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Introduction
The Forms Tracking Utility (FTU) is a service
provided by Administrative Information Services (AIS). This service includes a
software application product along with full support services. It is a
technology solution designed to meet the business requirements of any university
department and/or office unit. Virtually all MSU offices and departments are
the direct customers of the FTU. FTU helps to increase efficiency, eliminate
waste, and facilitate greater ease of form routing, and approval through a
user-friendly software interface. All people involved in the signature process
will benefit, as initiators, reviewers, approvers, and administrators alike will
quickly and easily type and click their way to streamlined, organized,
electronically routed University form approvals.
What Is It?
FTU allows multiple campus units to develop electronically routed and
tracked, multi-signature web forms through a consistent design interface.
Electronic forms allow efficient, paperless transactions for various university
business functions. FTU automates the challenge of form routing and approval
tracking.
What Does It Do?
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FTU provides the following features, benefits, and
advantages: |
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One place for approvers to act on University-wide forms |
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Form application developers need not write their own
“routing engine” |
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Potential for routes to be customized for particular
units or accounts, without changing form application programs |
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Establishes an electronic “buck slip” |
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Automates the approval of step in electronic workflow
processes |
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Provides a common record of approvals |
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Designed to support hierarchical and horizontal
approval flows |
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Enables process improvement by promoting "paperlessness" |
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Provides a means to reduce bureaucratic delay |
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Supports process improvement leading to cost
containment |
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Provides the opportunity to revisit the degree of
delegation a "form" requires |
Why Build It?
FTU supports strategic initiatives of the University, and
has been designated a high priority by the University administration.
Furthermore, it provides an opportunity for process improvement in a "limited
resource" environment, in accordance with principles set forth by the eWorkflow
Advisory Team, formed upon the request of President Simon and VP Poston.
Because of the number of administrative forms utilized to
carry out the business activities of an institution the size of MSU, it is
appropriate and necessary to have a single consistent set of signature
requirements. Without such requirements, excessive or inappropriate signatures
may be obtained with the result that such activities may not take place on a
timely basis or have proper approval.
By providing FTU as a central university service, the MSU
community will benefit in the following ways:
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Avoid the creation of multiple forms tracking systems |
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Avoid endless reinvention of potentially inconsistent
support tables |
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Avoid re-entry of data via use of centrally stored data
and tables |
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Institutional organization and account responsibility
"maintained once, utilized often" |
What is Included?
The Major Components of FTU are:
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FTU Dashboard application: A web-based application to
support review, approval, and tracking of form instances. This application
provides the initiator, approver and reviewer interface to the FTU system. |
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FTU Dashboard Administration application: A web-based
application to support FTU form and route definition and maintenance. The
administration application is a hidden part of the FTU Dashboard and provides
Central and Unit administrators with FTU form maintenance and administration
capabilities. |
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FTU Role Administration application: A web-based
application to maintain person, department, account, process/review roles, and
relationship data. This application provides the administrative user
interface to the FTU system to maintain people, groups, responsibilities and
groups memberships. |
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A library of API’s (Application Programming Interface)
that can be used by any web-based application to incorporate form
approval/review/tracking functionality within the client application. |
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Sample Form Applications: Provided to demonstrate Form
Application and FTU interfaces. |
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A set of automated tasks for electronic routing slip
batch/mass operations. |
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FTU Routing Engine: The part of FTU that processes
routing slips, email notifications and other internal functions to create a
smooth user experience from form initiation to form completion. |
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Security: Implements Single Sign On security feature,
using D6501 and Sentinel authentication and authorization. |
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Form Instance Auditing: Includes full record of
approvals for each form instance on a form-specific basis. |
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FTU Administration Actions Auditing: Includes full
audit record of administrative actions. |
How Do I Get Started?
Contact the AIS Help and
Support Center at ais311@msu.edu or call
353-4420, ext. 311
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