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Singapore Management University (SMU) has completed a campus-wide enterprise modernisation initiative aimed at simplifying administrative operations and creating a unified digital backbone to support future digital initiatives.
Rather than replacing isolated systems individually, the university consolidated core corporate functions including finance, human resources, procurement and travel management onto an integrated cloud platform. The institution said this move is intended to reduce operational complexity while giving administrators greater visibility across business functions.
This initiative forms part of SMU's broader SMU2030 strategy, which focuses on strengthening the university's academic, research and operational capabilities through digital transformation.
Lau Kai Cheong, chief information officer at SMU said, "By modernising our core platforms, harmonising processes, and creating a more connected data environment, we have enhanced operational efficiency, strengthened decision-making capabilities, and created a scalable foundation for future innovation.”
The university said its modern ERP platform now supports finance, grants, treasury and reporting, while new HR capabilities provide employees with mobile self-service access to leave management and administrative services. Procurement processes have also been digitised to standardise supplier onboarding and purchasing workflows.
Since the new platform went live in January 2026, SMU reported strong employee adoption and increased automation across key business processes.
The university said employee adoption of its HR platform has reached 83 percent, with nearly 3,900 automated workflows triggered. More than 10,000 suppliers have been onboarded through self-service registration, while approximately 4,700 purchase orders have been synchronised through integrated procurement processes.
Finance operations have also become more streamlined, with over 3,600 expense claims processed, 3,700 payments completed and more than 500 accounts receivable collections recorded shortly after deployment.
Lau said the programme has improved collaboration across departments by bringing operational functions onto a common platform.
"The transformation has streamlined many of our day-to-day processes and improved the experience for employees across the university. By bringing together key operational functions on a connected platform, we have improved visibility, streamlined approvals and created a stronger foundation for collaboration and data-driven decision-making," he added.
This transformation reflects a wider trend across higher education institutions, where universities are increasingly modernising enterprise systems that have traditionally evolved independently over many years.
