Discussion Paper: Shared Services

Transcription

1 Discussion Paper: Shared Services 23 November 2016 Overview This discussion paper presents an overview of the opportunities for the delivery of professional services for Western Sydney University (the University), with key principles and recommendations. This project (entitled Project Essex) was initiated by the Vice-Chancellor to undertake a review into professional services supporting the Schools, in collaboration with the Divisions and Institutes, for the purpose of scoping options for improved service delivery. Rationale The higher education sector continues to undergo periods of change and reform, and there is a clear need for institutions to review their approach to how services are provided. In order to remain successful, the University must adapt and innovate. This includes the imperative to look at how we do things, our culture, our organisational approach and our systems and processes. To remain competitive and successful we need to enable a culture of continuous improvement. The challenges of growing competition in our sector means there is a need to create sustainable service delivery models that will take the organisation into the future. The University holds the student experience, teaching, learning and research at its core. As part of the continuing objective of excellence in each of these areas, there is the need to continue seeking opportunities to improve and develop the way we work. This will set the organisation on a trajectory for sustainable, efficient and effective service delivery in an increasingly volatile sector. Purpose and Scope The project will develop a service focused, sustainable, innovative and efficient approach to delivering professional services to the, in collaboration with Divisions. The purpose of the project is to deliver the following: A more effective and efficient service delivery model by consolidating and centralising professional services across and Divisions An improved service model to support ongoing and critical investments in educational innovation and research Improved ability for to bring to bear a clearer focus on their core value proposition, ultimately improving student focus and the academic 1

2 enterprise; supporting convenience, choice and flexibility for all students Improved long term financial sustainability and facilitation of a culture of ongoing continuous improvement. Approach A collaborative approach was adopted, through a project jointly sponsored by the Vice- President (People and Advancement) and Vice-President (Finance and Resources). The Office of Human Resources and the Project Management Office have led the project with the support and involvement of the business. Following a formal tender process which included Dean and School Manager representation, Deloitte were appointed as the project partner. Deloitte have extensive experience assisting universities including University of Melbourne, Curtin University, Monash University and other multinational organisations to evaluate their organisationwide strategies, including student and market growth strategies and various shared service models. The University and Deloitte have taken a project management approach, which includes structured review, plan/design, consult and implementation phases. Review Summary Deloitte commenced the review with a detailed data gathering exercise and analysis phase to investigate and understand our current operating model. As part of the review process, Deloitte conducted a large number of interviews and workshops with Deans, Directors and School and Institute Managers. The review focused on a range of professional services by function. A series of specific design workshops were held with School/Institute Managers and relevant Divisional representatives to explore and discuss potential models for key service delivery areas. These workshops also identified additional requirements (such as enabling capabilities or technology) for these service models. The outcomes of the subsequent analysis are outlined in the following sections. Principles for the Future Design Prior to the design workshops, School and Institute Managers came together to consider the vision for professional services for the future and develop design principles that represented the outcomes that the proposed future state models should aim to achieve. These principles were used as criteria to consider the suitability of the future state model options proposed. 2

3 Table 1: Design principles utilised to guide the proposed future state models Design Principles This way of working will Deliver recognition Ensure staff are recognised for their performance and provided with development opportunities and clearly defined career pathways Focus on students and each other Deliver the best outcomes for our different student and stakeholder groups Think commercially Standardise and simplify operations Consolidate activity Drive accountability Find the balance between cost efficiency and service effectiveness and ensure activities are undertaken only where they can be performed effectively on a consistent basis Deliver services consistently and seamlessly within, and establish a standard interface with Divisions Enable staff to focus on strategic insight and value driven work through eliminating duplication and leveraging scale to deliver transactional activities Define, articulate and formalise roles and responsibilities across Schools, Institutes and Divisions Build and share capability Ensure we have the right expertise, at the right level, in the right place, at the right time Be deeply connected Be risk aware Strengthen connections between our people, the University and the region, enabling professional services to deliver a positive and lasting impact Ensure there is awareness across the University of the projects running at any given time to mitigate the risk of adverse consequences resulting from sequencing clashes and other unnecessary disruptions High Level Outcomes A series of opportunities were identified and reviewed. The review observed that that these opportunities could result in the following outcomes: Improved effectiveness of professional services through increased consistency and structured approaches to key areas Improved efficiency through the reduction of duplication and improved proposed consolidated processes Increased capacity to facilitate and drive a culture of continuous improvement Clearer accountability through improved business processes design and improved function ownership through consolidation Support for proposed re-organisation of professional service delivery in conjunction with the outcomes of the EVRS program. Consolidated Service Delivery Models The recommendations of the review phase focused primarily on professional activities occurring in the and the opportunities to reduce duplication and consolidate service functions. 3

4 Considering the core value proposition of there are various activities and functions that are similar (ie not unique), and are delivered separately within each School and Institute. Recommendations are based on the recognition that many of these overlapping and duplicated activities and functions would benefit from a consolidated approach using a range of delivery models. Consolidated service delivery models incorporate a mix of the three basic types: 1. Decentralised 2. Hub-and-Spoke 3. Centralised shared services. Each of these models will be tailored to suit the particular function and activity. Service Delivery Models by Function The recommended portfolio of service functions that could be incorporated into a future state model are proposed in Table 2. These are deemed as having high potential to benefit from a more consolidated delivery model. These areas are also recognised as an opportunity to realise the benefits of better service through additional strategic investment. The recommended service functions or activities have been proposed by Deloitte (based on the initial review) and the concepts will be further developed through additional planning, design and collaboration. Table 2: Proposed Future State Service Delivery Models Activity Current State Recommendation Casual Employment Consolidate casual management capability to support the administration associated with casual staff employment Recruitment Distributed between Schools/Institutes and HR Consolidate and centralise to increase responsibility of the HR recruitment team and enhance the breadth of current service provision Marketing, Events and Communications Secretariat and Committee Support Distributed between Schools/Institutes and Marketing Consolidate events management capability to support the delivery of University wide, as well as School/Institute specific events Consolidate communications capability to support coordinated delivery of student and staff communications Strengthen the role of the Marketing Manager to support marketing planning for the Schools/Institutes Build clear School and Institute support processes Review University and School committees Consolidate secretariat capability to support school based committees Deploy secretariat capability either aligned to the relevant committees or aligned to the school for school based committees 4

5 Accreditations Distributed model to support accreditation processes Increase responsibility of the Quality and Performance team to support accreditations administration and quality assurance Student Administration Student Enquiries Procurement Predominantly centralised with variable levels of additional activity in Schools Multiple service desks for student enquiries Distributed across the predominant user of the procured good/service Hub and spoke model for the execution of student administration Further consolidate transactional student administration activity through optimising student administration processes via technology enablement and clear roles and responsibilities Establish a standard connection point between the Division and the Schools Tiered service delivery model for the management of student enquiries, with transactional enquiries resolved through a single counter per campus and escalations to the relevant team for higher complexity enquiries Consider lessons learnt from 1PSQ Hub and spoke model with Category Managers operating as the interface in key spend areas and operational management and buying to remain devolved in the Central strategic procurement team to drive a category management approach to managing spend (includes strategic category management, supplier relationship management and contract management) System Administration Distributed across the predominant system users Consolidate the administration of functional systems across the University into ITDS Technical Support Placements Blended Learning Support Schools Hub and spoke model for the delivery of technical support Technical Managers are aligned to Schools/ Institutes to understand requirements Campus support teams with the required capability would be deployed on a per campus basis when required Distributed model where schools remain the driver of placement activity, with more support from the Division Drive a more coordinated approach to managing WSU relationships with strategic placement organisations Consolidate system enabled transactional activities within the Division Hub and spoke model with blended Learning advisors act as the interface into the Schools to understand needs and blended Learning designers pooled and deployed to Schools as required Consider the need for maintenance support for blended learning programs Research Administration Distributed model between Schools, Institutes and REDI Review support model for HDR Administration Further review relationship between REDI, Institutes and Centres Asset Management Prioritise optimisation of the asset management process, and reduce asset management activity conducted by professional staff Investigate system enablement opportunities Travel & Expense Self-service functionality underutilised Centralise travel and expense support into Divisions, and ensure effective support and model is developed Roll out training and education on the use of the concur system 5

6 School and Institutes Professional Staff Consolidation of services into Divisions could result in changes to the model of service remaining in the. It is expected that School owned professional support would remain focused on activity requiring specific and locally contextualised knowledge, with a focus on teaching, student engagement and research. It is expected that Institute owned professional support would remain focused on activity that requires Institute specific knowledge, with a focus on research, industry engagement and HDR engagement. Examples of these are expected to include: Supporting Dean/Director strategic and financial planning for the School/Institutes Providing course and program support and advice Supporting student engagement and retention Supporting high risk students Resolving escalated enquiries from consolidated services Supporting teaching and learning innovation Strategic support for School / Institute accreditation Next Steps and Timelines Plan/Design/Consult/Implement Stages In general, a staged approach will be adopted. A planning and detailed design stage for each functional or activity area is expected to incorporate a high level of engagement with key functional representatives to ensure each of the areas is design and tested appropriately. During this phase much of the detail and management of risk will be developed. A consultation stage will precede implementation, followed by a finalisation stage which will be required to ensure new operating models are support effectively. This final stage will also allow ongoing adjustments and continuous improvement to further realise benefits. Timing and Sequencing A sequenced approach is proposed to further design and execute the above proposals, the majority of which will take place during the first quarter of Some items will require more extensive mapping and design than others. For example, it is proposed that items such as casual employment consolidation and recruitment consolidation could be achieved in time for the commencement of Autumn session. The sequencing will include the following considerations: Areas significantly impacted by EVRS will be prioritised. This will include supporting alignment of both short term staff solutions, as well as designing a sustainable model for delivering these services in the long term. 6

7 A number of recommendations are for functions and activities that have a relatively lower level of complexity. These initiatives are proposed to be executed between December 2016 and March Areas of the organisation that have high levels of interdependencies with the areas outlined above are also proposed to be prioritised. There are areas of the current Divisions that are not necessarily structured for the delivery of an organisation-wide consolidated service model. As a result, there may be a need to review key areas in the Divisions to consider any changes required to support and enable a consolidated shared service model. Review and design is proposed between January 2017 and March It is acknowledged that areas of increased risk and complexity will require additional business engagement, planning and design, and as such these areas will be implemented in subsequent sequences. Change Process The University acknowledges the provisions of the Staff Agreements in relation to change management. These provisions will be adhered to at all times as we progress through organisational change proposals and consultation sessions. The Vice-President (Finance and Resources) and Vice-President (People and Advancement) will ensure that relevant staff are aware of proposed changes, have the opportunity to provide comment and are made aware of the timelines envisaged for consultation and implementation. It is anticipated that the Change Proposals outlining any proposed changes in relation to the above recommendations will be progressed during the first quarter of Change processes that are considered separate to Project Essex will operate as usual in accordance with the University s obligations outlined in the relevant Staff Agreement. Feedback We are actively seeking feedback in relation to this paper and the desire to improve service delivery and efficiencies across the University. Staff are invited to submit feedback via essex@westernsydney.edu.au. The closing date for submissions is 5 December Angelo Kourtis Vice-President (People and Advancement) Peter Pickering Vice-President (Finance and Resources) 7