Site license allows the universities to tap the full potential of KMD WorkZone

For several years, Aalborg University (AAU), Aarhus University (AU) and University of Copenhagen (KU) have been using KMD WorkZone for classic records management. To some extent this was a good solution, but the barrier for the universities was that every time they spotted a way to utilize more functionality and commercial features in KMD WorkZone it carried an immediate price tag. The way the university world works is that each institution is given a sum of money at the beginning of the year. If a university wants to make an investment in the middle or at the end of the year, and the money has already been spent, it demands a lot of resource-heavy red tape to apply for additional funds. This financial barrier previously meant that the universities did not get the return they wanted from KMD WorkZone.

Site license was the key to broad adoption

With HR-IT Manager at AU, Carsten Bæhrenz, as frontrunner the three universities started a collaboration with KMD and had KMD WorkZone site licenses created for the software. In short, this means that all employees within the universities now have access to the platform. And that very change has lifted, not only the adoption level of KMD WorkZone, but also the value creation to the next level.

“Previously, our use of KMD WorkZone was limited to mandatory records management. But over the past years we have seen how the platform can be used for much more. For example, the storing of important documents. Not because we are legally bound to, but because we see an advantage in doing so. Examples include strategies, action plans and management decisions, where we benefit from using KMD WorkZone instead of files shares and e-mail accounts. Using KMD WorkZone is also valuable when it comes to subject access requests as all of our information is gathered in one place,” says Carsten Bæhrenz.

The process engine supports and automates

The functional cornerstone in AU’s adoption of KMD WorkZone across faculties and departments is the platform’s process engine.

“Let’s take the hiring process as example. In the old days, that process was very manual. Everybody knew what to do, but you had to remember it every time and ensure that it was done in the same way. Today the decision to hire a new employee automatically creates an employment record in KMD WorkZone, which includes several steps to be handled in a certain sequence and manner,” says Carsten Bæhrenz and explains that AU uses KMD WorkZone to support similar processes within, for instance, HR, finance, study programme administration and research.

Most processes can be configured in KMD WorkZone by Aarhus University’s own superusers. And as they gain even more knowledge about the platform, they will find new areas of use. For instance, they plan on using KMD WorkZone for even deeper process support. Not simply check lists guiding the user through a process, but work streams that also include management approval flows, deadline handling and the addition of certain set rules.

Great financial predictability

Today, when AU wants to introduce process support in a new area or optimize an existing one, they start out by asking whether KMD WorkZone can handle the task. And the answer is more often than not yes. This means that the university no longer needs to invest in new subsystems that demand maintenance – and that they can phase out old ones. In addition to this, Carsten Bæhrenz emphasises that AU with the site license has a much greater overview of the annual costs related to KMD WorkZone.

“At the start of a year I can tell our finance department that I know pretty precisely what the cost of KMD WorkZone will be. I don’t have to speculate about how many new users we will add to the solution, how many modules we want to start using or what the additional invoice landing on our desk will be at the end of the year. Working with that kind of predictability is a joy for everyone.”

Openness, close dialogue and development

By freeing up the users and features KMD WorkZone has become a central digitalisation tool at AU. The flexibility to model their own business processes has turbocharged the digital transformation and ensured that today the university can handle complex administrative tasks more efficiently, with greater security and a higher quality. The site license has paved the way, but behind that agreement is also a closer collaboration with KDM.

“KMD has moved from being an ordinary system vendor to becoming our strategic sounding board. KMD openly informs us about new initiatives and technologies in KMD WorkZone and lets us into the platform’s roadmap. And we repay with the same level of openness and share our goals and requests. This joint approach makes a huge difference in the work relation and gives us a greater output,” concludes Carsten Bæhrenz.