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Streamlined Technology Purchasing Saves SMU $84K

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This summer, SMU will be replacing more than 555 computers for faculty and staff.

The funding for these upgraded machines comes from the Technology Fund and provides new equipment based on Technology Fund eligibility rules for employees in each academic and administrative unit.

Because of the centralized structure in Purchasing that includes a category manager assigned exclusively to technology, SMU will save upwards of $84,000 on the purchase of these new computers this year. Abby Kinney, Category Manager- Information Technology, moved to Purchasing in the Shared Services restructuring in 2015 and brought more than 22 years of experience in SMU’s OIT office with her.

Thanks to the combination of her experience and the new processes for procurement, Abby helped advocate for and oversaw an unprecedented centralized purchase of computers. She partnered with OIT to develop a standard configuration for computers that allows us to purchase larger volumes at one time through a competitive bid process and save the University thousands of dollars.

 To see more savings and efficiency achieved through Operational Excellence initiatives, be sure to check out the quarterly metrics update here.  If you have ideas about how to streamline operations or help SMU find ways to save money, be sure to submit them via the Operational Excellence online comments form (comments may be submitted completely anonymously).

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The First Two Ideas of The Repurposed Property Initiative

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Last fall, the Office of Operational Excellence created the Repurposed Property Initiative to respond to valuable cost-saving ideas from the campus community.

This group, led by Project Manager Karie Conklin (OIT), set out to improve and clarify the process by which University-owned furniture and supplies can be designated for use by other departments on campus.  The Initiative Team’s recommendations to the Operational Excellence Executive Committee were accepted this spring and the group’s first two ideas will be implemented in FY18.

Beginning in the summer of 2017, the Repurposed Property Initiative will launch an office supply swap email listserv. SMU faculty and staff will be able to sign up for the listserv on a voluntary basis and email the group with any excess or surplus office supplies that are new or in good condition they would like off of their desks. Other listserv participants who wish to have the items being offered for use on campus may claim them on a first-come, first-serve basis for no charge. The office supply swap list is designed to match up SMU employees on campus with supply needs with those who have extra and save departments on purchases. An email invitation will be sent to all SMU faculty and staff inviting them to participate when the listserv is launched.

On a larger scale, the Initiative Team is in the process of creating a website that will allow employees in all SMU departments to post larger unwanted items, especially gently-used furniture, to be claimed by others on campus. Claims for posted items will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis and will require the claimer to give an SMU org number. Though the furniture exchange will be free, claims on offered pieces will generate a work order to move the large property and the org number listed will be charged for the nominal moving fee. 

Watch for the launch of these cost-saving and waste-reducing tools this summer and if you have additional suggestions for the Repurposed Property Team, please share them here.

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Exit Process Initiative

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SMU’s existing process for an employee’s departure from the University is problematic for several reasons. Termination notices are difficult to schedule, outstanding balances are difficult to collect, and often the employee’s termination date changes, further complicating things.

Currently the exit process requires interaction between a minimum of six offices, depending on the access level of the employee leaving and whether or not they are a faculty or staff member. The process is manual and managed through email, with no streamlined electronic way to coordinate between various departments.

To improve upon the handful of attempts to simplify the termination/exit process over the years, the Office of Operational Excellence has created the Exit Process Initiative.

The Initiative Team, led by project manager Sheri Starkey, will work to better understand the current system and identify ways in which SMU can more efficiently process departing employees.

Exit Process Team Members

Project Manager: Sheri Starkey (HR)

Holly Carter (HR)

Susan Howe (Legal)

Tommy Doan (OIT)

George Finney (OIT)

Paula Medders (Payroll)

Judy King (Provost)

Linda Sutton (Budgets and Finance)

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Operational Excellence February – March News and Highlights

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Over the past two months, campus initiatives have continued to develop more efficient administrative processes.

Following months of research, the Event Management Initiative team began implementing improvements to event planning on campus. The Use of Grounds form, which was a paper form that had to be physically carried to different departments, can now be managed online, and a one-stop website with all the information needed to plan an event, for both on- and off-campus users, is being developed.

An Account Permissions Initiative has launched to streamline the process for getting new employees set up with accounts they need to do their jobs. The initiative will greatly reduce the time it takes for them to get permission to access PeopleSoft, my.SMU, email, TimeAccess and other necessary workplace tools.

Also, Staples Advantage, SMU’s exclusive provider for purchasing office supplies, has replaced its View Only Shoppers site with Individual Shopper Accounts that more easily allow faculty and staff to browse SMU-approved items and pricing. (Continuing the current process, only Authorized Users in each building may place office supply orders.)

Thanks to funds saved through OE2C, the University Research Council now has an additional $100,000 a year to allocate to faculty research and travel, more than doubling its previous budget for faculty grants. The grants were made available starting in fall 2016.   Other funds saved through OE2C have helped expand SMU’s high performance computing (HPC) capacity, making sure the SMU Center for Scientific Computing is open 24 hours a day for faculty research. Several photos were posted showing the installation of the HPC expansion, named ManeFrame II, earlier this semester.

It was also announced that the management of campus facilities and grounds services will return to the Office of Facilities Planning and Management on June 1. Aramark has overseen SMU’s facilities services operations since May 2011.

And, in response to a question about why exterior lights are sometimes on during the day, Facilities encouraged the campus community to report energy or water waste at SMU Facilities or (214)768-7000.

 

Featured News

Account Permissions Initiative  (3/30)

University Research Council Grants for Faculty Research and Travel Boosted by OE2C Savings (3/30)

The Event Management Team Streamlines with New Processes (3/9)

The Staples Advantage Change for Shoppers (3/9)

PHOTOS: Expanding the University’s High Performance Computing (2/23)

SMU to Adopt New Management Plan for Facilities Services Operations (2/14)

 

FAQ

Why do I sometimes see exterior lights on during the day?

 

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President Turner Introduces Data Governance Initiative

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Dear Faculty and Staff,

I am excited to announce the launch of a new Data Governance Initiative with the goal of enabling SMU faculty and staff to access information more effectively to make better strategic, data-informed decisions.

In June 2016, an Operational Excellence initiative began to explore implementation of a data warehouse at SMU. A team of University staff and faculty conducted a thorough six-month review of the University’s data holdings, processes and systems. During its review, the team found discrepancies in how data was entered and defined by campus users, which highlighted a need to better define and organize data. Additionally, challenges were identified regarding inconsistent definitions, lack of integrative reporting, and the absence of robust data visualization capability.

For any organization, the process of moving from disparate data collections and definitions to easily accessible data requires careful planning and cooperation. Data governance focuses on improving data quality and access to data, establishing operational definitions, exploring business processes, and developing documented policies. While individual units and departments have responsibility for specific portions of data, often the University is called on to report information and make decisions based on institution-wide data. For some things as simple as what defines an academic department, degree or major across the University, it’s often impossible due to discrepancies to compare and contrast data from school to school or to report accurately across the University.

The new governance process recommended by the Data Warehouse Initiative Team will be led by Michael Tumeo, director of Institutional Research. He also will serve as the Data Governance director and lead two committees to address data governance issues at SMU. The Data Governance Steering Committee (DGSC) will include senior administrators from across campus who will discuss overarching data needs and challenges to help SMU make better and more timely decisions. This committee will provide guidance and direction to the Data Governance Committee (DGC), which will primarily include data administrators, or those with data management influence, in their specified areas. This group will make decisions about definitions, quality, and timelines, and will bring knowledge of how data is used in their functional areas. All areas of the University will be represented on both committees. Within the first two weeks of April, invitations to serve on these committees will go out to university faculty and staff. Initial work will begin prior to the end of Spring term.

Data governance is an important step forward for SMU as we strive to meet, and exceed, the goals and objectives outlined in the University Strategic Plan. Ultimately, having clear data definitions and better access to data across SMU will allow us to make better decisions.

Sincerely,

Gerald Turner

President