within / throughout all campuses (Continued)

Objectives (Continued) l l l Improved privacy measures Distribution of work via automated workflow Quicker turnaround time for students and staff Reduced incidence of lost/misplaced files Enhanced student and administrative services – Scan documents at the point of receipt

Project Timeline l l l March 2004 – Formed college-wide committee December 2004 –RFQ for consulting services January 2005 – Analysis and planning contract awarded to IMERGE Consulting (Continued)

Project Timeline (Continued) l l l October 2005 – Business Case/Value Proposition: Student Services November 2005 – Financial commitment from Board of Trustees December 2005 – Issued RFP for EDM system (Continued)

Project Timeline (Continued) l l l November 2006 – Contract awarded to Optical Image Technology for implementation of Doc. Finity suite April 2007 – “Go Live”– Registrar & Financial Aid June 2008 – “Go Live”– Human Resources 2009 – Accounts Payable 2010 – Academic Departments

Conducting a Technology Needs Assessment l Identify – – Problems Current state – Future state – Gap Analysis l Create roadmap to the future (Continued)

Conducting a Technology Needs Assessment (Continued) l l l Involve stakeholders Document your processes Establish realistic timeline Be sensitive to effects of change Match technology requirements to needs of users – Point of entry scanning

Process Analysis: Identify the following: l l Desired outcome of each flow People involved in each flow Decisions that affect processes (and the people who make them) Assets needed – – Images COLD reports Data from other systems Etc. (Continued)

Process Analysis (Continued) l l l Identify time constraints (for flows or individual steps) Designate reporting metrics Map work distribution – – Business requirements Business rules

Results l Multi-Phase Implementation – Phase I: Student Services l l – Phase II: Business Services l l l – Admissions & Registration Financial Aid Human Resources & Payroll Purchasing, Receiving and Accounts Payable Contracts & Reporting Phase III: Academics (Continued)

Results (Continued) l Phase I – Student Services – – Installed scanners college-wide Developed workflow applications for: l l – Registration & Admissions Financial Aid Year 1 l l Scanned over 500, 000 documents Went from a 4 -week backlog at some campuses to 1 day turnaround college-wide (Continued)

Student Services Scan Station

Registrar – Transcript Workflow XXXXX WILSON, WOODROW XXXXX SMITH, SUSAN XXXXX WATERS, JEFFREY XXXXX COOLDEGE, CALVIN XXXXX BROWN, CHARLES XXXXX MONK, THELONEUS XXXXX KOTULA, ERICA XXXXX HADEN, MARTIN XXXXX CAMPBELL, AMANDA XXXXX THUMMA, JAMES XXXXX SHAFFER, CHAD XXXXX MCDERMID, FRANCES XXXXX JONES, ERIC XXXXX SANDERS, GRAHAM XXXXX FELDMAN, SYLVIA XXXXX SCHWEITZER, ALBERT

Transcript Process Steps XXXXX THOMPSON, PERRY 1

Results (Continued) l l l Can meet higher volumes during peak registration, hiring, and accounting cycles Process information quicker, without adding additional staff Create process integration between structured data and unstructured information – – Financial Aid Verification Components can be submitted separately (Continued)

Results (Continued) l Reporting tools can monitor: – – l l Student document status at any given time Processing levels of different campuses Adjustments can be made to processing levels Overall improvements: – – – Accurate gauge of productivity levels Improved work distribution Centralization of work activities Improved productivity Converted file rooms (Continued)

Results (Continued) l Implemented Point of Entry “Quick” Scanning – – Streamlines student services Imports student information immediately Reduces need for data entry Paper documents are: l l l Scanned Assigned a document type Sent to file or used to initiate a workflow process

Recommendations for Success: Project Planning l l Plan, plan Time spent: – – l l 85% in project analysis and planning 15% in execution Followed collegeaccepted Project Methodology Emphasized Design over Build

PBCC Project Management Process Steps Initiator/Executive Sponsor, Project Manager & Business Analysts Initiate Full Project Charter/Scope Completed Project Initiation by IT PM/BA & Initiator and Approved Worksheet Completed by Executive Sponsor & IT Director Approve By Initiator & Executive d Sponsor Screene Project Goals and Objectives d Ideas s Deliverables - Identify All In-Scope Items Project Description Key Milestones with Target Dates Goals and Objectives Assumptions and Constraints Business Case Known Risks Key Deliverables Success/Acceptance Criteria- How will you measure success? Key Stakeholders Project Team Members with Roles & Responsibilities Systems Affected Project Portfolio Monitoring Annual IT Project Roadmap IT Management Project Status Meetings Monthly Status Update Meetings with Key Business Owners Project Manager, Business Analysts & Project Team Project Execution & Control Plan Create the Project Plan PM/BA Active Projects Work Breakdown Structure Project Plan Communications Plan Risk Management Plan Resource Plan Close Manage to the Project Plan Status Reports/Minutes Issues/Decision Log Change Management Log Closeout the Project Document Lessons Learned Report Project Success Document "Brought Forward" Items for Future Projects Release the Team

Recommendations for Success: Assembling a Project Team l Involve executive managers, users from all stages of the process, and technical staff l Focus on shared objectives and trust l Sponsoring committee — senior managers – Issues escalation – Resource management l Implementation team – End users – IT technicians

Sponsoring Committee Define Project Team Responsible for overall project direction, staff resource allocation and policy decisions. Reports to the VP/Provosts Deans of Student Services Scott Mac. Lachlan, Palm Beach Gardens, Chair Freddie Bennett, Glades Leonard Burton, Boca Raton Penny Mc. Isaac, Lake Worth IT Steering Project Leader Chuck Zettler, Director IT Project Management, Reporting and Business Analysis, Chair Geoff Schlakman, Director IT Enterprise Systems Mike Merker, Dir IT Infrastructure Tony Parziale, Chief Information Officer Training & Support -Campus Teams Amy Mc. Donald, Chair Ella Cassidy, Registrar District Kevin Cojanu, IT Help Desk Janet Cosher, Financial Aid LW Shirley Diah, Financial Aid BR Jennifer Donn, Financial Aid District Irene Johnson, Advisement LW Ronnie Malave, Registrar PBG Roz Mc. Farland, Registrar Glades Carol Oleska, Registrar LW Felicia Phair, Financial Aid PBG Christine Sheppard, Financial Aid BR Ken Schwartz, Registrar LW Cherly Philippeaux, Registrar BR Implementation Team Chuck Zettler, Dir IT Project Management, Reporting & Business Analysis - Chair Alex Calderon, IT Microcomputer Specialist David Bodwell, Director of Financial Aid Jennifer Devine, Project Analyst Amy Mc. Donald, IT Business Analyst Ed Mueller, Acting College Register Julie Reiman, Campus Fin Aid Co-ord – LW Geoff Schlakman, Dir IT Enterprise Systems Paula Souza, Campus Registrar – BR Bob Voelker, IT Document System Analyst Suzanne Watson, OIT Project Manager, Consulting and Training Kevin Cojanu, IT Help Desk Manager

Recommendations for Success: Setting the Project Scope l Choose a scalable solution l Begin with a manageable project l Clearly define and document all deliverables For Example Phase I: Registrar – Point of entry quick scan and three workflow applications • Applications • Transcripts • Limited access documents (Continued)

Recommendations for Success: Create Detailed Function and Requirements Documentation Document as is process flows Create to be process flows Build prototypes Test and validate using actual end users Do not allow end user managers or technical staff to impede results for end users l Stay focused on process improvement l l l (Continued)

Recommendations for Success: Initial Implementation l l l Select small area to implement Keep scope narrow Motivate staff Recognize the need to adjust to change Set success criteria (Continued) Celebrate success! Feed people!

Recommendations for Success: System & Process Integration l Look for ability to – – Integrate with legacy systems Integrate with different departments and campuses Pull data from administrative systems Push data where it is needed l System and processes should: – Be well integrated – Support each other (Continued)

Recommendations for Success: Roll-out and Support l Be prepared: – Scale the roll-out so that it is manageable – If you are moving from paper-based to online processes, have support channels in place (Continued)

Recommendations for Success: Factors to Consider l l Short-term needs vs. long-term goals Departmental vs. enterprise-wide solution Budget Timeline

Recommendations for Success: Check customer references l l Look to organizations of a similar size Ask your vendor for references from: – – – New customers Implementing customers Long-term customers

What to Look For in a Vendor l Questions to ask when choosing a technology vendor: – – – – Customer install base size Higher education experience Financial status Support levels Product road map Corporate culture User group support (Continued)

What to Look For in a Vendor (Continued) l l l l Technology road map Application APIs Licensing model Support and maintenance costs Patch and upgrade schedule Availability of professional services Compatibility with institution’s technical standards and infrastructure

What to Look For in a Vendor (Continued) l l l Total document management Strong web presence In-house development and integration of software Open architecture/link with various 3 rd-party applications A truly integrated suite of ECM products – We chose the Doc. Finity suite, by Optical Image Technology

ROI Considerations l Hard-dollar ROI – – l Money saved on physical storage space, space rental, filing cabinets, and records management staff Faster turnaround time Soft-dollar ROI – – Increased employee productivity/efficiency Ability to process student materials more quickly Increased student satisfaction Improved document security and recovery

Questions: Chuck Zettler Director of Information Technology Project Management Palm Beach Community College ph: 561. 868. 3240 email: zettlerc@pbcc. edu www. pbcc. edu