Success Story

Department of Trade and Industry

Government department automates forms processes and integrates workflows with enterprise systems using Adobe LiveCycle solutions
Department of Trade and Industry www.dti.gov.uk

Industry Government Challenges Reduce number of Human Resources forms Integrate forms processes with back-end systems Adopt standards for form creation Solution Forms Automation and Management Employee Self Service DTI consolidated and integrated employee forms processes into its Human Resources systems using Adobe LiveCycle solutions. Results Reduced time and costs to manage forms Improved accuracy of data within completed employee forms Streamlined HR and other form processes Increased staff time focused on higher-value activities. Enhanced consistency and quality of forms Systems At A Glance Adobe LiveCycle Forms Adobe LiveCycle Designer Adobe Reader Adobe Creative Suite Adobe Fonts Oracle Database

Fostering business success The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is the UK Government department responsible for trade, business, employees, consumers, science, and energy. In a world of rapid change and intense competition, DTI employees play a vital role in fostering conditions for business success and helping the UK respond to Globalisation challenges. To enhance productivity, the DTI implemented an electronic forms workflow built around Adobe LiveCycle software. The solution improves operations and efficiencies in Human Resources (HR) and other forms-based processes. Internal consolidation and integration While re-evaluating its HR strategy, the DTI examined its business process workflows. It quickly became apparent that there was no unified approach to managing everyday forms-based administrative tasks. More than 140 forms were used, some of which existed on employees desktops as Microsoft Excel or Word files while others were simply photocopied paper forms stored in a cupboard. There were no standard formats or design criteria, and the quality of collected data was low because the forms contained no logic or rules meaning that DTI employees and support staff were wasting time on administrative tasks rather than on higher-value activities. A classic example was the Salary Advance form. Employees might request a salary advance for several reasons, yet finding the right justification form was a challenge because more than 12 legacy forms were available. Given this situation and the UK Governments strategic support for electronic forms, Paul Reynolds, ICT services director, and Patrick Cooper, head of applications and data services, decided to automate HR and other forms processes. This would be accomplished by improving and consolidating the 140 internal forms and integrating them into the Oracle Human Resource system at the DTI. Adopting the industry standard The DTI adopted Adobe LiveCycle as the software to automate its forms-driven business processes such as overtime claims, salary advances, season ticket loans, and ongoing staff appraisals. The organisation chose Adobe LiveCycle because it is the industry standard. We decided to select an Adobe solution as the front end to our HR and Payroll processes, says Reynolds. All DTI employees already had Adobe Reader software installed on their desktops, so using Adobe solutions to create forms and delivering them in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) was an ideal choice.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) adopted Adobe LiveCycle solutions to automate its forms-driven business processes such as overtime claims, salary advances, season ticket loans, and ongoing staff appraisals. Entering an employee name in a form triggers automatic completion of fields with information stored in an Oracle HR database. The intelligent forms are automatically customised based on employee answers and ensure that only relevant sections appear, making the form more user-friendly.

In addition, the DTI believed the Adobe solutions had longevity. Although we were looking at our internal forms, it made sense to choose a format that would work for external forms as well. Adobe PDF is an accepted industry standard. Also, Adobe has a good relationship with Oracle they work together and share vital development information, says Cooper. Adobes Professional Services team worked with the DTI to provide consulting services to enable the organisation to design, create, and manage the forms in-house. Initially the team created a best practice form implementation methodology. They then looked at server integration and, finally, the forms were created. Dynamic form functionality The DTI hopes to reduce the number of HR and Payroll forms by over 90% and using forms that populate automatically has changed life at the DTI. Just entering your name now triggers automatic completion of fields such as your employee number, location, and other details in the Oracle HR database, says Reynolds. Intelligence in the forms automatically customises the form depending on an employees answers. This ensures that only relevant sections appear, making the form easier to complete. The ability to prepopulate forms is included in Adobe LiveCycle solutions. Also, no interface development was required due to standard integration between Adobe LiveCycle and Oracle solutions. The XML support in Adobe PDF forms further streamlines integration with an Oracle database at the DTI. With Adobe LiveCycle solutions, our paper-intensive workflows have been transformed into dynamic forms processes integrated with enterprise systems, says Reynolds. This simplifies sharing information across departments. In addition, by using Adobe Creative Suite and Adobe Form Designer, the DTI can now create branded and tailored forms in-house, saving time and money. Forms can be securely accessed and delivered to employees in Adobe PDF or HTML, so people can access them from home remotely without being limited by security protocols or computing platform incompatibilities, says Reynolds. Also, its important that forms can be downloaded and completed offline when people are traveling.

With Adobe LiveCycle solutions, our paperintensive workflows have been transformed into dynamic forms processes integrated into our enterprise systems.
Paul Reynolds, ICT services director, Department of Trade and Industry

Time saved across the organisation Ten months after going live with the solution, employees have completed more than 10,000 forms. Obviously change is always approached with caution but because we used a format that people were comfortable with, employees adopted it quickly and no training was needed, says Reynolds. The DTI has saved time and money in many areas. Reynolds explains, New forms are easy to develop and integrate into our workflows. We mock-up examples of what can be done for an HR or Payroll client and then deliver it very fast. Everyone is happy. As the forms are integrated with business processes, DTI employees spend less time completing forms and there are fewer errors. HR and Payroll also benefit thanks to reduced administrative work. We are benefitting from economies of scale as each form builds on the last one. We can create reusable objects such as employee details and then drop them into the next form we develop, explains Reynolds. Cooper continues, We can create our own forms in-house, so its less costly. The professional-looking forms include standard fonts and styles, as well as a consistent look that simplifies completing them.

For More Information www.adobe.com/products/livecycle/

A shining example for UK business Cooper concludes, As a government department, we are constantly trying to work more efficiently. Prudent use of the leading solutions and technologies such as Adobe LiveCycle and Adobe PDF help us make our processes more efficient today and into the future.

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Adobe, the Adobe logo, Adobe LiveCycle, Reader, and Better by Adobe are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 2006 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

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