How IIM Kozhikode synchronised elective course bidding and automated timetable scheduling on one platform

Placement Operations at XLRI

XLRI implemented Skynet in October 2018 to automate its Day placement process — replacing manual scheduling and student tracking with a single integrated platform. When the pandemic forced a shift to remote operations, EDTEX delivered a full Virtual Placements module, enabling XLRI to conduct its Summer Internship Process entirely online without disruption.

Since its implementation, Skynet has significantly enhanced XLRI's placement processes, demonstrating exceptional performance and reliability across multiple placement seasons for students, the Placement Committee, Institute Administration, and participating companies.

A process built for a different era

XLRI's placement process involves coordinating hundreds of students, multiple recruiting companies, and a placement committee — simultaneously and under significant time pressure. Before Skynet, this coordination relied heavily on manual processes: spreadsheets, emails, and ad-hoc scheduling tools that created fragmentation and limited real-time visibility.

When COVID-19 arrived, the challenge escalated — the institution needed to replicate the full placement experience in a virtual environment, without compromising quality, timelines, or participant experience.

Where the process was failing

• Manual Day placement scheduling prone to conflicts and coordination errors
• No real-time student tracking during active placement drives
• Fragmented communication between students, placement committee, and recruiters
• No infrastructure for virtual placement delivery during the pandemic
• High administrative burden on the placement office across every placement season

How Skynet changed Day 0

EDTEX deployed Skynet at XLRI to automate the full Day placement process — including structured scheduling, real-time student tracking, and centralised coordination across all stakeholders. When the pandemic hit, EDTEX developed a dedicated Virtual Placements Automation module with purpose-built interfaces for both students and companies.

Day placement automation

Structured scheduling and real-time student tracking across the full Day placement cycle.

Virtual SIP delivery

XLRI's Summer Internship Process conducted 100% virtually using Skynet's virtual placements module.

Dedicated student & company interfaces

Purpose-built portals for each stakeholder group ensuring seamless participation in virtual placements.

Continuous EDTEX support

On-ground support during active placement seasons with prompt issue resolution across all cycles since 2018.

What XLRI achieved

• Full automation of Day placement scheduling and real-time student tracking
• Virtual SIP conducted end-to-end with zero disruption during COVID-19
• Dedicated student and company interfaces for virtual placements
• Unanimous satisfaction across students, administration, committee, and recruiters
• Consistent, reliable operation across 6+ placement seasons since 2018

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Course bidding at OPJGU

In 2020, OP Jindal Global University partnered with EDTEX to deploy Registro CBS — digitising its entire elective course bidding process through time-based selection windows. For the first time, more than 5,000 students could participate in a single registration window across 10+ schools and 45+ programmes, simultaneously and without administrative bottlenecks.

This innovation reduced manual effort by more than 97% for both Programme Offices and students, and allowed the institution to implement programme-specific credit policies, support multi-term bidding involving multiple elective rounds, and reduce overall student queries by 99% during course registration. To date, Registro has supported over 30,000 students and 5,000 electives cumulatively since its first implementation.

Bidding at impossible scale

Course bidding at OPJGU is one of the most complex academic operations in India's higher education landscape. The institution runs multi-term bidding across 10+ schools, each with its own credit policies, seat-sharing rules, and specialisation or concentration requirements.

Before Registro, this process required significant manual coordination between IT offices and programme teams — leaving room for error, policy inconsistency, and a high volume of student queries during every registration cycle. The existing approach could not scale with OPJGU's growing student intake.

What the manual process couldn't handle

• No unified system for multi-school, multi-term elective bidding
• Manual coordination between IT office and programme offices causing delays and errors
• Inability to implement and enforce programme-specific credit policies at scale
• High volume of student queries during every registration cycle
• No student visibility into course allocation process or seat availability
• Scaling limitations as student intake grew across schools and programmes

How Registro CBS took over

EDTEX deployed Registro CBS configured to handle OPJGU's full operational complexity — programme-specific credit policies, multi-term bidding rounds, seat sharing across schools, and concentration or specialisation implementation — within a single unified platform. EDTEX worked closely with the IT Office and Programme Offices to design the process, establish best practices, and customise the bidding system.

Time-based registration windows

5,000+ students managed simultaneously in a single real-time bidding window.

Programme-specific credit policies

Automated enforcement of individual programme credit rules and concentration requirements.

Multi-term bidding support

Multiple elective bidding rounds across terms — all managed within one platform.

Seat sharing & specialisation

Complex seat-sharing logic across schools with concentration and specialisation implementation.

Full student visibility

Students have complete visibility into the course allocation process — eliminating uncertainty and query overload.

End-to-end onboarding support

Power guides, live workshops, live chat support, and data preparation assistance for every bidding cycle.

The numbers that followed

• 97% reduction in manual effort for both programme offices and students
• 99% reduction in student queries during course registration
• 5,000+ students managed in a single real-time bidding window
• 30,000+ students and 5,000 electives supported cumulatively since 2020
• Programme-specific credit policies automated and enforced at scale
• Student satisfaction consistently rated above 4.5 out of 5.0
• First multi-term elective bidding cycles successfully delivered in India

Placement Operations Automation at ISB

In 2023, ISB Hyderabad & Mohali replaced its legacy placements platform with a fully customised deployment of Skynet — purpose-built to match the institution's unique placement workflows. The result is a unified, automated system serving students, the placement office, and recruiters across both campuses from a single dedicated cloud environment.

Recognising the unique needs of ISB's placement process, the Skynet platform was customised to fit the specific requirements of the institute — automating everything from student profile creation and CV generation to dream offer workflows, interview scheduling, and 50+ custom analytics dashboards.

A legacy system holding them back

ISB's placement process is not a standard workflow. It involves nuanced requirements — from dream offer management and PPT event tracking to custom access controls for different functional roles — that generic enterprise software cannot accommodate.

The existing legacy platform had become a bottleneck: unable to scale with the institution's needs, lacking the automation depth required, and demanding significant manual intervention at every stage. ISB needed a platform built around its process — not the other way around.

Where the old platform fell short

• Legacy platform unable to support ISB's depth of placement workflows
• Manual processes for CV generation, shortlisting, and offer management
• No centralised system for dream offer workflows and recruiter management
• Limited analytics and reporting capability for the placement office
• No cross-campus coordination between Hyderabad and Mohali on one platform
• High administrative overhead for invoicing, query management, and access control

A Skynet built for ISB

EDTEX deployed a fully customised instance of Skynet at ISB — designed in close collaboration with the placement office. The platform automates 16+ placement workflows across the full recruitment lifecycle:

• Student master profile creation, data validation & e-profile book
• Automatic CV generation in ISB's institutional format
• PPT event management with notifications & attendance tracking
• Applications and shortlisting management
• Dream offer workflows and offer management
• Interview scheduling across student and recruiter calendars
• 50+ custom reports and analytics dashboards
• Custom user access and functional control management
• Dedicated single-tenant EDTEX cloud for optimal performance
• Recruiter registration portal and invoicing workflows
• Query management system for placement season support

What the new platform delivered

• Legacy platform successfully replaced with zero process disruption at ISB
• Full end-to-end placement workflow automated across both Hyderabad and Mohali campuses
• 50+ custom dashboards delivering actionable placement analytics
• Dream offer workflows and recruiter portal live from day one
• Significant reduction in manual workload for placement office staff
• Improved transparency and real-time visibility for students and recruiters

Exceptional Support

Throughout the implementation and operational phases, the EDTEX team provided exceptional support to ISB Hyderabad. Their expertise in developing tailored software solutions ensured that the Skynet platform was perfectly aligned with the institute's specific needs. The team's responsiveness and commitment to addressing any issues promptly played a crucial role in the successful deployment of the system.

Conclusion

The implementation of the Skynet Placement Process Automation system at ISB Hyderabad represents a significant advancement in the institute's placement activities. By customizing the platform to meet their unique requirements, ISB Hyderabad has enhanced the efficiency, accuracy, and transparency of their placement process. The collaboration with EDTEX has proven to be highly beneficial, providing a robust and user-friendly solution that meets the high standards of the institution.

This tailored automation system not only streamlines the placement process but also ensures a seamless experience for all stakeholders involved, positioning ISB Hyderabad as a leader in innovative educational solutions.