Update from UMT SG Chair - August 2022
Last updated August 2022
Since my last update in May, considerable work has been undertaken and the Programme for Operations and Services. Transformation (POST) is progressing along a timeline that fits into the University planning cycle.
The UMT has now established a governance framework and created a UMT Service Group to drive the programme. Following this governance framework, the Service Group, which currently I chair, will select and shape university-wide projects or projects impacting multiple areas.
The selection of projects will be based on a range of benefits criteria and work to define these criteria is currently underway. The approach focuses on driving measurable improvements for users of services and systems and its purpose is to improve quality, experience and effectiveness.
We are investing significant resources into the POST so that we can concentrate on delivering on the core University purposes of providing excellent and relevant education and development for our students, and excellent and impactful research and scholarship for the benefit of society.
POST will improve the processes and systems we all use to support our teaching, research, student and staff services. It will prioritise and implement projects identified by staff throughout the University that improve, remove, or simplify the processes and systems we use in our work. This will result in better services for students and colleagues, greater job satisfaction for everyone providing the services, and the elimination of many of the current “pain points” that take time and energy away from more meaningful work.
We have created four Service Lead roles, with these roles working across traditional unit structures ensuring there is real co-creation and collaboration in identifying priorities, supporting actions and ensuring service focused outcomes are delivered.
The Service Leads will work with staff with project ideas to bring their proposals for consideration to the Service Group. They will be responsible for ensuring our services join up from the point of view of our academics, students and staff. We have interim Service Leads in place, helping programme mobilisation and piloting the role and are currently recruiting to these positions.
We are also establishing a Centre of Excellence for the programme, extending UCD Agile to more directly provide support for local innovations and transformations, and developing and embedding in-house competence and capability. Agile will continue to support delivery of cross functional and university wide activities, and to support local innovators and local innovation. The groundwork we are undertaking now will ensure that we will see tangible benefits in return for the investment in POST. I look forward to discussing ideas and innovations put forward as projects in the coming academic year.
Professor Mark Rogers, Acting President