stepping outside the library : process reviews at the lse
TRANSCRIPT
Stepping Outside the Library: process
reviews at LSE
Jo Tate
Service Assessment and Development Manager/ Business
Process Review Consultant
LSE Library/ LSE Student Services
A Brief History
Tools - 2013
Student Services
Business Process Reviews
Process review areas
Five areas:
1. Course choice
2. Results processing
3. Exam scheduling
4. Change of circumstances
5. Registration & welcome
week
Launch event - 21 June 2017
Held to officially kick-off the Business Process Review
Project.
An opportunity for Student Services staff to learn about the
process review work we carried out in the Library as well as
hearing about our plans for the Student Services reviews.
Lean workshop - 20 July 2017
An introduction to Lean concepts, principles and tools
Process review schedule
1. Scoping meeting
2. Learning about the process, collection of existing manuals and notes
3. Workshop 1: ‘as is’ mapping for both UG and PG processes (if different)
4. ‘As is’ maps revised and finalised with key stakeholders
5. Process improvement survey sent using Typeform, results analysed
6. Student survey analysis
7. Sub-process mapping with individuals in Registry
8. Workshop 2: ‘could be’ mapping for UG process
9. Workshop 3: ‘could be’ mapping for PG process
10.Workshop 4: identifying wastes and actions for improving sub-processes
11.Final report and recommendations written and presented
Course choice: attendees at workshops
SSC: Peter Chiazzese, Cheryl Edwardes, Gio
Graglia, Rebekah Huggins, Chris Hunt, Chiara
Milani, Nicola Morgan, Dan Peel, Caroline Thurtle
PMO: Alix Cork
Student Communications: Imogen Withers
TQARO: Tom Hewlett
ARDS: Rob Mintrum
ARD: Max Palmer-O’Connor
LfY: Ron Riley, Zulfikar Rashid
Timetables: Linda Taylor
USSC Chair: Suki Ali
GSSC Chair: Terhi Rantanen
SU Education Officer: Esohe Uwadiae
Department reps:
Economic History: Helena Ivins, Tracy Keefe
Economics: Sarah Johnson, Jen O'Connell
Finance: Shahnaz Ahsan, Osmana Raie
Geography & Environment: Sam Colegate
Government: Catherine Robinson
International Development: Roxane Ray
International Relations: Adnan Khan, Martina
Langer, Uzma Lone
IPA: Michelle Batten
Law: Michele Sahrle
Management: Robert Kirkland, Charlie Tickle, Jean-
Michel Villot
Course choice - what is it?
● Students select compulsory and options courses that they will study in
the forthcoming year via LSE for You (LfY).
● All programmes have a set of regulations which list the courses available
to students (including the option to take courses in other departments)
● The majority of students have to register for four full units (or equivalent)
for each year of study.
● 128 UG courses are capped to limit the numbers of students registering
and the majority of these use first come first serve
● A large number of PG courses control access by asking students to
apply and the selection methods (e.g. written statement, essay, exam)
and deadlines vary by department.
● Scoping meeting held
● Collection and reading of existing manuals and
process notes
● Workshop 1: as is process maps for UG & PG
● Existing student survey comments about the
process
Course choice review
Summary of main issues
● Too much choice!
● Students disappointed when they don’t get their first choice
● Inconsistency caused by departments: their own deadlines, allocation
methods
● Communication problems: lack of information about the process
● Use of first come first serve as an allocation method: seen as unfair and
causes stress for students
● LfY is outdated and difficult to use
+
● Sub-processes that rely heavily on paper forms
● Students are allowed to take modules that clash
Could be mapping and actions list
Core process recommendations
We identified 5 areas requiring improvement:
1. Rationalisation of course choice
2. Communications
3. Process improvements
4. Provision of course choice information
5. IT systems development
Final report
● 18 pages long (excluding appendices)
● 83 recommendations in total
● Presented to Deputy Head of Student Service and Exams
Manager (owner of process in SS)
● Subsequently forwarded to Academic Registrar
● Recommendations are being fed into other related projects
and being implemented
Lessons learnt
● Complexity of the areas we are reviewing
● Structure of the workshops
● The time it takes to organise the workshops
● Use of Basecamp
Feedback
“Thank you for making the process so interesting and engaging – I have really enjoyed mapping the process.”
“Thanks for all your work on this - it’s a mammoth task!...There’s huge desire for improvement from all corners, so thanks again for taking it forward.”
“I’m glad to be given the opportunity to contribute and happy to see the School has recognised there are issues with this process and is seeking to improve upon it.”
“The course choice report was exactly what we were hoping for.”
Tookit
Flowchart
Scoping
Weekly tasks
Presentations for workshops
Communications Plan
Questions?