Application Process Review
The following questions are designed to help you think about your application process in a holistic way from the “staff” side of working with applications.
How will students apply?
Make sure your staff understand the method(s) of application
When does the student get created in your SIS?
When the student is created in your SIS, does that change any staff behavior? (For example, are documents marked as received in the SIS or in the CRM? Once a student is enrolled should a record be edited/updated in TargetX? Or in your SIS? At what point do they stop making updates to TX)
How do users process an application?
“Supporting Documents” (i.e. essay, recommendations, etc): Are they being collected via the application? Are they automatically fulfilling checklist item requirements, or do they need to be “manually” completed? Are students submitting them via email/fax?
What happens if a student submits a piece of material before they apply?
How are “requirements” managed/tracked?
Are you using App Requirements Manager/Checklist Items? If not, how do you track outstanding requirements?
Are all of your requirements managed through ARM, or will users need to create ad-hoc requirements?
Pre-App Documents: If students submit supporting material in advance of applying, what do you do with those documents?
Pre-Acceptance Documents (i.e. essay, recommendations, etc): Are they being collected via the application? Are they automatically fulfilling checklist item requirements, or do they need to be “manually” completed? Are students submitting them via email/fax? If they’re submitting ad-hoc, how are those documents being scanned/entered into the system?
Post-Acceptance/Enrollment Documents (intent to enroll, course registration, etc.): Are these items being tracked in the CRM? Where can users go to see them?
How can users see which documents need attention/processing?
How do staff read files/make admissions decisions?
How are files assigned/routed through review?
Where can staff see files needing to be reviewed? Files they’ve already reviewed?
How are admissions decisions shared with students?
App Dashboard/Portal, email, letter, phone call, etc?
Is there a way for staff to identify if that information is available to the student?
How and where do staff complete their daily tasks? (for example, identify applications that need to be “approved” for acceptance, or outstanding items for a student to enroll using reports)
General CRM
Which field(s) indicate information about an applicant’s status (i.e. Application Stage, Percent Complete, Application Status)?
Are there any automations around those fields (i.e. once checklist items are completed, is the file automatically marked as complete or ready for review?)
Do apps have owners? How is ownership assigned?