Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a prestigious global research university known for its robust research programs. With more than 12,000 students, 95,000 alumni, and 5,000 faculty and staff, the university is a hub of academic and professional activity.

Challenge

CMU faced significant challenges in tracking the numerous projects undertaken by their professors. The university required a solution that could handle complex logic with the flexibility to accommodate an unlimited number of project entries. They envisioned a document management system integrated with InfoPath forms to streamline their business processes and enhance automation.

What We Did

Our team undertook a comprehensive analysis of CMU’s needs, which included:

  • Developing mockup prototypes of forms for initial assessment.
  • Building a user-friendly forms dashboard that featured repeating tables to capture and aggregate data, allowing users to visualize their progress within the process.
  • Integrating a user guide directly into the interface to simplify the learning curve and enhance usability.

Data Collection and Reporting Enhancements Included:

  • Data Collection:
    • Creation of a Forms Library for custom InfoPath forms.
    • Development of a library for Custom Word templates.
    • Implementation of custom content types for InfoPath forms.
    • Design of custom views to summarize data effectively.
    • Configuration of customized permissions to secure forms and reports.
  • Reporting:
    • Development of three InfoPath views, automatically convertible to Word documents for easy reporting.
    • Setup of InfoPath to Word conversion for seamless document management.
    • Detailed reports including Faculty Data, Seed Reports, and Annual Reports, which can be generated on-demand.
    • Aggregated reports by department, year, and lead principal investigator (LPI), including summaries of project counts and proposals.

The Result

The implementation of a tailored content management system with integrated MS Word, InfoPath forms, and dynamic dashboards resulted in:

  • Significant time savings and reduction in manual errors.
  • Enhanced accuracy in data reporting, thereby saving costs and improving operational efficiency.
  • A highly effective business process automation system that supports CMU’s complex academic environment.

This solution not only met CMU’s immediate needs but also provided a scalable framework to support future academic and administrative activities.