Quality work project showcases campus efforts

At a university as large as UW–Madison, it is inevitable that some processes will seem inefficient and time-consuming. But many academic departments and administrative units on campus have taken action to improve or create new, more efficient processes.

“We all care that the work we do has the best possible impact,” says Maury Cotter, director of the Office of Quality Improvement. “We all see growing needs, challenges and opportunities, which we try to address with limited resources. There are powerful questions and useful tools that can help focus our work and maximize its impact.”

In a recent showcase event at the Pyle Center, 25 participating campus units demonstrated their success in improving their processes. A new focus of the showcase was e-Transformation, a process that is generally handled by the Division of Information Technology. It involves converting slower, paper-based administrative processes into quicker, more efficient Web-based and electronic processes. This often includes restructuring the original process before installing it in an electronic form.

“We don’t want to make a Web-based version of a process that is already operating poorly,” explains office consultant John Elliott. “[E-transformation] involves improving processes and then using technology to enhance those processes.”

The Physician’s Assistant Program, in collaboration with the Division of Information Technology, developed an on-line system called the Wisconsin Physician’s Assistant Assessment Record, which is a Web version of an existing system. It is more efficient for students and administrators because it reduces manual paperwork, data entry, and exam scoring, and provides students with online access to past exams and progress reports.

E-transformation was also used in the creation of a new Web-based Query Library, which eliminates paper work and enables campus staff to easily and quickly access relevant information from the university’s data warehouse.

The overall showcase was co-sponsored by the Office of Human Resource Development, the Division of Information Technology, University Communications and the Office of Quality Improvement. The four offices represent multiple dimensions of improvement, including professional development, technology, communication and process improvement, respectively.

Many of the units showcasing improvements used the Accelerated Improvement Model, a concept that OQI introduced to campus last year.

Based on the work of UW–Madison doctoral recipient Ian Hau, the model speeds up the improvement process by concentrating group meeting time into two highly structured, three-to-four-hour meetings. Most of the project work and preparation, such as data collection and flow chart construction, is completed before team meetings by a few group members and a facilitator. This frees up more time for discussion and development.

“So [team members] hit the ground running and move right in to focusing on solutions and implementation plans,” Elliott says.

University Housing used this model to adjust marketing strategies and selection processes for house fellow recruitment. Consequently, they dramatically increased their overall recruitment of students for house fellow positions and doubled their recruitment of male students, which was a primary goal.

The Department of Human Ecology also used the model to restructure its system of governance.

Cotter’s office often acts as a facilitator of the Accelerated Improvement Model and other methods for improving processes for academic and administrative departments.

From an outside perspective, the process helps groups identify their key issues and aims and then suggests methods for achieving those goals.

More information: http://www.wisc.edu/improve/.

Assistance: 262-6843, oqi@mail.bascom.wisc.edu.