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​Transforming City Workflows with Laserfiche Forms: A City of Santa Clarita Case Study
In this on-demand session, hear firsthand how the City of Santa Clarita has built one of Southern California’s most innovative uses of Laserfiche Forms. By streamlining internal processes and enhancing how services are delivered to residents, their team shows how Forms can evolve beyond simple digitization into a powerful engine for organizational change.
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Whether you’re new to Laserfiche Forms or looking to expand what your current environment can do, this webinar provides practical takeaways, real-world examples, and a compelling look at what’s achievable when thoughtful strategy meets experienced implementation.
What You Will Learn
The City of Santa Clarita leveraged Laserfiche Forms to modernize and scale enterprise-wide process automation, starting with a high-impact Cal Card form redesign that transformed a complex, error-prone workflow into a modular, user-friendly system using subprocesses, dynamic approvals, and inclusive gateways. The new approach supports parallel multi-approver routing, cleaner finance review, targeted revisions, and automatic record consolidation—while remaining intuitive for staff and adaptable for lower-skill builders. This success catalyzed rapid organizational adoption, positioning Forms as the backbone of the city’s digital service delivery strategy, expanding into HR, finance, travel coordination, and external-facing services. As automation matured, form development evolved beyond digitization into policy shaping, business analysis, and project management, supported by workflow integrations, timers, and data-driven logic. Overall, Forms became the city’s primary engine for scalable automation, operational consistency, and cross-department transformation.
FAQ
How does the new CalCard 2.0 system handle multiple department approvals?
Answer:
The new system allows users to select up to five different approvers for a single statement. Using inclusive gateways, the process splits into parallel tasks so all approvers can review their specific transactions simultaneously. The system then "waits" for every signature to be collected before merging the data into one final packet for the Finance department.
What is a "timer catch event," and how is it used in travel requests?
Answer:
A timer catch event is a workflow tool that pauses a process until a specific condition is met. In the City’s travel coordination process, the system uses the user’s "Return Date" variable to wait until one day after they return from a trip. At that exact time, it automatically triggers a notification email reminding the traveler to submit their actual costs and reimbursement requests.
How does the system handle revisions if Finance finds an error?
Answer:
The workflow includes logic that allows Finance to send specific sections back for revision without rejecting the entire form. For example, if Approver A’s section is correct but Approver B’s has an error, only Approver B is notified to make changes. The process then "re-stitches" the corrected data back into the main file once resolved.
What is the most important "pro-tip" for new Laserfiche Forms administrators?
Answer:
Frankie’s top recommendation is to include the Instance ID on every automated email template. When users reach out for help, they often forward emails without context; having the Instance ID allows administrators to immediately locate the specific submission in the backend and troubleshoot the issue.
How does the City decide which forms to automate next?
Answer:
Automation is driven by a mix of high-demand requests from departments like HR and Finance and the City’s five-year strategic plan, which prioritizes digital transformation. High-visibility forms (like CalCard) are often chosen first because they demonstrate the tool’s value to the entire organization, which naturally generates more buy-in for future projects.
Does the system integrate with other city business systems or ERPs?
Answer:
The City uses Active Directory for single sign-on (SSO) and is currently developing a connector to pull live data—such as account codes and vendor numbers—directly from their finance system into form dropdown menus. For data visualization and complex reporting, they often export form data into Smartsheet to create executive dashboards.
How long does it take to build a complex process?
Answer:
It varies by scope. Simple forms can be built and published in a single day or a week. However, high-impact processes that involve organizational policy changes—like the Travel Coordination process—can take six months or more due to the need for stakeholder meetings and decision-making at the leadership level.
How has the role of the forms administrator evolved?
Answer:
The role has transitioned from a technical "form builder" to a Business Analyst. Building these workflows requires the administrator to sit in on policy meetings, suggest more efficient ways to handle city business, and manage projects that often change how departments fundamentally operate.
Is the City using Laserfiche Forms for external public use?
Answer:
Yes. While many workflows are internal (HR/Finance), the City uses external-facing forms for vendor sign-ups for arts and events, basketball court and picnic area reservations, and youth camp health history forms for parents.
