The University of Oklahoma’s (“OU”) recent implementation of Taleo includes some exciting new eForm integration between the recruiting solution and the University’s core PeopleSoft HCM. OU worked with Gideon Taylor to create a new Position Description eForm using GT eForms™ to streamline and simplify the process of creating and managing position descriptions.
During planning and design for the Taleo implementation, OU recognized that there was no delivered functionality for creating and managing position descriptions. As a critical requirement for OU, the University evaluated using the PeopleSoft Forms and Approval Builder tool delivered in PeopleSoft HCM 9.2. After working with the tool, they realized that, although the PS Forms tool may be sufficient for creating simple forms, it lacked the functionality to automate the complex, enterprise-level business processes the University of Oklahoma needed.
As a long-time user of Gideon Taylor’s ePAF™ (electronic Personnel Action Forms) and Paperless I-9/E-Verify solutions, OU had experience automating complex processes and workflows with GT eForms, and called upon Gideon Taylor to review the requirements for the Position Description process. They were anything but simple. OU wanted the form to respond dynamically to user input including dynamically hiding/displaying certain fields and segments based on business requirements; auto-populating fields; actively validating data input; restricting prompts to only present choices relevant based on specific jobs, positions, or departments; and intuitively guiding the user through the process. They also had very specific routing requirements that would be triggered by data and conditions within the form. GT eForms provided the functionality and flexibility to meet all of the university’s requirements.
OU relied heavily on Gideon Taylor’s experience in designing intelligent, automated solutions to deliver an intuitive user experience for a complex process. The new eForm that OU and Gideon Taylor created enables department users to efficiently and effectively manage position descriptions, including updates to existing positions and the creation of new positions. The forms then automatically route for the necessary approvals, with the position description data stored in a custom setup table.
The form features optimized lookups and auto-population to aid users in completing the form quickly, easily, and accurately. The form also accommodates very long text fields to support all the necessary detail for position descriptions. As a GT eForms solution, OU’s new Position Description form can be readily configured to respond to new requirements and changing processes as the business evolves.
In addition to the new position description functionality, users get the added benefit of a new simplified process to create a new job posting. Using PeopleSoft’s delivered Web service functionality, a job template can be generated from data in the Position Description eForm, saving considerable time and effort for the user.
OU describes the solution as ‘ground-breaking’. “GT eForms provided a framework and toolset to rapidly and cost-effectively develop functionality that didn’t exist in either Taleo or PeopleSoft,” commented Paul Arcaroli, Assistant Director for Human Resources at OU. He was also quick to add, “But it’s not just the tool. Gideon Taylor’s partnership and expertise in assessing the business process requirements and designing a solution that could accommodate our complex requirements was a key factor in our success.”
Interested in seeing OU’s new Position Description form in action? CLICK HERE
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma just 20 mins. south of Oklahoma City. OU’s Norman undergraduate population is just over 20,000, giving students a major university experience in a private college atmosphere. With three campuses in Oklahoma, OU also offers study abroad opportunities at several locations and OU campuses overseas.
