How UVA’s Batten School Streamlined Workflows and Cut Costs

At the University of Virginia’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, bloated systems were blocking innovation. What started as a simple CRM had become a sprawling web of customizations, costly plugins, and IT bottlenecks. Even small updates required significant effort. Something had to change.

By partnering with JourneyTeam and embracing Microsoft’s Power Platform, Batten charted a smarter path forward—one that empowered internal teams, simplified processes, and cut costs by over $60,000 annually. At the heart of it was a guided experience with Power Platform that helped the school see exactly what was possible with low-code development.

The Tipping Point: Overextended Salesforce

Salesforce had once helped Batten manage key functions like admissions and student records. Over time, it morphed into an overloaded system managing everything from academic advising to supply orders. This overreliance led to:

• Escalating costs, including over $9,000 annually for a single plugin.
• Developer bottlenecks, with a handful of IT staff responsible for all updates.
• Workflow delays, where even basic form changes stalled under technical complexity.

UVA’s broader shift toward Microsoft 365 made the misalignment even more pronounced. Batten needed a solution that was secure, scalable, and tightly integrated with UVA’s tech stack.

A Hands-On Start: App in a Day with JourneyTeam

Before committing to a new platform, Batten’s IT Director, Mark Outten, wanted to explore the Power Platform firsthand. JourneyTeam’s App in a Day session—a structured, one-day workshop—was the perfect entry point.

Unlike webinars or documentation, App in a Day offered live, real-world problem solving with expert guidance. Outten gained critical hands-on experience building apps, learning Power Platform’s architecture, and understanding how UVA’s data could be used to create smarter workflows.

“It was a learning adventure for me… I needed to see what was there—what was going to be available—rather than just read about it on Microsoft’s website. App-in-a-Day helped me touch the technology and understand what we could actually build.”

—Mark Outten, IT Director

The experience was more than educational—it was catalytic. It built internal confidence and demonstrated that Batten didn’t need to rely exclusively on developers. Power Platform could empower citizen developers to build real solutions without writing code.

From Intake Form to Custom Portal

With JourneyTeam as a strategic implementation partner, Batten quickly moved from exploration to execution. The school’s first priority: replace an outdated “pre-entrance” student form with a secure, self-service portal.

JourneyTeam worked with Batten to design and launch a Power Pages portal that aligned with the school’s branding and met accessibility standards. Using Power Apps, the team built a Student Profile form to collect key data—everything from dietary restrictions to policy interests—while giving students the ability to update their information throughout their academic journey.

Key features of the new portal include:

• Role-based access with Azure Entra ID – Students gain access via single sign-on when provisioned in UVA’s systems. Staff have permissions tailored to their roles.
• Editorial review workflows – Staff review and approve submitted content (e.g., photos, bios) to ensure professionalism and consistency.
• Mobile-first design – The portal is responsive and fully accessible from phones and tablets.

“Now our employees can pull up a student’s background, interests, and photo right from their phones instead of printing out PDFs,” said Outten. “It’s streamlined, secure, and personalized—which is exactly what we needed.”

Simplified Security and Seamless Integration

JourneyTeam helped ensure that integration with UVA’s Microsoft infrastructure was a first-class citizen. The portal’s security is governed entirely through Azure Entra ID, simplifying access management and eliminating manual provisioning tasks.

The team also built the solution to scale, knowing that it would eventually plug into broader UVA datasets for enrollment, HR, and finance all under the same Microsoft 365 umbrella.

Tangible Results: Cost Savings and Strategic Focus

Although the Power Pages portal is still rolling out, the results are already clear:

• $60,000+ in projected annual savings by eliminating Salesforce and plugins.
• 75% reduction in system maintenance time, allowing IT to focus on analytics and strategy.
• Faster updates and fewer support requests due to low-code configuration.

The portal gave Batten a solid foundation to build from—not just for student engagement, but for broader process automation.

Scaling with Power Platform: What’s Next?

With one successful project under their belt, Batten and JourneyTeam are planning additional Power Platform initiatives. These include:

• Power BI dashboards that blend UVA’s centralized data with student-submitted info.
• Power Apps for internal workflows like graduate assistant requests or letter generation.
• Expansion of the student portal to cover advising, event signups, and more.

Outten noted that even in the weeks after launch, new use cases were already surfacing. Thanks to Power Platform, the school can now build on demand without lengthy development cycles. “With Power Apps, we can build exactly what we need, when we need it—without starting from scratch.”

Why It Worked: A Flexible Platform + the Right Partner

Batten’s success with Power Platform is a case study in combining the right tools with the right guidance. Microsoft’s low-code ecosystem provided the flexibility and cost efficiency. JourneyTeam brought the expertise to guide the implementation, customize the solution, and train internal staff for long-term ownership.

“JourneyTeam was patient, flexible, and incredibly sharp. They helped us navigate unfamiliar territory and make decisions that balanced ambition with practicality,” Outten said.

A Sustainable Future

The Batten School’s shift from Salesforce to Power Platform wasn’t just about cutting costs— it was about building a sustainable, scalable solution that puts students and staff first. With a secure Microsoft-native portal in place, the school is poised for continuous innovation. And thanks to the foundational support from JourneyTeam, they’re ready to lead the next phase themselves.

Whether your institution is stuck with legacy systems or just looking for a smarter way to manage engagement, the Batten story is proof: you don’t need to overhaul everything to start making an impact. You can read the entire case study here.

Sometimes, it just takes the right partner and a day of hands-on learning to launch something transformative. Reach out to JourneyTeam and we’ll get you started on a transformative path today!

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