• Oversees projects in the portfolio through evaluation and selection, design and execution, implementation, and closeout (gating framework)
• Provides feedback/shapes key project elements throughout the project life
• Monitors portfolio and project progress
• Assists with coordination among projects
• When necessary, escalates issues and recommends actions for the resolution to Executive Sponsors

For more information, contact Leann Burns, OE Portfolio Associate.

Various portfolio reports will be posted here to help inform the University community about individual projects and the dependencies among projects.

The consolidated project timeline report (below) is updated monthly. Star icon denotes major project milestones.

In collaboration with faculty, staff, and students

See institutional projects in KSREI Project Portfolio.

OE wants you to recognize individuals or teams that exhibit the principles of OE in their daily work and contribute to an overall institutional culture of quality. All KSREI all employee can submit nominations through this peer-recognition program

There are three categories for selection. Nominations should address one or more of these categories.
People or teams who show excellence in process improvement. This could be achieved by:

1. Leads Improvement

• The innovation of a process
• Streamlining a process
• Simplification of work
• Increasing the value of processes or services

2. Delivers High-Quality Customer Service

People or teams who show excellence in customer service. This could be achieved by:

• Providing exceptional service by going above and beyond
• Resolving a difficult faced by student, Collage level, Staff and business level concern
• Anticipating and developing opportunities to improve Student satisfaction

3. Establishes Productive Partnerships

People or teams who show excellence in collaboration with other areas and units across the Institution. This could be achieved by:

• Sharing knowledge and solutions
• Creating new and innovative networks to engage around Grounds
• Establishing and leading ways to work collaboratively and remove silo operations

Visit our gallery of past recipients

Complete the nomination form with as much detail as possible. Please elaborate on process names, specific tasks completed for improvement, any obstacles encountered, innovative approaches are taken, and metrics to prove the process was successful (e.g. time savings, cost savings, customer satisfaction).

A congratulatory letter (also sent to their Heads and Respective Stakeholder), a framed certificate of recognition, and a small gift
Formal recognition at a Quality CORE Network session, on the OE website, and in the OE Annual Report
Have a question? Email OE.

organizations to further the institutional vision of “Excellence Everywhere.” Consulting engagements may be for a one-time need or on an ongoing basis

The first step is a framing discussion with OE staff about your needs, including the following
1. Purpose
2. Requested services
3. Outcomes
4. Timeframe
5. Available resources

Frameworks & Tools

• Change Management
• Project Management
• Process Improvement
• Facilitation and Engagement
• Professional Organizations
• Discover quality news, training, and communities from other professional organizations.
• Connect with colleagues at other higher education institutions.

Publications

Explore articles, news, and stories from these publications.

Articles & Videos

Read from our selection of articles, which cover change, collaboration, culture, decision-making, innovation, leadership, project management, and quality improvement.

Change Management

Change management is the structured approach to proactively manage the impacts of change both at an individual and institutional level. It incorporates strategies that help individuals and the organization make successful transitions and result in the adoption of change for desired outcomes. It’s most effective when all objectives – institutional, technical, and human – are fully implemented and embedded in the institution

Change Management Framework

This framework provides guidance to people who are leading, sponsoring, and/or implementing change and reflects the common elements of various change models.

Project Management

Project Management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements.
While a variety of methodologies exists, the Project Management Institute identifies five groups that project management processes fall into:
1. Initiating
2. Planning
3. Executing
4. Monitoring and Controlling
5. Closing
The framework and resources below provide guidance to people managing basic projects who need high-level tools and templates. Various other toolsets and resources are also outlined below that could support more complex projects.

Process Framework

Process Improvement

Process Improvement is a managerial approach that holistically incorporates strategy, work processes, people, and technology to improve effectiveness, efficiency, and service delivery.
Outcomes include the development of new processes or steps, improvement of existing processes, or elimination of processes or steps that no longer add value. Process Improvement aims to breakdown the functional silos so that the processes deliver the most value at the least cost.

FRAMEWORKS & TOOLS

• Weekly Status Update – A tool that provides quick status updates and helps sort the highest priority and most impactful items for use during weekly team meetings.
• Balanced Scorecard – A strategic planning framework that focuses on strategic goals on a small number of financial and non-financial data items.
• Design Thinking – A methodology that aims to solve complex problems that draw upon logic, imagination, intuition, and systemic reasoning to create desired outcomes that benefit the end-user. It uses the key principles of bias towards action, collaboration, focus on human values, and experimentation.
• Excellence in Higher Education Guide – A comprehensive guide to the processes of review, planning, and continuous improvement for academic, student affairs, administrative, and service units within a college or university. It’s an adaptation of the Baldrige framework to higher education that takes account of accrediting standards and terminology.
• Journey Mapping – A customer journey map tells the story of the customer’s experience: from initial contact, through the process of engagement and into a long-term relationship. It encourages people across the organization to consider the user’s feelings, questions, and needs.
• PDCA Cycle – Plan–Do–Check–Act is an iterative four-step management method used for the control and continual improvement of processes and products.
• Process Mapping – A graphical representation of the sequence of activities in a process. Process mapping aims to enhance the clarity of the overall process and its steps so that inefficiencies and non-value added activities can be eliminated, and processes may be simplified, streamlined, or improved.

ASQ provides a collection of key quality tools, including:

• Affinity Diagram – Organizes a large number of ideas into their natural relationships
• Fishbone Diagram – Identifies many possible causes for an effect or problem
• Failure Mode Effect Analysis – Step-by-step approach for identifying all possible failures in a process
• Five Whys and Five Hows – A questioning process designed to drill down into the details of a problem or a solution and peel away the layers of symptoms
• Force Field Analysis – Based on the assumption that any situation is the result of forces for and against the current state being in equilibrium – countering the opposing forces and/or increasing the favorable forces will help induce a change
• Value Stream Mapping – Lean-management method for analyzing the current state and designing a future state for the series of events that take a product or service from its beginning through to the customer

Facilitation

Facilitation is the process skills used to guide groups so that all the people involved may contribute to a successful outcome.

The key steps in the facilitation process are to design and plan the event, guide and direct discussion and record actions, outcomes, and questions.

Administrative Unit Review

Includes a unit self-study and a review by an external committee to assess service quality, efficiency, and effectiveness; to consider the impact of current and emerging issues on service and structure and to promote continuous improvement in support of the Institutional mission and priorities.

Benchmarking

This process studies and compares the performance, process or practices of other organizations. We can help you identify benchmarks and competitors, as well as help to collect and analyze data and develop an action plan based on the findings.

Hide Change Management

A structured and proactive approach to ensure changes are implemented successfully. We can help you assess impact, garner buy-in, engage stakeholders, develop communications and promote readiness for change.

Coaching and Mentoring

This is an individual development opportunity for one-on-one guidance and support to hone quality and improvement skills and knowledge. This partnership enables individuals to realize their potential.

Group Facilitation

This is a means of guiding groups to achieve their desired outcomes at meetings and retreats. We shape the event agenda and structure to transform how people interact and collaborate to help the group move forward.

Metric Development

A measurement of performance, metrics are used to verify desired outcomes and to identify performance gaps and opportunities for improvement. We can help you define your metrics and put in place systems and processes for monitoring.

Organizational Design

This is the framework through which the organization aims to realize the mission and vision and includes strategy, structure, governance, and culture. We can help you create alignment of people, processes, and technology for a culture of quality and performance excellence

Portfolio Management

This is the centralized management of multiple projects and/or initiatives. We partner in identifying, prioritizing, authorizing, managing, and controlling projects, programs, and other related work to achieve specific strategic objectives. We help you also identify key interdependencies and their impacts on stakeholders.

Process Improvement

This is a systematic approach to identifying, analyzing and improving processes. We can help you map processes step by step to ensure you’re adding value and design processes that meet faculty, staff, and institutional needs.

Project Management

This is the discipline of initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing the work of a team to achieve specific goals and criteria. We can partner with you to develop your Project Charter, sponsorship agreement, project planning, engagement strategy, and change management approach.
Stakeholder Engagement
Stakeholders are the faculty, staff, and other members of the University community for whom we provide programs and services. Stakeholder input is necessary to understand what matters most, and it may be acquired through various feedback mediums, including focus groups, interviews, and surveys. We can help you identify your stakeholders and target their engagement.
Strategic Planning and Implementation
This is the definition and clarification of a school, unit, or departments’ strategic direction and a roadmap for how to achieve it. The planning process includes understanding the internal and external environment and formulating opportunities for distinction.

Email us or call 6385552666 to discuss your request.