Turning manual NCAA certification into a data-driven workflow with Argos

Each certification requires reviewing degree audits, evaluating completed, transfer, and in-progress coursework, and applying NCAA percentage thresholds at key academic milestones. The work is detailed, compliance-driven, and deadline-sensitive.

For years, the process was entirely manual. A single PTD calculation could take 30–60 minutes per athlete, depending on the complexity of their academic record. With dozens of athletes per sport and multiple teams to review, the time quickly compounded into hours of concentrated work within tight certification windows.

Deadlines were consistently met, but often under pressure. Certification only happens twice a year, making it difficult to refine the workflow. Knowledge was concentrated among a small number of staff, and the work had to be balanced alongside other registrar priorities. Athletics relied on timely approvals to clear students for competition, leaving little margin for delay.

LMU recognized that managing NCAA certification manually was no longer sustainable. It needed a more scalable, data-driven approach that could reduce strain, improve turnaround time, and strengthen collaboration across departments.

The university partnered with Evisions Professional Services to build a reporting solution tailored specifically to NCAA PTD certification. The goal was not to eliminate human review, but to create a reliable, structured foundation that would significantly accelerate calculations and reduce repetitive manual effort.

The implementation began with deep discovery. NCAA regulations are nuanced, and even small oversights in calculation logic could affect outcomes. Over several months, the team defined business rules, validated edge cases, and refined report outputs, pairing functional expertise in certification with institutional data knowledge and Professional Services development.

The final solution included Argos reports that provide a strong starting point for PTD calculations, along with scheduled jobs that refresh data daily. Instead of rebuilding calculations from scratch each cycle, staff now work from pre-validated reports that significantly narrow the manual review. A fully manual process became a streamlined, hybrid workflow driven by automation and oversight.

Time per PTD calculation dropped from approximately 30–60 minutes to closer to 10–25 minutes, an estimated 50–65% reduction in manual effort. Across dozens of athletes per certification cycle, the savings compounded quickly.

The last two rounds of certifications were completed earlier than ever before, moving the Registrar’s Office from operating near compliance deadlines to delivering approvals with significant lead time. Instead of responding under urgency, it now delivers certifications to Athletics proactively, reducing stress and improving coordination.

The improvements also created operational resilience. Increased efficiency allowed the team to absorb staffing changes without compromising deliverables, maintaining service levels while reallocating resources to other institutional priorities. What was once manual and repetitive is now structured, reliable, and scalable.

More broadly, the project showed how Argos and Evisions Professional Services can address highly specialized, compliance-driven workflows. By combining institutional expertise with a trusted technology partner, LMU modernized a decades-old process and strengthened its culture of proactive, data-driven operations.

The result is not just faster certification. It is improved collaboration, reduced compliance pressure, and a sustainable model for managing complex academic reporting.