Discover and share good practice for smarter working universities

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.

Development of an Academic Intern Scheme

This project will develop a professional development scheme for postgraduates interested in an academic career. This intern scheme is designed to offer an innovative and inclusive way to expose postgraduate taught and research students to wider academic skills, practices and processes, whilst providing an opportunity to see the workings of a higher education institution.

Academic Futures: a new career route for postgraduate students?

The University of Lincoln is developing a programme to tackle the lack of professional development schemes tailored to the needs of postgraduate students interested in an academic career. Rebecca Sanderson explains the project funded by the Innovation and Transformation Fund that explores how to provide postgraduate students with more effective career development opportunities.
Jean Mutton

Service design for universities

Sometimes solutions are under our noses - you just need the right approach to unlock them. In this post, consultant Jean Mutton explains service design, which she says is for anyone who often thinks "there must be a better way".
Cover image from the Participative Process Review Toolkit by Oxford Brookes University

How Participative Process Reviews can nurture conversations and deliver efficiencies

After taking part in workshops run by the Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development, teams in Oxford Brookes University have changed their practices to make them less complicated, more streamlined and more cost effective. As part of a series of posts by the nine ITF-funded projects, Ian Whiting explains the aims of the Participative Process Review programme.

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.
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.

Discussion: restructuring a research office

Restructuring can help to achieve many efficiency benefits for universities - but it is never an easy option. In this discussion, Richard Bond of the University of the West of England and Julie Northam of Bournemouth University share their experiences of restructuring a research office.

Change management

A guide providing evidence-based research from projects involving large-scale change, focusing on: organisational efficiency, the student experience, business and community engagement and environmental performance.
A person doing yoga poses on a cliff

Introducing some calm into clearing

In one of the craziest weeks in the academic calendar, Rosie Niven talks to higher education professionals involved in the clearing process to discover efficient ways of coping with the increased pressure.