Because the ReADY request forms system represents the piece of UT Works that the widest-ranging segment of the UT Community will interact with, the UT Works Program chose to engage with campus early and often.
The program team conducted user research by interviewing representatives from seven business areas, including campus Building Managers, Facilities Service Center (FSC), University Housing and Dining (UHD), Utilities Energy Management (UEM), and CSU administrative staff regarding the current work order submission processes. Along with
end-user interviews, the team reviewed existing forms in detail and observed staff using the existing request forms in order to note areas for improvement. The research identified several areas of improvement around bottlenecks in current request routing. There was also a commonly expressed desire for consistent communication around the timing and scheduling of work orders, as well as location access.
Through this engagement process, the team gained insight into the unique needs and challenges of building managers and was able to incorporate this knowledge into ReADY’s technical implementation. The team then worked with subject matter experts from business areas involved with UT Works to design and prototype the new submission forms that will replace the current Work Order Request and Query System (WORQS).
During development, the implementation team used feedback from the engagement process to combine the current Request A Service and CRIB request forms in WORQS into a single Paid Service request form in ReADY. This development choice allows ReADY to take advantage of similarities in each type of request and reduce confusion experienced by some users when choosing which form to use for a request. ReADY will simplify requesting services by giving users the option to report an issue for immediate resolution, request a service that the department will pay for, or Request Move Support.
With the completion of the Residential Maintenance Request form, which will replace the Student Residential Request form, and a set of internal request “Quick Forms” for use within Facilities Services (FS), Utilities and Energy Management (UEM), and University Housing and Dining (UHD) ReADY is set to enter End-to-End testing this summer. The tests will cover how well the various ReADY request forms function for users and ensure they properly integrate with other parts of UT Works.