Discover and share good practice for smarter working universities

A guide to evidencing the benefits of business process improvement – University of Strathclyde

This guide describes how higher education institutions can evidence benefits of business process improvement. It outlines how to quantify benefits throughout a typical project life-cycle for process redesign / process modelling activities and demonstrates how to gather, record and communicate the information to allow for more accurate reporting of a project's impact.
Data capture sheet

Five enhancements to help universities evidence the benefits of change

Following publication of their guide to evidencing the benefits of business process improvement in higher education, the business improvement team at the University of Strathclyde have responded to users’ feedback with an updated version. Nicola Cairns shares some new insights gained from collaborating with colleagues across the sector.
The Aber-Bangor Strategic Alliance team

People, process and performance – a model for change in HE?

A project to bring the questions of people and performance together with lean methodologies has been developed by the Aber-Bangor Strategic Alliance with funding from the Innovation and Transformation Fund (ITF). The Alliance’s Chris Drew provides the first in a series of posts by the nine ITF-funded projects.
A SCD workshop at the University of Warwick

Simplify, collaborate, deliver at Warwick

Solving problems doesn't always have to be a job for the bosses. Darren Wallis explains what has been achieved at the University of Warwick by empowering staff to identify and implement solutions directly.

Big change vs small change

Examinations at Edinburgh Napier used to be a complicated process. This cartoon case study on redesigning the university's examination process shows how a series of small changes saved time for students and staff while improving security.

Using a HeForShe Ideathon to Tackle Gender Based Violence

As part of the Efficiency Exchange series on student mental health and wellbeing, Kate Williams shares with us how the University of Leicester addresses gender based violence on campus through the HeForShe campaign.

Evidencing the benefits of a business improvement project from the start

Following the launch of the University of Strathclyde's Guide to Evidencing the Benefits of Business Process Improvement in July 2015, Nicola Cairns shares an example of how this approach can be seamlessly integrated into existing business improvement projects.

“It’s all standard behaviour.” So what is all the fuss about?

There has been a lot of awareness raised recently around gender based violence and questions around the idea of standard behaviour.  In this opinion piece,...
Spanish language books

Simpler processes to support students studying abroad

When the University of Sheffield's Global Opportunities and Engagement team realised that their various admin systems had become too cumbersome, they called for help. Rachel McAssey explains how her team of lean practitioners carried out a process review that has produced many benefits including significant time savings.

Putting Students at the Heart of Our Processes – University of Leicester

This report is a guide to the University of Leicester's exploration into whether connecting senior leaders more closely to the student experience created an impetus for organisational improvement. It contains information on “what works” in engaging senior leaders and seeks to provide insights for institutions looking to develop similar approaches.