May 12, 2000

New Set of Processes Chosen for Review

A new set of processes has been designated for review under the aegis of the Striving for Excellence initiative. Inaugurated in the fall of 1997, Striving for Excellence (SFE) is a comprehensive approach to analyzing and improving key institutional processes at UMass. The new set of process reviews to be undertaken include the following: Business Service Centers; Chemical Management System for the Life Cycle of Chemicals; Ground Transportation; Building Coordinators; Duplicating/Printing Services; Space Design and Office Furnishing.

During the fall semester, the Campus Committee for Organizational Restructuring (CCOR) identified several candidates for potential review. Members of CCOR agreed that a review undertaken for SFE would have the potential to achieve the following:

· Improve service to university students and other constituent groups;
· Generate savings (savings understood broadly as cost reductions, cost avoidance, risk management, and reduction in time required to perform specific functions);
· Generate new revenues;
· Significantly enhance the learning, living and working environment.

Over the course of several meetings, members of CCOR nominated processes that met the above criteria. Those nominations were forwarded to the Chancellor's Executive Advisory Council for final consideration. From CCOR's eight recommended candidates, CEAC identified those most appropriate to pursue at the present time. The background and purpose of the six reviews selected by CEAC are summarized below.

Business Service Delivery

Most of the routine business functions of the University are located within each administrative and academic unit. Outside of the central administrative offices dedicated to the core functions of the University as a whole, each unit on campus is responsible for such functions at its own level. The purpose of this project is to review the organization and delivery of business services in administrative and academic units and consider options for improving services and realizing efficiencies.

Chemical Management System for Life Cycle of Chemicals

This project is aimed at evaluating the life cycle of chemical materials to determine if changes in the current system could result in improved and more cost-effective chemical management practices. The components of this system would include all elements associated with chemicals from the initial ordering to the ultimate disposal, including the purchasing, receipt, delivery, storage, dispensing, use and disposal. This project will evaluate current chemical management practices in terms of serving the needs of the campus, providing chemicals in an efficient and effective manner, minimizing hazardous waste generated, and conforming to EPA regulatory requirements.

Ground Transportation

The goal of this project is to explore possibilities for reducing costs, managing risk, and improving services through new approaches to ground transportation. In recent years, there has been concern that the campus fleet is inadequate to meet the needs of the campus and that the decentralized state vehicle system is inefficient. Thus, this project will give careful consideration to liability for use of personal vehicles, leasing vehicles for use in the motor pool, replacement options for fleet vehicles, and the feasibility of using rental cars. Attention will be given to the connection of this project with the implementation of the SFE Travel Services proposal.

Building Coordinators

Building coordinators have been identified by Physical Plant to gather and disseminate information. Questions have been raised about the level of coordination and communication among building coordinators, as well as the match between the range of expectations of building coordinators and their ability to fulfill those expectations. This project would seek to clarify the role and responsibilities of building coordinators in order to strengthen overall coordination and communication on campus.

Printing/Duplicating Services

Since printing and duplicating have become an integral part of the daily operation of the University, many departments have developed a variety of different solutions to their printing/duplicating needs. These include using one of the central campus services, heavy reliance on local copy machines, and developing their own printing/duplicating capacities. This project will attempt to develop a detailed understanding of the mix of printing/duplicating services employed by the University community. It will focus on the use of duplicating facilities on campus, in seeking to determine the optimal arrangement of duplicating and printing services.

Space Design and Office Furnishing

This project aims to better understand the University's current practices of space design and office furniture procurement, including consideration of its relationships with various vendors. It will seek to explore alternative arrangements for space design and furniture procurement with the potential to improve service and decrease costs.

The selection of these processes for review now sets in motion a series of actions, as outlined in the SFE Workplan and the recommendations CCOR provided to CEAC. The sponsors of each review will form a project team comprised of representatives from the units involved in the process and other knowledgeable community members. The sponsors and project team leaders will refine the scope of each review, and then proceed to begin gathering available data on measures related to process efficiency, student and staff satisfaction, and associated costs. At the conclusion of the review, the project team will prepare a change proposal, outlining its findings and suggesting options for change warranted by the results of the review.

Community feedback is welcome in preparation for the next round of process reviews. For more information about the Striving for Excellence initiative or a particular review, please consult the SFE website at www.umass/edu/sfe or write to sfe@chancellor.umass.edu.

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