1. Forms Development Important Considerations

2. Forms Development Step 1  Determine all official forms you use, ie. grade forms, transcripts, attendance rosters, etc.

3. Forms Development Step 2  Contact a company that will be able to develop the form(s) for you.  You will want to consider how many parts you would like to form to be; if it is to be printed on a laser or impact printer; what features would you like on the form; such as a form that can be folded and mailed.  Determine which company can provide the options you need for each form.

4. Form Development Step 3  Contact the company well in advance of your first scheduled printing so that you can send them test files so that you can get the form exactly how you want it to look.  Word of Caution: You may have already had forms developed for grade reports and transcripts. You will need to have the form re- developed to match the fields that will be generated in colleague. A form developed for legacy will not recognize the colleague fields and your form will not print correctly.

5. Form Development Step 5  Look at samples of previous forms as well as other school’s forms to see what you would like to print on your forms.  Most companies or schools can send you a sample of their forms upon request.

6. Form Development Step 6  Work with your Systems Administrator and other departments that may use the same or similar forms.  You may be able to develop one form to suit all departments.  Your SA will also be needed to send test forms to the form developer.

7. Form Development Step 7  Make sure you look carefully to ensure that all revisions have been made and approved before sending the final approval for your form.  Communicate with the form developer so that they know how your test forms look and if they are printing correctly.  Try to use different situations to test forms, ie. one and multiple page transcripts, quarter and semester courses, transfer credits, etc.

8. Form Development Final Thought  Maintain your contact with the company in case you have any unforeseen problems that arise.