Discover and share good practice for smarter working universities

Is the diversity of terminology used by HE change practitioners diluting our shared goals?

A sector-wide survey was launched in April by the University of Strathclyde's Business Improvement Team to capture feedback on how its Guide to Evidencing the Benefits of Business Process Improvement in Higher Education has enhanced their delivery of change initiatives and how the guide could be improved. Nicola Cairns shares her insight into some of the survey findings.

How you can engage people to evidence the benefits of business improvement projects

Following the launch of last year's guide to evidencing business improvement, the University of Strathclyde's business improvement team are now testing out a business exploration map tool. Nicola Cairns' blog explores how people can be engaged to ensure that the potential benefits that they have identified fully demonstrate the impact of their project.

Developing the next generation of researchers and academics

When developing guidance on good practice to inform staff development, Brunel University asked academic and research leaders to reflect on their own experiences early on in their career. As part of a series of posts by the nine ITF-funded projects, Fiona Denney explains the work.

Academic Career Frameworks: Key to Change?

Bournemouth University’s new career frameworks for academics are the subject of a longitudinal study funded by the Innovation and Transformation Fund. Here is a report from 2015 setting out the findings gathered to date.
Heather Lawrence, University of Strathclyde

How do you demonstrate the success of efficiency projects?

The University of Strathclyde is gathering information about how higher education practitioners demonstrate the success of their business improvement projects. The university’s business improvement manager Heather Lawrence explains how you can help.
Heather Lawrence, University of Strathclyde

The cross-cutting themes of the ITF projects

Managers should witness first-hand how processes earmarked for improvement work before agreeing to those changes, Heather Lawrence of the University of Strathclyde's business improvement team writes. Her blogpost, focusing on lessons from the Innovation and Transformation Fund, also advises capturing feedback and communicating findings throughout the projects.

Engagement driven approach to process improvement

When University of Hertfordshire staff were invited to review a frustrating process to change a key academic document, the energy generated by the engagement process was channelled into something positive. Gill Sadler explains how this engagement-driven approach is being embedded in the university’s process improvement work.

Universities – the ‘intelligent customers’ of the future

Higher education institutions should develop their own approach to becoming ‘intelligent customers’ of suppliers, which will involve investment in new skills, changes in culture...

Nine projects to create ‘transformational change’ funded by LFHE

Nine universities across the UK have won funding from the Leadership Foundation for projects designed to bring about transformational change in higher education.
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.