Transitioning to Online Forms and Processes

With the rapid change to remote working conditions, many documents and processes that have been carried out in person and on paper for years are in sudden need of electronic solutions. A task force, spanning the four major divisions and the President’s Office, was convened to identify options for electronic alternatives for the campus. A large task, one which will span several months, is focusing on the critical needs of the campus to start; signatures, and converting paper forms to online solutions. Two major phases of the project have been established:

Phase One

Phase one of this project is underway, with approvals and signatures being piloted by a small group of users. One of the key applications in this first phase leverages the existing campus-wide contract for the Adobe suite of products. With Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, paper forms can be converted or modified to online-fillable documents and signed by the form filler using the Prepare Form and Fill & Sign tools. With Adobe Sign, a separately licensed product, documents can be executed with legally binding signatures. Two additional solutions currently available to assist with the transition are OnBase and Smartsheet. Additional information on each application can be located in the matrix below.

Phase Two (Completed July)

The task force on electronic forms and e-signatures has completed their task. The team evaluated three software applications and is recommending Etrieve by SoftDocs, which is a solution that combines electronic forms and workflow components into one platform built specifically for educational institutions. The contract was approved by the Board in July.

Tips:

- Before choosing a tool
  This may be a good time to revise & update your forms and processes. Evaluate if the information you are collecting and steps you are taking are all essential to completing the task
  Requirements: Evaluate if signatures are truly needed, or if the same outcome could be accomplished by a general acknowledgment on the form
  
  Contents: Does your form contain two sections, like an initial submission and then a response from an evaluator? Consider breaking this into two separate forms.
  
  Storage: What happens to paperwork now after it is turned in? Is it kept in a file? Do other people need access to it? Consider how you will process and keep digital submissions. Establish a shared network storage location that is backed up, and can be accessed by others if needed. **Ensure sensitive and personal data is collected and stored appropriately**
  
  Options: Please read through all the options/tools listed on this page

Available Tools:

Adobe Sign

Similar to other signature platforms such as DocuSign, Adobe Sign is a cloud-based e-signature service that allows the user to send, sign, track, and manage signature processes using a browser or mobile device. It is part of the Adobe Document Cloud suite of services.
Adobe Sign should only be used if you require legally binding signature(s). A license is only needed to request signatures, anyone (inside and outside Mt. SAC) can sign without having a license.

Smartsheet

Smartsheet is a cloud-based application used for collaboration and work management. It can be used to assign tasks, track project progress, manage calendars, share documents, and collect data, based around a tabular user interface. In addition, Smartsheet offers the ability to create forms with conditional logic to ensure the questions are relevant to each person completing the form. Approval requests can be completely customized and sent individually, or with multiple steps as part of a more complex workflow.

Etrieve Forms

	Adobe Sign	Smartsheet
Examples of Uses	Mt. SAC Contracts	Mt. SAC Email Request Form
Fees	No fee (Included in Enterprise licensing)	$236/per license
Additional Information/ Resources	https://helpx.adobe.com/support/sign.html	https://www.smartsheet.com/platform
How to Request Access	Please complete the Adobe Sign Request Form to get started.	Please complete the Smartsheet License Request Form to get started.