Business Process Review at Kingston University

1. Business Process Review at Kingston University An overview of KU’s 7 steps of review Some of the lessons learnt and critical success factors

2. About KU • Approx 18,000 students • 7 faculties of varying size • School structure in larger faculties • Income related budgets for faculties • Autonomy and authority of Deans • 10 corporate/service departments

3. Objectives for BPR • To deliver high standards of service • To reduce duplication of effort • Encourage development of harmonised more streamlined procedures • Clarify roles and responsibilities • clearer division of labour between parts of the University

4. Approach and methodologyProject management (formal project documentation) and inclusiveImplementation of recommendations a separate project

5. 7 key steps of review at KU • Project initiation – including PDD • Desk review • Interviews • Workshops • a) fact-finding b) process redesign • Review options and develop preferred solutions • Report Preparation • Presentation to Project Board

6. Step1 – project initiation • For each process first agree a project definition document: • Define your aims • Define the scope • start & finish of process, inclusions, related processes, exclusions • Define process objectives and measures • State expected business benefits of potential improvements • Define known constraints • State deliverables and expected resource requirement • Provide a high level work plan • Suggest the project team and team member’s roles • Do a thorough stakeholder analysis • Start a risk analysis • Define your success factors, a communication plan • Suggest the time for the post-implementation review if possible

7. A word about stakeholder analysis • Lots of people can be affected by the change • To ensure a positive contribution seek to • Understand who they are • What influence/source of power they bring to bear • And what they have at stake • Then establish a process to actively manage stakeholders through communication • Your analysis can be based on • Impact, orientation, need and/or power

8. Lesson 1 • Be thorough in your analysis • Be proactive and communicate • Don’t ignore key players • Seek out and manage individual key stakeholders • Seek out and manage individuals who may be “road-blocks”

9. Business Process Review of xxxx processes - Stakeholder Analysis

10. Start your risk log now

11. High level project plan

12. Steps 2 and 3 • Project initiation – including PDD • Desk review • Interviews • Required to get an overview of current process and problems and use this to: • Draft a high level current process map “as is” • Start your issues log • Plan how to approach the workshops to ensure you can achieve the results you want • Think carefully about how to structure these and what groups to put together • Admissions example

13. Admissions example Desk review & interviews revealed serious conflict between faculties and centre because • Central department was established to improve response times to applicants • Based on assumption 80% applications could be processed centrally • This was translated into “should” • But reality was 50% applications required academic scrutiny

14. Project initiation – including PDD Desk review Interviews Workshops fact-finding process redesign TIP Start fact finding workshop with validation of your desk researched current process steps map Helps settle attendees Easier to correct what’s wrong than start from blank sheet of paper Teases out differences in process Teases out issues Step 4

15. Lesson 2 • Separate fact-finding & redesign workshops Usually 1 week apart Enables move to solution finding TIPS • Have good chocolate biscuits! • Half day sessions work well (9am – 2pm) • Working lunch encourages useful informal discussions to happen • Write up “findings” for validation, additions & corrections by workshop attendees

16. Lesson 2 continued Provide clear guidance for each workshop • Explain what you mean by process review • Explain your methodology and approach • Tell them what you expect from them • Give ground rules for the workshops • Tell them what output the workshop should be • Eg for fact-finding workshop together you will define: • The “As Is” process map, showing ownership of steps and critical path, identifies some measures of the process (including elapsed time if appropriate) • A consolidated and categorised issues log • The requirements/objectives of the process

17. Use process step analysis WHY - Why do we do this Process Step? - Is its purpose clear? WHAT - What is done in this process step? - Is there a clearly defined method for doing the step, with clear performance standards? INPUT - What are the inputs? - Who are the suppliers? -What are the standards and how are they measured? OUTPUT - What are the outputs? -Who are the customers? -What are the standards and how are they measured THE PROCESS STEP HOW - How is this process step done? • Is there the capability to achieve the standard (skills, equipment, facilities)? - Is all the information and knowledge available? HOW WELL -How well is this process step done? - Is its actual performance measured and compared to the standard? - Is corrective action taken when required?

18. Identify the cause of problems Cause Cause Cause Cause Aim is “to identify improvements, not to apportion blame”

19. Project initiation – including PDD Desk review Interviews Workshops fact-finding process redesign TIPS Write up notes from workshop quickly – agreed process, list of issues, process objectives; circulate these for validation, ask for additions thought of since the session Start redesign workshop with the agreed objectives and categorised issues list output from fact-finding workshop eg from admissions: Step 4 continued

20. Example - objectives of admissions • To select and recruit suitable applicants to the right courses • To optimise process to meet recruitment targets • To embody good practice • ensuring it remains appropriate as the recruitment environment changes • To provide high quality service to applicants

21. Example of key issues in admissions • Conflict exacerbated by lack of clarity • about roles & responsibilities • about terms & definitions • Inefficiency, non-adherence to SLAs • No central deposit of information • Resource issues • Inadequate information flow

22. Develops ideas for an improved process, based on our agreed requirements Creates a “To Be” roadmap by Critically evaluates and challenges the status quo Looks for creative alternatives Looks for more efficient ways to achieve objectives Asks questions of each process step, such as: Process redesign workshop Is it required ? Should you do it ? Can it be automated ? Does it add value ? Is it duplicated ? Can it be simplified ?

23. TIP - for complex processes ‘Critical Evaluation’ is a useful technique to manage redesign in steps

24. 7 key steps of review at KU TIP • Remember to write up notes from re-design workshop quickly; circulate for validation and additions before reviewing options & developing preferred solutions • Project initiation – including PDD • Desk review • Interviews • Workshops • a) fact-finding b) process redesign • Review options and develop preferred solutions

25. Final steps - project team develops preferred solutions • Takes ideas generated at workshops • Looks at other HEIs for ideas and possibilities • Evaluates and develops preferred options TIP • May be useful to bring some faculty representation to the project team 6 elements of good process • Customer (end-user) focus • Adds value (not cost) • Responsibilities clearly owned • Those operating understand the process • Well measured • And continuously improved 6 principles of good process design • Streamline (remove duplication) • Simplify (common standard approach) • Move decision points (to as early in the process as possible) • Remove linear or sequential steps (adopt parallel steps where possible) • Take a multi-skill/team base approach • Use technology as an enabler

26. Administrative principles appropriate to any process - JISC • Do it ONCE • Do it RIGHT • Do it QUICKLY • Keep it SIMPLE • TRUST me • I am ACCOUNTABLE TIP • Validate preferred options with key stakeholders

27. Example conclusions from admissions • A fundamental lack of trust between central dept and faculties • Distancing of admissions tutors from central dept and vice versa • All staff involved in admissions feeling disempowered and frustrated • Difficulty in managing the process centrally due to lack of data input to student records system

28. Key changes in redesign • Accepted the changed environment and • Removed the assumption that the majority of undergraduate applications be centrally processed • Required adequate resources for the additional academic decision making and interviewing • Acknowledged the process as a joint activity • Accepted control of information in corporate system was critical to managing the whole process • Adopted a process whereby the “decision” was part of a timely process • Embedded customer relationship management

29. Steps 6 and 7 • Project initiation – including PDD • Desk review • Interviews • Workshops • a) fact-finding b) process redesign • Review options and develop preferred solutions • Report Preparation • Project team develops preferred options into a business case for change • models the redesigned processes • Presentation to Project Steering Group • Ultimate decision making point

32. Lesson 3 Communicate widely • Used BPR internal web page provides • briefings prior to workshops • updates on findings and interim bulletins • final reports with recommendations & process models • Invest time in a “roadshow” to present and discuss findings and recommendations • Tailor the approach to take account of structure and culture of your organisation • Visit sites if campus is not on one location • Use appropriate forums/committees to get colleagues to understand and therefore support change

33. Lesson 4 Be flexible • Be responsive to constructive criticism • Be prepared to review your recommendations • Take account of feedback and concerns from your stakeholders • They may be right !! – example from admissions

34. Faculties invited to comment on • CRM plan and timeframe maximums • Principles • Removal of assumption of majority processed by central dept • Academic decision making absolute (no matriculation checks by central dept) • Use of corporate system for all steps in process • Process • Allocation of roles and responsibilities, particularly: • Faculty/central department split • Single faculty contact point • Interview administration

35. Lesson 5 Manage expectations of benefits • Tendency to expect to £ savings from change • Address qualitative benefits of new processes • Measure what you are doing now • marker to demonstrate improvement against • Model the costs of new processes

36. Lesson 6 Enable change in policy • BPR may result in recommendations that require change in policy • Decide best approach to achieve the desired change • Use established good practice guidelines to underpin your arguments for change • Use benchmarks from other organisations where appropriate

37. Lesson 7 Be patient, hold on to your goals Agree a time for post implementation review • Compare against measurements of current processes to demonstrate benefits achieved by change • Be aware of the time lag before being able to demonstrate improvement • Many processes are based on the annual cycle of events in academic administration which makes it more difficult to maintain momentum and motivation because of the delay in showing improvements have been achieved

38. A word about implementation • Separate project for implementation • Project best led by process owner • Ensures line management authority for action • Manages clash of resource for operational responsibilities • Project management approach to implementation • Project steering group/board to manage progress with BPR manager as a member to • Provide continuity from review • Assist project team to understand objectives to be achieved • Assist project team to establish project plan • Ensure original recommendations not watered down because of difficulties during implementation

39. What we achieved • Harmonised procedures • Clarified roles and responsibilities • Developed user confidence & trust in the process and central department • increased demand for central processing now • All processing recorded in corporate system • Enables recruitment and admissions strategies to be measured and analysed for effectiveness • Provides mechanisms for continuous improvement

40. What we achieved (continued) • Improved quality of service & response time to applicants • At least 80% applications processed within the timeframes • 45% of those processed within 5 working days • Because we removed duplication of effort and reduced costs • U/G 11.5% efficiency gain; P/G 2.2% efficiency gain • Able to cope with growth 49% increase in applications between 2001/2-2005/6 (average for comparator group 16%) – UCAS annual datasets 40% increase in offers made to applicants

42. Week by week trendOct 2005 - July 2006

44. Critical success factors • Respected top level sponsors; proactive champions of change • Independence and internal knowledge of BPR team • Inclusive approach to review that involves stakeholders • Project management approach to review & implementation • Good planning – adequate time & resource • Separate implementation and Plan procedures to support new operational process Remember balance of resource: design of change = 20% effort implementation of change = 80% effort • Accept the transitional steps in process of change and retain your determination!

45. Thank you for listening Paula Thorne-Jones BPR Manager p.thorne-jones@kingston.ac.uk