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Business & Finance DivisionBPR Planning Session MinutesAttendees: Segment 1 – Presented by Trisha Durrough Goal 1 –
Establish a strategy to incorporate BPR into day-to-day operations What benefits did we
derive in our first attempt? Jerry pointed out that there were a lot of benefits derived in the first attempt. A mission statement and meeting guidelines were developed, 74 business processes were identified, mapped and prioritized, cross-functional teams were developed and processes were changed in a very short period of time. Mike mentioned that an effort such as BPR had never been accomplished before. The experience was relatively new to everyone but it showed that change and cross-functional teamwork was possible. BPR also benefited us in our preparation and response to the SACS review. What worked and what
didn’t work? Tricia stated that she had participated on the Accounting team in the 2001 effort and never saw the benefits of the process in that perspective. It took a lot of effort to map the processes and it seemed as if nothing was ever done with them. What was more confusing to the team was that after we had charted the process, PeopleSoft was implemented with no advanced knowledge of how it worked. A team member wants to see results –they want to work on a project that is beneficial to them. Bob said that one of the benefits of a cross-functional team was the opportunity to meet and work with other campus personnel. A bond was created as well as a better understanding of how other departments work. Bob also stated that based on Tricia’s comments, we need to do a better job in promoting of the benefits of the process. There was too broad a scope last time. (i.e. too many processes being reviewed at one time). What conditions are
different this time around? Mike indicated that there is more stress now than ever before. We are constantly challenged to improve our performance with less funding, more responsibilities and fewer personnel. Dan cited that there are new personnel due to turnover or attrition. Many of the people involved in the first effort are no longer employed with the University. Stephanie added that PeopleSoft was new and agreed with Mike that people are expected to do more with less. Mr. Gauthier – What are things that PeopleSoft didn’t achieve? Jerry answered that PeopleSoft may not have reduce the number of employees; however it did help to prevent hiring any additional staff. What do we hope to
achieve? The following core business practices were suggested for BPR:
Jerry suggested that there may be many more items to include since our last BPR effort if each department would reflect on what has changed in their area over the last three years. Determine how to take
BPR and develop it into a mode of continuous improvement. Mike indicated that we needed to institutionalize BPR. There needs to be a way to make this “automatic” in all areas.
Develop strategies
for incorporating Best Business Practices. Tricia commented that membership in professional organizations, seminars, tours to other colleges/universities or just looking at another school’s website are resources for comparisons and benchmarking. Sometimes businesses outside UWG may have processes that can apply to our individual areas. We need to introduce benchmarking with our “local” level peers. Use BPR in the
development of departmental goals, which will ensure that UWG B&F Division
remain on the cutting edge. Tricia suggested that BPR be incorporated into our annual goals and be reflected in our website. There was also discussion on improving BPR documentation but nothing was resolved. Segment 2 -
Presented by Goal 2 – Incorporate assessment/effectiveness strategies within UWG Business and Finance Division through an evaluation analysis of the processes. Implement plans on
Time & Attendance and Document Management Kronos System – Time and Attendance 1. Implementation plan/ideas 2. Background (other schools using the system) 3. Presentation for VP’s A committee was ‘appointed’ by Mr.
Gauthier to look into the above three items.
The committee consists of Diane Shackleford, Christy Anderson, John
Rossler and Document ManagementDevelop other
priorities that surface within the division Direct Deposit Short term plans are requiring new employees to sign up for direct deposit. Long range plans are for the remaining campus. There was some concern on what to do with employees that do not have a bank account. Jerry mentioned that all employees would be able to obtain an account with Higher One and that the money could be deposited if they didn’t have a bank account. P-Cards Tricia would like to see the mandate at a level of
$100.00 (short-term) and $500.00 (long-term).
This would drastically cut down on the number of Mr. Gauthier advised Tricia to draft a statement to
go to a $500.00 mandate level for P-Cards on purchases/instead of Mr. Gauthier would also like Cathy Osborne to work with auditors to figure out how to eliminate the cutoff time on P-cards. Segment 3 – Presented
by Goal 3 – Develop methodology for improvement
utilizing such tools as benchmarking; customer analysis; etc. to evaluate
existing and future core business processes. 1. Identify and implement existing and objective Benchmark resources within the same institution, other institutions, or even companies outside of higher education. (Handout) o CUPA.HR o IPEDS o John Minter Associates o Bearing Point o SciQuest o APPA 2. Identify and implement analysis methods designed to measure customer satisfaction, areas for improvement, and potential future customer needs. o Surveys (examples shown of the Facilities Department Customer Survey – which has been done 3 times in the last 6 years.) o E-Mail o Rework Goals of this meeting:
Our message should include a phrasing on “improving my ability to do my job.” The meeting adjourned with understanding of a follow-up meeting to be held sometime in June/July. |
