How AFDA Boosts Cross-Campus Collaboration With Asset Operations
AFDA is a leading film school in South Africa with over 2,700 students across its four campuses. This case study highlights AFDA'S journey in transforming its asset management practices from a traditional, manual approach to a collaborative, real-time system using Cheqroom.
The Challenge:
Siloed Systems & Staggering Accountability Gaps
AFDA struggled with inefficiency, limited visibility, and audit risk because its asset management relied on outdated methods, including a traditional fixed asset register and a manual pen-and-paper system. This resulted in cumbersome check-in/check-out processes, and the system couldn't provide crucial, real-time data on an asset's condition or redundancy. An internal audit revealed a staggering 30-year backlog of unaccounted-for assets, and the lack of a centralized system hindered efficiency and compliance across multiple departments like IT, Finance, Academic Staff, and Stores Officers.
The Solution:
A Centralized System and Collaborative Workflows
AFDA partnered with Cheqroom in 2021, where they began the process of building a centralized system and collaborative workflows to manage over 22,000 valuable assets across multiple departments. They implemented a strategy of rigorous categorization and customization using Cheqroom's features to mirror its unique operating procedures.
4 Highlights from AFDA's Improved Equipment Management Workflow with Cheqroom:
Customized Asset Hierarchy
All assets were put into detailed categories and subcategories (e.g., "Audio," "IT Equipment," with subcategories like "RAM" or "Dslr cameras") to enable meticulous tracking and management. Individual items were grouped into kits for simplified production dispatch.
Role-Based Access and Permissions
Permissions were established based on profile, year group, and location, ensuring students had limited access tied to curriculum needs, while administrative accounts had full oversight.
Proactive Lifecycle Management
Purchase date and price were added to items so the team can pull reports to see the depreciation rate, moving the institution from reactive replacement to data-driven CapEx planning.
Integrated Departmental Workflows
The system served as a single, collaborative hub across multiple departments for alignment across teams.
Academic Staff
Use Reservation Approval to ensure students meet competency requirements before gear is dispatched
Stores Officers
Use Mobile Scanning (via iPads and QR codes) for quick and accurate check-in/check-out
Finance Department
Use Pre-Payment Loading to load full financial details, including invoice numbers and purchase price, before approving payment
IT Department
Use Custody Assignment to permanently link high-value assets (e.g., laptops by serial number) to specific staff members and locations
The Impact:
35% Increase in Productivity
Due to replacing the pen-and-paper tracking system with mobile scanning
90% Student Satisfaction
Reported from independent quarterly surveys shows the student body is satisfied with the new process
22,000+ Assets Secured
Because of meticulous, itemized details to support compliance and fiscal audits
"It's really helped us be ahead of the curve in terms of ensuring that our assets don't depreciate without us knowing about it."
By replacing decades-old manual processes with a unified, cloud-based asset platform, the institution unlocked a 35% productivity surge, end-to-end oversight, and seamless collaboration across Stores, Finance, IT, and Academics. The investment quickly proved its worth as previously untraceable assets became fully accountable, enabling smarter financial planning, accurate depreciation tracking, and airtight audit compliance. At the same time, students felt the benefits immediately, with over 90% reporting high satisfaction thanks to faster checkouts, effortless onboarding, and remote issue resolution. Together, these gains transformed operations, strengthened financial governance, and elevated the student experience to a national 85% success benchmark.
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