Bridgend College

Mission log

Five systems, one shared foundation

The college's systems are internal, so there are no screenshots here: what each one does, what it replaced and what it changed.

1. 01

   Shared data platform

   The foundation everything else builds on.

   A Python service pulls staff and organisational data from the college's cloud systems over REST and SOAP, and syncs it every day into one shared store. It began as a Google Sheet and is now a proper database, with access granted table by table, so each new tool starts from data that's already there.

   Replaced

   Separate copies of staff data

   Used by

   Every system below

   Result

   New tools start from shared data

2. 02

   Online tutorials

   Staff training and student tutorials, built in house.

   When the third-party staff training platform came up for renewal, I proposed building our own. Learners and administrators each got an experience designed for them, and completion and compliance are tracked automatically, so HR and managers can see outstanding mandatory training at a glance. A version adapted for students supports timetabled tutorials.

   Replaced

   A paid training platform

   Used by

   All staff, and every student each year

   Result

   £15k a year saved

3. 03

   Visitor booking and check-in

   Self-service, so reception doesn't have to.

   Replaced an email-and-reception process with self-service booking, taking the job away from reception entirely. Booking takes 30 seconds instead of about two minutes, and it replaced a paid system.

   Replaced

   Email, reception and a paid system

   Used by

   17,960 visitors in three years

   Result

   ~450 staff hours and £8k a year saved

4. 04

   Development reviews and probation

   Annual reviews for around 700 staff.

   Replaced a process run on Google Classroom and Docs with a web app. The yearly setup, rollovers, notifications and reporting are automated, saving HR about five working days each cycle. It now covers probation too, using staff data from the shared platform.

   Replaced

   Google Classroom and Docs

   Used by

   Around 700 staff

   Result

   About 5 working days saved for HR each cycle

5. 05

   Onboarding

   The college's first structured onboarding.

   New starters used to rely on an assigned buddy, with nowhere central to look. Now they get video resources with completion tracking, so managers and HR can see progress, and onboarding leads straight into mandatory training and probation as one journey across separate systems.

   Replaced

   A buddy, and nowhere central

   Used by

   Every new starter

   Result

   One journey: onboarding, training, probation