Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) is a large, high performing school district in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Amid the Coronavirus pandemic, VBCPS was one of many districts to quickly transform business processes to work within a remote environment.
VBCPS implemented several electronic forms to streamline their business processes and rid themselves from their endless paper processes. Many departments resisted digital transformation before the pandemic, but immediately embraced the need for business continuity in a crisis.
Business Continuity Solutions
Converting File Formats to Maintain Security
One of their strongest pain points was trying to upload conflicting file types for reporting. While it seems simple, most of their forms required a .TIF format to upload records. With remote employees trying to submit timesheets, expense reports for P-card purchases, and financial statements without access to scanners, chaos ensued.
Laserfiche, our leading Content Services Platform (CSP), came to the rescue with a version release that allowed them to automate the conversion of .PDF files to .TIF files.
This solution was critical to get stakeholder buy-in – the approval came swiftly! Now, their users submit their documents, and Laserfiche converts the file in less than a day – enabling the District to ensure internal document security.
Employee Contracts
VBCPS developed processes for submitting employment contracts. What was previously handled by mail and email is now an Electronic Form that captures Microsoft Entra ID data and routes to an employee’s personnel contract file – all automatically!
Remote Work Contract Routing
With several of their employees now working remotely, VBCPS Administration created a telework agreement. This form was sent to over 8,000 employees and followed the same workflow process as their employee contracts.
Virtual Course Codes
Another need that arose was the demand for all new course codes for virtual classes. An Electronic Form with conditional fields was created with varying approval routing levels dictated by the course level and whether the course was new and needed to be active, inactivated, or modified.
Additional Automation Projects Included:
- Accounts Payable
- Damage/Vandalism/Theft/Missing Inventory Report
- Employee Professional Development Reimbursement
- Purchasing
- Travel and Reimbursement
The Future
VBCPs will launch Electronic Forms for their BEWell program, a monetary incentive for citizens who get their annual check–ups and procedures. A total of 35,000 forms from both city and school employees were submitted and scanned in by their staff every year!
The conversion to an electronic form and approval workflows will dramatically change efficiency for the VBCPS.
VBCPS plans to work with several more departments to launch their Digital Transformation Journeys.
