A number of Operational Excellence initiatives are resulting in streamlined and/or cost-saving processes on campus:
- The Account Permissions Initiative has created more efficient forms and a more streamlined process to get new employees set up with email, Sharepoint, my.smu and other work accounts. As a result, the time it takes to handle account permission requests has dropped from 9.5 days to only 4.6 days.
- To help internal and external event planners who want to book SMU spaces, the Event Management Initiative team has created smu.edu/Events, a one-stop website with photos, location details, capacities and contacts for every major venue on campus.
- The Access Control Initiative is creating a smoother, more unified workflow for granting SMU employees access to campus buildings and spaces and managing keys. The team will be establishing a fully automated process in three phases over the next two and a half years. The first phase, projected to take six months, will result in one process for both keys and electronic cards and eliminate the use of codes on doors, among other changes.
- The Exit Process Initiative team has begun implementing changes to improve the exit process for employees who are leaving the University. The team is developing a standard procedure for the exit process to provide consistency across schools and departments; creating an electronic exit form for benefit-eligible faculty and staff; enhancing communication between managers and HR; and providing more education and training to manage terminations, pay papers and time keeping.
- The Repurposed Property Initiative reports great results from its new office supply and furniture exchange listservs; hundreds of people have already signed up, and dozens of surplus supplies and furniture offerings have been shared and claimed at no charge.
Some of the funds saved through Operational Excellence initiatives have been used to upgrade classroom technology. Six classrooms received cutting-edge “prototype” technology based on different teaching formats used in those rooms – seminars, lectures, team-based teaching or case-based instruction. The new technology includes wireless screen mirroring, increased interactivity and expanded student device connection.
The Operational Excellence website also continued its series of spotlights on staff members or teams who’ve taken on new leadership roles since the implementation of OE2C and are helping bring more innovation and efficiency to campus operations. The team highlighted in November was graduate admissions, which has moved to a shared services model and now handles grad applications for five of the seven colleges.
Featured News
Minimizing Delays: New Account Permission Request Forms
Streamlining Events: SMU’s New Site Features Venues, Campus Partners and More
Access Control Recommends Fully Automated Process For Campus Spaces
Exit Process Initiative Begins Implementing Recommendations
Repurposed Property Initiative is Building Offers Since Launch
Innovative Classroom Technology Funded By Operational Excellence
Team Spotlight: The Progress of SMU’s Graduate Application Processing Initiative
