LEAN PROCESS REDESIGN

–WHO ARE WE? YAVAPAI COLLEGE PRESCOTT, AZ SMJ-2013

PROJECT PURPOSE To streamline the following student services processes and systems to deliver higher levels of service and to increase customer satisfaction: Admissions Registration Financial aid Payment

PROBLEM STATEMENT Our systems and processes are not maximizing our resources for optimal customer service.

LEAN TEAM MEMBERS Business Office Enrollment Services Financial Aid ITS Registrar Dean Student Services Director, Academic Advising* Manager, Academic Systems*

WHAT IS LEAN? “… Lean is an approach to organizational improvement that focuses on process speed and efficiency. It does this by a relentless search for all kinds of waste in the functions the organization performs. This waste is generally identified as non-value-add tasks, process steps, review cycles, reporting requirements and personnel practices that distract and take away from the absolutely essential functions the organization must perform. By identifying and eliminating these non-value- add activities, the organization decreases costs and shortens the time required to deliver goods and services to its customers …”

GENERAL LEAN OVERVIEW Basic steps: Identify process(es) to change Identify owner(s) Identify group needed to review Map processes Identify changes needed Implement

GOALS/OBJECTIVES Increase process efficiency to deliver improved internal and external services to our customers with existing resources.

CURRENT STATE OVERVIEW  Process  What we learned  Identified where students are getting hung up  We saw how what happens in one department impacts another  Brainstormed ideas for future improvement

CURRENT STATE MAP

IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES Yavapai :  Establish residency/tuition rate during admissions  Improve reset password process  Improve communication re: payment requirements  Streamline Financial Aid processes

–THE FUTURE STATE WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE IF WE ACCOMPLISHED OUR GOALS?

FUTURE STATE MAP

IMPROVEMENTS MADE - YAVAPAI Apply for admissions has a hard stop to determine residency before moving on through process Financial aid has automated the ISIR download process and made many other changes Students receive better communication about tuition payment policy and payment options

A large group representing the original departments met several times over the next month to evaluate the student portal experience in light of the changes made during LEAN. Many improvements were made immediately – some were small details and others were large process changes, such as scanning high school transcripts.

LEAN APPROACH TO SAP APPEAL PROCESS New federal regulations necessitated a comprehensive overview of our SAP appeal process Eliminated unnecessary phone calls placed by students Evaluation of suspended students’ activities justified a need to rethink whether aid should be canceled Addressed screening of appeals and supporting documentation Eliminated loops in processing and unnecessary follow up with students

LEAN APPROACH TO SAP APPEALS

LEAN ADVANTAGES LEAN principles give you a foundation for suggesting other process improvements Opportunities for future training topics within the institution Presenting your experience!

WHAT DIDN’T WORK? Initial scope of the project may have been too large for the timeframe (one week). May have been better to use LEAN on each department first, and then all come together for the overall review. ITS department is/was not necessarily on board, so a few requested updates are still pending.

SOFT BENEFITS Fewer phone calls and complaints Satisfied employees - the system works better and is more consistent and explainable Students understand processes and can work through them autonomously Students don’t get caught in the endless add/drop/add cycle

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN EXAMPLE - YAVAPAI

CONSIDER DEVELOPING METRICS! Determine what you hope to change What do you measure now? Measure the same after LEAN Suggest… Number of registration complaints before/after LEAN Customer satisfaction survey before/after LEAN Other?

–QU ESTIONS? Terri Eckel: Sheila Jarrell: Created 2013 smj