Efficient University Administration: A Practical Guide to Digital Workflow Optimization

Universities today face the challenge of making their diverse processes more efficient, transparent, and user-friendly. The digitization of workflows is a central lever, but implementation poses specific challenges. This guide illuminates how universities can successfully master the digital transformation of their process landscape.

Internal Efficiency vs. Student Service: Two Sides of the Same Coin

The process landscape of a university typically encompasses two major areas with different focuses but a common goal: seamless digital workflows.

• Internal administrative processes: These focus on optimizing operational efficiency. Examples include vacation requests, onboarding new employees, IT support tickets, or specific ad-hoc processes in departments. The target groups are primarily employees and internal organizational units.
• Student-facing processes: The focus here is on service quality and accessibility for students. These include digital services such as exam registrations, sick notes, applications, or the submission of theses. Robust integration with campus management systems like HISinOne is often essential here.

Although target groups and systems vary, both areas require continuous digital support to avoid media breaks and increase satisfaction for all involved.

Reality Check: Where Do Universities Stand in Process Digitization?

Many universities already use specialized systems such as HISinOne or document management systems (DMS). What is often missing, however, is an overarching Business Process Management (BPM) platform that models, automates, controls, and monitors processes end-to-end – independent of the respective specialized system.

The consequences are often:

• Fragmented process islands: Workflows exist in isolation in Excel lists, paper forms, or simple web forms without central control.
• Lack of transparency: Traceability of decisions (Who approved what and when?) is difficult to impossible.
• Missing automation: Important functions such as automatic reminders, escalations when deadlines are exceeded, or process-related evaluations are missing.
• High maintenance effort: Island solutions and in-house developments tie up valuable IT resources for maintenance and adaptation.

Especially for universities as complex organizations, often with over 1,000 employees, building a central, scalable workflow platform is a strategic advantage.

The Foundation: Requirements for a Modern University BPM Platform

A powerful BPM solution must meet the specific requirements of universities:

• Accessibility: Support for various channels (web portal, mobile use) for internal and external user groups.
• Operating model: Flexibility for on-premises or hybrid scenarios is crucial, as pure cloud solutions often do not meet institutional requirements.
• Security & compliance: Strict adherence to data protection regulations (GDPR) and audit-proof documentation of all process steps.
• Adaptability & maintainability: The platform must be adaptable (e.g., to corporate design) without causing high development costs with each update. Long-term maintainability is essential.
• Integration capability: Open interfaces (e.g., REST APIs, LDAP/SAML for authentication) for connecting to existing systems (HISinOne, DMS, IAM, etc.) are a must.

In addition to technology, clear process governance is critical for success: defined roles and responsibilities for modeling, approval, and operation of workflows are essential.

Seamless Integration: The BPM System as Orchestrator

A central BPM platform should not replace existing systems but intelligently orchestrate them:

• HISinOne: Connection for data reconciliation during exam registrations, status updates in student accounts, etc.
• DMS: Automated filing of documents (e.g., applications, certificates) in the right context and in compliance with retention periods.
• Identity & Access Management (IAM): Use of existing user directories and roles for fine-grained control of access rights to processes and tasks.
• Communication systems: Integration of email for notifications or calendar systems for date-related tasks.

The strength of a BPM platform lies in controlling data and tasks across system boundaries and ensuring a uniform process flow.

From Concept to Practice: Examples of Digitized University Processes

The application possibilities of a BPM platform are diverse. Here are some typical examples:

Administrative processes:

• Digital vacation request: From application through approval by supervisors to automatic information to the HR department.
• IT helpdesk workflow: Structured recording of requests, automatic assignment and prioritization, escalation management, and reporting.
• Onboarding process: Automated task distribution to various departments (IT, HR, Facility Management) when hiring new employees.

Student-facing processes:

• Online exam registration: Including automatic validation of relevant data against HISinOne.
• Digital sick note: With upload capability for medical certificates and automatic notification to the examination office.
• Workflow for registering theses: Selection of supervisors, definition of milestones, and deadline monitoring.

Recommendation: Start with clearly defined, less complex processes (pilot projects) and gradually expand the use of the platform.

Strategic Implementation in Large Organizations: A Roadmap

For colleges and universities, introducing a BPM platform is a strategic project. The following steps are recommended:

1. Plan holistically: Create a process landscape map to identify priorities for digitization. Which processes have the greatest leverage?
2. Involve stakeholders early: Get administration, IT, departments, staff council, and data protection on board from the beginning.
3. Define and implement pilot projects: Start with 1-2 manageable processes (e.g., IT helpdesk or sick note) to achieve quick successes and gather experience.
4. Choose platform wisely: Opt for a solution that integrates flexibly into your existing IT landscape and doesn’t create vendor lock-in. Pay attention to adaptability and long-term maintainability.
5. Prepare regular operations: Define clear roles, establish support structures, and plan training for users and process modelers.

Digital processes are not an end in themselves. They are the means to increase administrative efficiency, relieve employees, and sustainably improve service quality for students and all other university members.

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Conclusion: The introduction of digital workflows for universities is much more than an IT project – it is a decisive step towards modernizing and future-proofing the entire organization. A strategic approach and the choice of the right technology platform lay the foundation for more efficiency, transparency, and flexibility in everyday university life.