When EBS went live in January 2011, there were only two forms categorized as ‘smart,’ the Student and Graduate Assistant hire forms. A smart form validates all data at submission and when all approvals are in place, the data updates automatically in the HR/Payroll system. All other forms required manual intervention at some point during processing.

We quickly realized that we needed to improve the process and speed up the timeline from submission to completion on the HR forms. The EBS Team is in the process of redesigning many of the Human Resources forms using a ‘wizard style approach.’ This approach is similar to processes used by online retailers. Users will answer a series of questions to determine the correct form and the path for completion of that form.   With these ‘smart’ forms, data is broken into logical units, business rules are enforced, data is validated as the form is completed and, when possible, position and employee information is pre-populated. When all approvals are in place, data will automatically update in the HR/Payroll system. This will help to eliminate errors and decrease processing time.

The following redesigned forms launched May 7:

• Temporary and On-Call Rehire
• Temporary and On-Call Additional Assignment
• Faculty/Academic Staff Positions using waivers 1-12, and
  Postdoctoral Fellows

The EBS Team will continue redesigning forms in the coming months in the order of highest use. Please visit www.ebs.msu.edu for details and training information.