The Client
A young and dynamic public university in western Saudi Arabia, established in 2006, offering undergraduate and graduate programs in medicine, science and engineering, and humanities and education.
The Challenge: Navigating a Maze of Inconsistent Processes
The university faced several obstacles in enhancing operational excellence. Disparate process documentation, scattered across various departments, created confusion and hindered clarity. Managing these inconsistencies posed a significant challenge, making it difficult to implement changes effectively. Additionally, the lack of a centralized platform for developing business strategies hampered the ability to align these strategies with actual operational realities.
The Solution: Partnering for a Streamlined Future
Persistent embarked on a collaborative journey with the client to establish a robust process architecture by leveraging Software AG’s ARIS platform. ARIS, with its comprehensive capabilities spanning process, infrastructure, data, and application management, offered an ideal solution. The project unfolded systematically. Following a comprehensive ARIS demonstration, the team meticulously planned the implementation. Seamless installation and in-depth training ensured smooth operation and empowered university staff to utilize the platform effectively. Collaborative workshops on process architecture fostered a clear understanding of its role within the overarching enterprise architecture (EA) vision. Furthermore, the team introduced the power of ARIS in developing business strategies related to operational processes.
The Outcome: Unlocking the Power of Efficiency and Strategic Alignment
The ARIS implementation yielded significant benefits for the university. A centralized process repository facilitated efficient knowledge management and streamlined change control. This newfound clarity had a direct impact on strategic planning. The university can now develop business strategies directly linked to operational realities, creating a cohesive and aligned ecosystem. This translates to a $150k-$500k cost saving as the university no longer needs to purchase a separate strategy definition tool. Standardizing data definitions with ARIS filters further enhanced process clarity and streamlined workflows.
The project’s impact extends beyond immediate benefits. Creating 29 value chain diagrams and 44 resource profiles and identifying 72 applications provided a strong foundation for building a comprehensive enterprise architecture. Importantly, with a single ARIS filter in place, the university can standardize future process modelling. This project not only streamlined current operations but also empowered the university to utilize internal resources and build a mature EA Business Unit. With the help of a small team of 3 Persistent experts, the university achieved significant results within 28 days.
With streamlined processes, data-driven decision-making, and a solid foundation for future growth and optimization, the university is now well-positioned for continued success.
