MyTopTaal

From working with Excel lists to the advanced student tracking system MyTopTaal; this development has taken place in recent years. The custom-built system meets the needs of customers and clients. Product Owner José Glas of TopTaal looks primarily at the steps that ensure even further improvement.

Goal

Although the initial goal when building MyTopTaal was more efficient administration, the applications are now numerous. The off-the-shelf tool that TopTaal used until 2017 began to show more and more flaws as the company grew rapidly. Therefore, the management chose to build their own system, a costly and time-consuming task. José Glas on the creation of MyTopTaal: 'We started by looking into the processes and the requirements of users. Municipalities, teachers, and our own back office. Once we had mapped those out, we got in touch with a party that could build such a system. Using short sprints, we expand the functionalities further every month. That takes time, but works very efficiently.'

We attach great value to measurability

Milestone

It was a great milestone when, a year ago, municipalities and companies were able to start using MyTopTaal. This gives them constant access to the latest information regarding, for example, attendance and results from intakes, module tests, and exams. In recent months, we have noticed that municipalities need information about the integration process of their status holders. Are they already taking a course? How is it going? What are the results? These are questions that case managers want insight into. With the online system, they can see in real-time how many lesson hours the student has attended, until when they have time to fulfill their integration obligation, and which exam components they have already passed. They are now no longer dependent on the status holders themselves to obtain this information.

‘MyTopTaal also offers case managers insight into the loan outstanding with DUO in Groningen. Where the invoicing process was time-consuming and prone to error in the past, it is now automated in the system, making it immediately visible which part of the budget is still remaining. This is useful for our back office, but the municipality also benefits from it,’ says José. ‘This allows us to work together with the case manager and the student to look for the best plan of action at the moment the money is about to run out.’

Another important functionality is the correspondence tab in each student's file. This is a kind of logbook describing what has been discussed with or about the student. Employers, municipalities, and teachers see the notes in it that are relevant to them.’

Privacy comes first

Flexibility is necessary when developing a system for different users, if only because the various departments within TopTaal have diverse needs and priorities. In addition, we have to deal with the wishes of our teachers and various clients, such as municipalities and companies. Legal changes, such as the revised privacy legislation in 2018, also have an impact on the system. ‘Privacy is very important to us,’ says José. ‘On the one hand, we want to have as much data as possible available online; on the other hand, privacy is our top priority. We solve this by always thinking carefully about which data we do and do not store and which users are allowed to see which data. The starting point is whether showing the information is necessary for the purpose for which the user has access to the system. For example, we do not record medical data, and the client cannot see the reason for absence provided by the student.

Developments

What does José expect customers to notice from developments within MyTopTaal in the coming period? ‘We are now ensuring that the results of the module final tests become available. By comparing that with the results from the intake at the start, you can clearly see what the result of the language lessons has been. We attach great value to that measurability. Furthermore, we will ensure that municipalities and companies can register candidates and schedule them themselves for an intake or an independent language test. The student then automatically receives an invitation and a reminder of where and when their appointment is. A lot is still going to change, especially now that municipalities will take control of integration in 2020. In the coming year, we will ensure that both our course offerings and the system are prepared for this. Think, for example, of differentiating based on individual goals from the personal Integration and Participation Plan and a different method of invoicing for the courses. Fortunately, the possibilities of MyTopTaal are endless.’

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