We asked each of our Workflow Insight Board members to share the #1 tip they'd offer a fellow Workflow Administrator who is starting to digitize a campus process. Here's what they said!
- Capture your requirements from all of your stakeholders first, and do so digitally via a submission form or survey so it's easy for you to consider the requirements together. (Example from Texas State)
- Form a "Friends of Workflow" committee with representatives from each dean's office (e.g., Associate Deans). These are your point people for interfacing with faculty.
- Plot out all your review processes, forms and participants on paper. Then map it to the Workflow pieces. This helps to ensure that everything is aligned in the right places.
- Start with your most complex Workflow process. Review it with your committee and/or stakeholders, and then make lots of template copies so you can easily pare down steps you don't need in simpler processes.
- Establish a Schedule where you are the participant to help emulate users' experience. And leverage the Beta environment to facilitate training sessions. See more recommendations in the Complete Guide to Testing Workflow.
- Make copies of your finalized template before launching. That way you'll have access to editable versions if something comes up, and you can re-launch if needed.
They also underscored the importance of these best practices:
- Hold meetings with project team members on campus and meet with each college to show them the new process. Create brief step-by-step guides with screenshots and work with the project team to distribute them to faculty to help them get started.
- Hold peer-to-peer feedback sessions and engage in collaborative problem-solving to troubleshoot. This is a great way to resolve issues, uncover requirements, and build buy-in.
- Familiarize yourself with some of the scheduling rules that may impact your Workflow launch. For instance:
- you can't launch on the same day
- you can't cancel after you've launched
- Workflow uses calendar days - be very careful converting your policy's business or working days to calendar dates when setting up Schedules
- Leverage your Success Consultant as a resource. Hold regular meetings to address questions early, discuss options, and stay on the same page as things progress.
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Our Workflow Insight Board is comprised of Administrators at nine institutions who are running annual reviews, promotion and tenure, and/or sabbatical processes with Workflow. If you are interested in joining the Workflow Insight Board, please contact your Client Success Manager. |