Streamlining Financial Requests at Baylor University with Integrify

• Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Event-Driven Application
• Automation & Control - Human Machine Interface (HMI)

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Baylor University, a private Baptist university in Waco, Texas, was facing challenges with its workflow associated with financial requests. The university had been using a custom solution from a Project Management Software vendor, which was found to be limiting due to its poor user interface, high customization costs, and limited scalability across departments. The existing system made end user adoption difficult and was not purpose-built for managing requests. In the university setting, any activity with financial impact had to pass through a rigorous workflow, getting reviewed or approved by various stakeholders. The Information Technology Services (ITS) department at Baylor was tasked with finding a technology solution that would replace manual and paper-based processes, centralize and streamline the review and approval process for budget-impacting requests, and provide a clear understanding of the full impact of requests by involving all necessary areas such as Budget, Human Resources, and Facilities Services.

Baylor University is a private Baptist university located in Waco, Texas. It is a nationally ranked liberal arts institution and the oldest continually operating university in the state, chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas. The university has over 12,000 enrolled undergraduates and hundreds of academic and administrative professionals. Baylor operates under a centralized IT office which services its users on the main campus as well as satellite locations. The Information Technology Services department (ITS) is responsible for identifying, developing, and supporting the University Technology Infrastructure to provide direct and indirect services for the entire University. Part of the ITS department's charter is to provide planning, development, and leadership, and to investigate new technologies.

Baylor University implemented a workflow and document management application with Integrify to centralize and streamline the data entry and approval of all departmental requests that impact the budget. The university installed a license of Integrify on their own on-site server and customized their version as “BearQuest” with the Baylor logos. The solution was rolled out campus-wide, with hundreds of potential requestors and upwards of 100 defined “approvers”. The Integrify solution allowed Baylor to simplify and in some cases reduce the need for human data entry, saving time and potential mistakes. It integrated with Baylor's proprietary .NET Employment Management System (EMS), pulling data from ERP systems during the request process. The rollout of Integrify also allowed Baylor to evaluate how it was doing its approvals and optimize its automation accordingly. The solution provided real-time and 360-degree visibility into the project lifecycle for the request, and allowed users to select the proper request type, initiating a complex flow for high-value requests and a simplified flow for low-impact requests.

• The implementation of Integrify at Baylor University has led to several operational benefits. The solution provides real-time and 360-degree visibility into the project lifecycle for the request, allowing departments to better manage their budgeting processes with reporting and real-time visibility. The system also provides automatic indicators in the form of emails and request status statements appearing on the requester’s desktop when opening the application, making it easier for requesters to track the status of their requests. The system also ensures that requests are submitted correctly and no steps are missed, leading to more timely decisions that carry a budget impact. The institution has also been able to make better, timelier decisions about budgets across the board, reducing budget shortfalls and unexpected available budget.

• Baylor University went live with Integrify on March 1, 2008, nine months after the initial installation.
• Baylor currently has 7 processes defined and will be adding 2 more processes before September 2008.
• Three months after going live, Baylor has already experienced operational benefits.