Case Study
How Otago built a more transparent and connected process management ecosystem
The University of Otago—New Zealand’s oldest and one of its most research-intensive universities—needed a process mapping solution that was both intuitive and financially sustainable in a climate where public-sector organisations are under pressure to do more with less.
Although Otago already had more than 700 processes documented in various states, rising software costs, limited licences, and declining customer service made their previous tool increasingly difficult to justify. In seeking an affordable, user-friendly alternative that could support organisation-wide adoption, Otago discovered ProcessPro.
What began as a cost-driven search quickly evolved into a transformative shift: a modern, intuitive platform that improved visibility, strengthened onboarding, broke down silos, and helped the university build a more connected and transparent process ecosystem.
Can you briefly describe your organization and the industry you operate in?
The University of Otago is New Zealand’s oldest university and a leading research-intensive institution with campuses in Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington,
Invercargill and Auckland. It offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across disciplines including health sciences,
sciences, business, humanities and the performing arts.
Otago operates within the tertiary education sector, a highly regulated public-sector industry focused on teaching, learning, research and community service.
As a publicly funded university, Otago contributes to national priorities through research excellence, workforce development and regional economic impact,
while also competing globally for students, staff and research partnerships.
What specific challenges or pain points were you experiencing before implementing the process mapping software?
We were using a process mapping software that we had had for a long time, but the cost kept rising and although it was justified by additional functionality, it wasn’t functionality we were looking for or in a position to benefit from. We were also experiencing a decrease in customer service which was no longer serving us.
What motivated you to seek out a process mapping solution? Were there any specific goals or objectives you wanted to achieve?
Our biggest motivation was looking for an affordable option in a fiscally constrained environment. The unintended bonuses were unlimited licenses and processes, and an attractive and intuitive platform.
Download a summary of the University of Otago case study
How did you evaluate different process mapping software options? What factors were most important in your decision-making process?
Some of the different options out there have out-paced our industry, in terms of cost and functionality. While there may be value in the bells and whistles, we were not in a position to benefit from this value. It is not a stretch to say that we were considering returning to Visio! There seemed to be a gap in the market – no one had a process mapping tool that would also serve as a process directory, at an affordable price – that is, until we discovered ProcessPro.
ProcessPro offers exactly what we need, and has focused on getting the basics right. The platform is more user-friendly: we love having the process steps and map on the same tab, and for a big organisation with a lot of staff changes it’s much easier to assign owners and experts to a role, rather than a person.
What benefits or improvements have you observed since implementing the process mapping software? Can you provide specific examples or metrics?
Because it has been so easy to update the directory, we have also taken this opportunity to develop our own University of Otago Process Directory (where we were previously using CAUDIT), which means staff now understand where their processes sit in the bigger picture and ownership has been clearer. This has been incredibly beneficial for us.
“ProcessPro gives us a head start on every project we tackle, no matter how big. Having our processes mapped is a huge advantage in understanding the current state and being able to quickly identify where pain points and opportunities lie in the process and work across multiple teams and functions, helping break down silos.”
How has the software impacted collaboration and communication within your organization?
As ProcessPro is so intuitive, we are seeing a faster uplift of staff engagement and this, combined with a growing library of reliable up-to-date processes, will ensure our staff see the value in mapping our processes – increased transparency, wider sharing of information and an overall better understanding of how we operate.
Can you share any success stories or notable achievements that were made possible by using the process mapping software?
For us, the biggest success has been able to roll this software out organisation-wide. Where we were previously restricted on number of staff licenses and processes, we are now able to fully embrace our process mapping journey.
“One of the biggest advantages to having our processes mapped and easy to navigate is in helping onboard new staff. They can quickly get an idea of how things work around here and drill down to any processes that they might be involved in early on to understand what their part may be and who else is involved in the process.
How has the software improved efficiency or productivity in your processes? Have you been able to identify any bottlenecks or areas for improvement that were previously overlooked?
Our focus at the moment is getting all of our processes mapped. Once we have done this, we will be able to use this resource to easily identify duplication,
inconsistent practices and bottlenecks.
Have you noticed any positive changes in employee engagement or satisfaction as a result of using the process mapping software?
Our staff are feeling more empowered to document their processes. Previous process mapping software tools have been restricted to certain roles at the university and staff could not always see their own contribution.
Have there been any unexpected benefits or outcomes from using the software that you did not anticipate?
The managed documents functionality has a lot of potential for us, but we have not yet been able to explore this. As does the Business Continuity tags, which we have begun to explore a little and this will allow us to easily identify business critical processes and maintain offline copies in the case of a emergency.
“But I do want to reiterate, for a publicly funded organisation where we must be fiscally responsible and transparent, an affordable solution that allows us to do what we need to do (map and store processes) is fundamental.”
How would you describe the overall user experience and ease of use of the process mapping software?
The software is attractive and intuitive, the team are incredibly responsive and helpful, and the whole experience has felt very much like a valued partnership rather than procuring a product. I would choose ProcessPro again in a heartbeat!
What features or functionalities of the software have been most valuable to your organization?
1. Assigning owner and expert to a role, rather than a person.
2. Unlimited licenses and processes
3. Affordable price
Are there any other comments that you would like to make?
ProcessPro has a lot of really good features, over time it’s easy to forget everything that was so good in the beginning! We initially were excited about the iFrame embedding, but now that all staff have access to ProcessPro we have not yet used this functionality (other than to test).
James Ross
As the Founder and CEO, I’m passionate about all things process mapping and sharing my experience with our valued clients. I work closely with our teams to ensure that ProcessPro solves real, everyday process mapping problems.
Share this article