Transitioning to Paperless Office: A Comprehensive Guide for Higher Education Institutions

1. Going Almost Paperless in 2009 Three Offices Leading the Way

2. Presenters • Richard Porter, Director of OISS, Washington State University • Greg Simkiss, Assistant Director of ISSS, Georgia Institute of Technology • Jason Baumgartner, IOffice CEO, OIS, Indiana University

3. Technology Tools • Washington State University • F-1 Students and J-1 Students and Scholars - FSA Atlas Enterprise Edition • H-1B and Permanent Residency Cases - Immigration Tracker • Georgia Tech • F-1 and J-1 Students – FSA Atlas Enterprise Edition • Indiana University • All CategoriesIOffice

4. Why • Less paper usage (be a green office) • Frees up precious space when filing cabinets are moved out. • No longer a need to keep both electronic and paper documents current (the web site and your database become the primary document repositories). • Fits with the way students seek information • All information in one location (documents attached to a record in a database) • No more searching for missing/misplaced paper files • No more need to make and retire paper files

5. Before

7. After

8. Before

9. After

10. Welcome Packet/Thumb Drive

11. Scanning During Check-in

12. Web-centric students = web-centric office

13. Handout Dispenser

14. To Computer Kiosk for Web Access Note the Digital Photo Frame

15. Goodbye to Paper & Paper ProcessesStage1: Maximize Use of Database Systems • Data Integrity • Keep the data accurate and up-to-date.Whether you use iOffice, fsaAtlas, PASS, or a custom software to manage your data needs the first way to move paperless is by having good data integrity in the database. • Make the database the first line of record checking instead of reaching for the student’s folder.

16. Stage 2: Maximize e-Communications • Emails • Setup alert driven emails triggered by the systems that can be automated and saved as notes in the client’s record. • Store individualized email correspondence as notes in client’s record; and if possible have the system pickup that email after you send it from Outlook. • End the process of printing out emails for the student’s or scholar’s folder. • Use systems for general email announcements (i.e. no more paper newsletters) as well.

17. Stage 2: Maximize e-Communications • Enhance Web Informational Resources • Move from spending time on paper handouts, promotional materials, initial supplemental documents to more time on the website. • Direct traffic to the website (i.e. via automated emails). • Client Web Access to Information • Provide clients secured access to information like notes or alerts you’ve communicated on along with the status of their case. • Expand into Web 2.0 (Facebook) • Setup Facebook page or application to get information out to students and also use for marketing of events (no paper marketing).

18. Stage 3: From Paper Forms to e-Forms • PDF Fill-able Forms (Accessible to Anyone) • Provide access to fill-able forms from the website. Clients can choose to download, save, and email them to the office. • Still results in many print-outs of these forms that then to be scanned into the system. • Online Electronic Forms (e-Forms) • Provide online e-Forms for client (student or scholar) and department that can be secured through a web portal and access based upon their credentials. • Electronically route an e-form for approvals like from an academic advisors, departmental chairs, head of hiring unit, etc.

19. Stage 3: From Paper Forms to e-Forms • Online Electronic Forms (e-Forms cont.) • Allow for supplemental materials (i.e. new financials) to be attached, uploaded, and automatically indexed with the e-form.

20. Stage 4: From Photocopying to Scanning • Reduce What Needs to be Scanned • Receive requests in PDF or e-Form. • Enable clients to submit scanned supplemental materials with the request to index (or auto-index via e-Form) into the system. • Have any faxes auto transformed to PDF and either emailed or placed on file server for indexing into the system. Most fax machines can do this work. • Scanning for All Remaining Documents • Orientation check-in, data collection, scanning (i.e. passport, visa), and document check via the system. • Consider models for day-to-day scanning workload: • Provide scanners to most, or all, staff members. • Centralize this work into an existing or new position.

21. Stage 4: From Photocopying to Scanning • Plan Out the Transition • At Indiana University we setup goals and objectives to stay on course as we transitioned to e-forms and began the scanning model. • Implemented pieces at a time so the task was not too overwhelming. • Committed to the full transition at a defined point in time after several pieces had successfully been converted. • Decision of what to do with existing folders. At IU we did a final close out and all existing folders were scanned into the system with one PDF file per folder indexed as an archive - conversion of paper records.

22. Stage 5: From Folders to e-Case Management &Workflow • Tracking Cases without Folders (IU example) • Important to have paperless way to track cases through completion. • Electronic case assignments via alerts, e-forms, front desk check-in, manual assignment, etc. • Provide status updates via email and online to the student, scholar, and department.

23. Challenges • Stakeholder objections • Technological resources and expertise • Making decisions and sticking with them

24. Stakeholder objections • Colleagues in your office • Academic and administrative departments • Students

25. Technological resources and expertise • Who is the financier? • Securing the resources • Crossing the aisle

26. Making decisions • Once its green, don’t go back to red • Stick with the decision, but be flexible in execution • Get people to buy in to the decisions.