Problem
In the late 2010’s, the University of California San Diego (UCSD) set out to find a solution to field thousands of existing business process needs. UCSD, like other large, innovative institutions, could not keep up with custom application development and the risk of shadow IT was building. Delivering a way to streamline and secure clunky processes was becoming a mission-critical challenge, and was imperative to build on UCSD’s culture of continuous improvement.
The institution needed a modern forms and workflow solution that could handle what UCSD deemed as “lightweight” application needs across departments. Without adding a forms and workflow solution to their technology portfolio, local application development—and the inherent security risks and duplication of work—would continue.
Solution
In 2018, UCSD partnered with Kuali Build, rounding out UCSD’s technology portfolio.
Kuali Build perfectly met the institution’s need for an easy-to-use, no-code forms and workflow solution. Technical and non-technical users could build applications in the software. Plus, the modern solution was built to scale with the institution and integrate with other campus systems.
After poking through a sandbox environment, UCSD process managers were thrilled with the potential of Kuali Build.
“I’ve been asking for something that will do all the things Kuali Build does for a long time. I’m excited to have my hands on it!” - Shawn Munro, Manager, Lean Bench and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt at UCSD
Results:
Today, UCSD has created over 300 applications with Kuali Build. Munro reports that using Build has given UCSD the ability to track and report on processes as well as implement best practices from a process improvement standpoint.
One of the biggest benefits of using Kuali Build is the ability to create customizable workflows. Process owners can use Build to meet all of their process requirements and make improvements as they go. Kuali Build’s workflow tool looks just like a process map; the drag-and-drop interface provides options to create branches, add integrations, and send notifications.
Ease of use is another critical benefit for UCSD. The institution uses Build as a self-service tool, meaning faculty and staff can create applications without submitting an IT request. While there’s support available to users when needed, even users with self-proclaimed low technical abilities are building applications that have been on IT’s backlog for years.
Kuali Build has helped faculty and staff across UCSD save immeasurable amounts of time through digitizing and optimizing processes. For example, the remote work compliance process requires an employee to submit 1 form which is then sent through a complex workflow passing through 10 or more offices. In processing time alone on this form, UCSD has saved over 800 hours. That’s nearly half a year’s work for a highly specialized staff member.
Munro and his team look forward to continued use of Kuali Build to empower the culture of continuous improvement across UCSD.
