Sustaining Transformational Change

1. Sustaining Transformational Change Why do we need to focus on sustainability? • Too much re-inventing of the wheel in short-term funded projects • Changing funding environment • Funding agencies are focusing on collaboration, transformation, efficiencies, capacity-building and impact & benefits realisation for the sector • Increasing focus on ROI (Return On Investment), impact of investments and costs/benefits – at sector, institution and faculty/school levels

2. Sustainability – a suggested definition • What project sustainability can mean: • Maintaining and further enhancing the project goals and outcomes • Embedding project goals and outcomes into: • PEOPLE - staff motivation, expertise, knowledge and know-how • PROCESSES - processes, policy & strategy • TOOLS & RESOURCES - usable and accessible tools & resources • .... at institutional, school, faculty, department and sector levels • What project sustainability does not necessarily mean: • Maintaining all activities • Being dependent upon further funding

3. What is the X factor for embedding? JISC Project Embedding Project outputs INSTITUTION Innovation X factor? Faculties Schools Pilot X+ factor? • Processes • Briefing papers • Conference papers • Case studies • Research evidence • Evaluation reports • Best practice guides • Principles/frameworks of LT&A • Toolkits e.g. training materials, software • Demos, exemplars • Community of Practice • Online resources • Content • Standards • Services • Testimonials • Customisable resources X++ factor? SECTOR Institutions JISC programme outcomes Faculties Schools Maintain and further enhance project goals and outputs

4. Key questions to ask • Which outcomes do you want to sustain – is there evidence to support their being sustained? • Which staff/schools/faculties/institutions could benefit from your project outcomes – and how will you motivate them & communicate your outcomes and their benefits to them? • What will “embedding” in your institution look like – & how will you know when you’ve got it? • What steps are you putting in place to ensure that your ‘products / processes' will be sustainable, transferable and ready for embedding? • What barriers are there to sustaining and embedding? • Who will champion embedding? • What needs to be done during the project ... and then post-project?

5. Options for sustaining & embedding projects Sustainability & embedding Vision and Plan Further funding Potential collaborative approaches Communities of Practice Faculty/school; Institutional; Sector; Regional; Subject centres; International Link to successes (from evaluation & impact analysis); Measures? Business approaches National; Regional; Subject centres; International Embed in processes, policies, strategies & plans Identify potential costs/benefits/impact e.g. QE, efficiencies, capacity-building; Identify priorities e.g. most bang from the buck ; Potential income? Support mechanisms • Briefing papers • Conference papers • Case studies • Research evidence • Evaluation reports • Best practice guides • Principles/frameworks of LT&A • Toolkits e.g. training materials, software • Demos, exemplars • Online resources • Content • Standards • Services • Testimonials • Customisable resources Communicate, Communicate, Communicate (multimedia) e.g. peer support, mentoring, buddying Change management programmes USABLE and ACCESSIBLE resources & tools • Stakeholder engagement and communications strategy and plan ; • Campaigns • e.g. • CABLE (Herts); • HEA Enhancement Academy; • JISC/Insead simulation; • JISC Scenario Planning • Ensure users can easily identify and access them Benchmarking

6. Key Challenges for sustainability