Ultimus Client: Eyuboglu Educational Institutions
Industry: Education
Solution: Enterprise Solution
Eyuboglu Educational Institutions consist of a group of schools for students from 2 to 18 years of age. The school maintains seven different campuses with ten different schools, and has an enrollment of over 2500 students and 700 staff. Eyuboglu Schools aims at excellence with a vision to educate all students, academically and socially, to become foremost members of both their national and international communities, and in so doing, become an institution that can serve as an educational role model in the world.
Eyuboglu Schools began looking for BPM due to rapid growth and corresponding difficulty in coordinating processes across existing and new schools. They were looking for a provider to standardize all processes, a one-stop solution that could address these issues and position the school for future growth.
Eyuboglu has deployed a total of nine processes which are used across all of their schools by the majority of the staff. A sampling of the processes are summarized below:
Challenge: Non-standard forms and antiquated approval method causing lengthy processing times
Success: Automate forms and implement seamless approval process
Of utmost importance to any school is the safety and well-being of its students. When a teacher takes a leave of absence, even for a half hour, it is crucial that relevant administrators be informed to mobilize a replacement teacher so the day continues uninterrupted.
The leave request process was a manual, paper-based effort whereby the teachers had to wait to “see” their supervisors and ask for an approval signature on the paper forms. There were multiple versions of each form and standardization was almost impossible.
Using the Ultimus BPM software suite, teachers now simply place their request electronically using a standard form and the information is automatically forwarded to the designated authority for approval.
All administrators are informed and records are maintained without any extra effort. The requester is notified via email that permission has been granted for a leave of absence, substitutes are arranged, and the learning process for the students is not impacted.
Challenge: Complex paper forms requiring multiple approvals, long processing times
Success: Decreased processing time and seamless approval process, greater transparency of process
Eyuboglu is a school that strives for excellence. They have full CIS (Council of International Schools) accreditation and are authorized to implement all the programs of the International Baccalaureate Organization. As such, their teachers (more than 500) need to receive intensive, continuous professional training from sources and agencies within the school itself and outside of school.
Throughout the year, teachers and administrators place hundreds of in-service training requests in which they ask school management for funding and permission to participate in professional training activities locally and abroad. The approval and planning process is complicated and lengthy. It involves not only obtaining the financial and administrative approvals, but also making the travel and accommodation arrangements (which requires the accounting department). The final step of the process is completing an evaluation of the training after the participant has returned.
With the Ultimus solution, all requests are initiated using a standardized electronic form, eliminating the need for the staff to search and find the correct paper forms. Information flows electronically to the proper administrator for approval rather than having to wait to “see” supervisors with a request.
Challenge: Cumbersome paper forms with multiple approvals required; long processing times
Success: Increased transparency of process and greater control of expenses
Each time a teacher or principal in any of the 10 schools needed to purchase an item for the classroom, the amount of paperwork was substantial and time consuming to complete. In addition, these paper forms needed to be transported to other locations for approval and returned to the originator, a cumbersome process for the employees to endure and one that had financial implications for Eyuboglu.
Ultimus completely redesigned this process, optimizing the flow of information and expediting the purchasing of materials needed in the classrooms. Employees were able to receive supplies in a timely manner with much less effort, and managers gained access to up-to-date reporting of expenditures. In the end, it was the students who benefited as their teachers could focus on the business of education.
Challenge: Paper forms, complex approval process, poor transparency throughout process
Goal: Effective, efficient transportation management enterprise-wide with fewer complaints and automated forms
The transportation department of Eyuboglu Schools provides school bus services to and from all of its 10 schools for all 2,500 students as well as for its 700 employees. The staff and students also need vehicles for a variety of extracurricular activities such as sports teams traveling to games, ski club going to a ski center, teachers attending a seminar, a field trip to the zoo for a preschool class, or even staff and students traveling between Eyuboglu campuses.
Eyuboglu owns and maintains a fleet of small-size buses and automobiles. The transportation department organized the arrivals, departures, and routes for all of the activities mentioned above through a paper-based process which was causing great delays for students and faculty. This was in part a result of the subtleties built into the process. Within schools, there are a limited number of administrators who are authorized to request a school bus; on the other hand, a larger number are authorized to ask for a regular automobile. With the Ultimus solution, the requestor is prompted with necessary warnings on which vehicles they are authorized to take. Since the request forms are automated and mandatory fields must be completed, the transportation department no longer loses valuable time on the telephone trying to ascertain details for a planned trip or troubleshooting questions as to why a vehicle is not available.
Challenge: Paper forms and complex approval process causing delays and/or cancellations of school social events
Success: Greater control over process and automated information flow ensures succesful school events
In a group of schools with 2,500 students and 700 employees, hardly a day goes by without some type of ceremony, celebration or activity. Eyuboglu has a tradition of providing food and beverages during these activities and inviting the entire school community, fostering an environment of caring and family. The process begins with the department planning the event filling out a paper form and physically handing it to the PR Dept staff, who in turn was required to have the form approved by the Vice Chairman of the Board. Sometimes, in the absence of persons along this chain of approval, the process was delayed or even allowed to become stale, leaving the originating departments helpless and without support for their event. Since a third party is used for catering, they were often not in the communication loop and there were many incidences when approval had been granted within Eyuboglu but someone forgot to inform the caterer about the time and place of the event.
With the Ultimus solution, the entire process now runs smoothly and efficiently. Requests are filled out electronically and automatically sent to the appropriate approval channels. The request is then sent to the caterer with all the pertinent information about the event, thus eliminating the break in communication so often encountered under the old system. The final step is the notification sent to the requestor which confirms that the request has been approved and the catering services will be ready on the day specified. What this means to Eyuboglu is that they are able to host festive school community events with minimal effort, few mistakes, and more cost effectively.
The implementation process for Ultimus’ BPM Suite was smooth and efficient throughout the organization. The deployment time for each solution was less than five months and results were immediate. Eyuboglu chose Ultimus in part for its ease of use, flexibility, and robust nature.
The Ultimus solution has contributed first hand to improving employee satisfaction and motivation at Eyuboglu Schools by making daily administrative tasks much simpler and allowing teachers to spend more time in their classrooms. The school currently is running nine processes successfully on Ultimus, and looking to automate several more before year end.
Ultimus has automated more business processes than any other Business Process Management (BPM) vendor worldwide. Ultimus BPM Suite has enabled companies to accelerate their performance goals at every stage of corporate growth. Ultimus’ award-winning technology seamlessly adapts to people, systems and change.
Utilized by more than 2,000 customers worldwide, Ultimus provides solutions to organizations such as Pfizer, ProHealth, Bausch & Lomb, Northrup Grumman, DHL, Microsoft, Daimler, Perdue Farms, Chevron, and Tulane University. Ultimus is headquartered in North America, and has additional offices in Latin America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Australia.
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“The implementation of the Ultimus BPM Solution was smooth and efficient, and the results were immediate.”
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