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Learning from the
Inside and the Outside:
Administrative Unit Reviews
Sarah L. Collie – University of Virginia
Maury Cotter – University of Wisconsin-Madison
Carol Mullaney – University of Notre Dame
Network for Change and Continuous Innovation
POWER 60s Professional Development Session
March 30, 2017
Administrative Unit Review
The Notre Dame and University of Virginia
Experience
Why?
What is the purpose?
What is the structure?
How is it applied?
What has been the outcome?
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Notre Dame AUR Program
https://ospir.nd.edu/administrative-unit-reviews/
Elements
•
Internal Assessment: Selfstudy; Internal Interviews;
Desired Objectives
•
External Resource Review:
Peer Advisor Visit and Report
•
Action Planning: Review of
Report; Development of Short
and Long-Term Plans
What They Are
• Focused on slate of services
• Informative to unit’s longterm strategy
• Unit-driven, assisted by
OSPIR
What They Are Not
• Audit
• Organizational review
• Focused solely on expense
reduction
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University of Notre Dame
• AURs began in Spring 2012
• Managed and conducted by our Office of
Strategic Planning and Institutional Research
(OSPIR)
• To date, 26 reviews have been completed or are in
process
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ND: Units Completing AURs
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Some of the External Reviewers To-Date
(Notre Dame)
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University of Virginia
Administrative Unit Review
o Developed as continuous improvement tool, managed by Organizational
Excellence in partnership with unit
o Modeled after UVA Academic Program Review,
Accreditation Reviews, and other institution’s AUR
o Intended to complement other data sources
(e.g. recent benchmarking study, customer
feedback,…)
o Pilot in 2015 with Procurement
Services
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University of Virginia
Administrative Unit Review
https://organizationalexcellence.virginia.edu/initiatives
Elements
• Unit self-study and
supplemental
information
• On-site visit by an
external committee
• Assessment report with
recommendations
• Guide provided to
internal unit and
external committee
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Purpose
• Foster administrative
excellence;
• Assess a unit’s quality,
efficiency, and
effectiveness of services;
• Consider the impact of
current and emerging
issues
• Promote mission-centric
constructive change
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Three Perspectives
Coordinator, Reviewer, Reviewee
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Coordinator Perspective
AUR – Fall 2015
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Coordinator Role
Prepare
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Gain sponsorship
Identify/recruit ext.
committee members
Self-study framework
Help assemble
supporting material
Identify stakeholders
for interviews (~40)
and set expectations
Create schedule
Appoint a leader of
the ext. committee
Prep call with ext.
committee
Support
Execution
• Ext. committee
introduction and
orientation
• On-site logistics
for interview
sessions
• Debrief about
draft report and
allow time for ext
committee to
begin draft during
site visit
Follow
Through
• Review draft
report and monitor
completion
• Facilitate review of
recommendations
and subsequent
action plan
• Ensure findings
shared with
stakeholders
• Monitor progress
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Helpful Hints
• Diverse external committee member perspectives:
o
o
o
o
Oversight Executive Role
Unit Director/Procurement Expertise
Quality
External Functional Experience
• Limit the length of the unit self-study; encourage use
of charts, graphs, web links
• Preview unit self-study to help shape
• Stakeholders represent balanced, diverse views
• Allow external committee to “see & observe” the
unit’s operational space
• Preview final report for clarity
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Challenges and Surprises
• Level of stakeholder
engagement and
appreciation
• Skepticism about
value and output
• Identification and
recruitment of
external committee
members
• Logistics and
scheduling
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Thank you for doing this. No
one has ever asked what I
thought about their services.
-Stakeholder after being interviewed
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Enablers for Success
Buy-in
Follow-up
Composition and
quality of review
committee
A neutral party
coordinator with
institutional view
One review member
serve as a leader of the
committee
Open communication
– pre, during, post
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Questions about the
Coordinator perspective?
(submit via the Chat function)
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External Committee
Reviewer
Perspective
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External Committee Reviewer
Preparing Ahead:
• Understand purpose of the review.
• What is expected of the review committee?
Your role?
• Read background materials/data provided
• Study the org chart
• Draft interview questions
• Block writing time
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The Review: On Site
Use Design Provided – Seek to Understand:
• Institution’s needs.
• Client’s needs. Unit’s perspective.
• PROBE
• Challenge. Ask for data.
• RESPECT
• What can be improved?
• What should be preserved/leveraged?
• Examples of recommendations
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Recommendations and Report
On site:
• Team lead: coordinate decisions on
recommendations.
• Outline report.
• Writing assignments
Post Visit:
• Produce draft within 10 days
• Invite corrections
• Walk through by phone
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Reflections from a Reviewer
•
•
•
•
Good design and coordination by the institution
Data and facts – emotion and opinion – all relevant
Not just what’s wrong. Leverage the good!
Respect for all!
• Team include:
o Experts in content
o Organizing, Writing
o External perspective
• Time commitment
• Reviewers learn too!
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Questions about the
External Reviewer perspective?
(submit via the Chat function)
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Reviewed Unit Perspective
Notre Dame’s Office of Continuous Improvement
AUR – Fall 2013
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Role and Responsibilities:
Unit Undergoing Review
• Lead the team in preparing for the review
• Recommend external reviewers and internal constituents
to be interviewed
• Prepare a succinct yet thorough document to
accurately present the office’s services, strengths,
weaknesses, challenges, opportunities
• Take in all of the recommendations
• Develop subsequent plans and act on them!
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Enabler for Success #1:
Thoughtful Selection of External
Reviewers
• Varied Perspectives
o Institution Type
o Programs
o Outside of Higher Education
• Individuals with Solid
Content Knowledge
and Experience
• Credibility
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Enabler for Success #2:
Clear Articulation of Desired
Objectives
• Thoughtful planning and a
clear articulation of:
o Challenges our program was facing
o Areas of strength and weakness
o Specificity around what we wanted to
learn from the review
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Enabler for Success #3:
Be Open and Honest
-- Initial Reaction of our Team
to the Prospect of
Undergoing a Review
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Enabler for Success #3:
Be Open and Honest
• It can feel like you are
airing dirty laundry!
• To obtain valuable,
candid feedback, you
need to present your
current situation openly
and honestly
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Questions about the
Reviewed Unit perspective?
(submit via the Chat function)
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Contact Us:
Sarah L. Collie, Associate VP for Organizational Excellence
University of Virginia
[email protected]
(434) 243-9907
Maury Cotter, Director of Quality Improvement
University of Wisconsin-Madison
[email protected]
(608) 262-9313
Carol Mullaney, Director of Continuous Improvement
University of Notre Dame
[email protected]
(574) 631-1293
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Upcoming Power 60 Webinars
• Critical Inputs for Building Operational Excellence Infrastructure
April 14
• Transforming the Student Experience – Tools and Techniques That Matter
April 18
• From Lemons to Culture Change: Moving from a SACS Monitoring Report
to a Culture of Continuous Improvement
April 26
• Coaching Leadership: A Necessary Skill for Leading Change in Today's
Higher Education Institutions
May 16
• Six Emerging Trends in Higher Education Marketing
May 23
• Using Balanced Scorecards, Lean and Liberating Structures to Accelerate
Strategic Planning and Implementation
June 14
Save the Dates:
2017 Annual Conference
July 27-29
Minneapolis, MN