The University Business Operations Task Force was assembled to examine how effectively the systems, processes and structures of our business and human resource functions operate within today’s actively changing environment. Shortly after launch, the task force added in research administration to the scope of work.

Business, human resources and research administration support needs and opportunities have evolved significantly in recent years with little analysis to date by CSU to ensure we operate as effectively and efficiently as possible within intentional assessments of service optimization and risk. Colorado State recognizes that many peer national and international institutions have conducted process mapping, investigated best practices, examined skill assessments and training programs, and implemented various structure changes to ensure effective and responsive business, human resources and research administration support for their missions and programs.

Four subcommittees were formed to initiate this work:

• System process mapping
• Shared best practices
• Skill sets and training
• University structure

The task force core membership includes 15 members, representing 10 colleges and divisions across campus. Additional members have been added to subcommittees to round out the knowledge base required for the work. Subgroups have also been formed within the subcommittees to help with data gathering and producing work product.

Each of the subcommittees is gathering data across campus and the higher education community at large specific to its area of focus. The system process mapping committee began their research with a survey that was sent out to Administrative Professional Council, Classified Personnel Council, College and Administrative Advisory Group, Campus Administrative Processing Advisory Council, Council of Deans, and cabinet, requesting feedback on campus systems those groups identified as pain points or causing bottlenecks. In addition to surveying peer institutions, the university structure subcommittee has surveyed senior staff at 17 different divisions and colleges on campus to develop a clear understanding of the current structure within those areas, giving attention and focus to the strengths and weaknesses within those divisions and colleges. The best practices subcommittee is in the process of meeting with several divisional and college leadership groups across campus to better understand what is working well and not so well.

The human resources subgroups of the various committees has partnered with hrQ, a consulting firm that is reviewing human resources related systems and processes. These groups have hosted multiple sessions, including some on administrative professional framework, administrative professional classification, system process brain storming session, and focus groups, etc., obtaining feedback and input from human resources liaisons and others across campus.

In all, hundreds of campus partners took the opportunity to share their opinions and give their feedback to the task force about areas of concern or areas of pride.

We are committed to meeting the charge presented to the task force. We know that how meeting that commitment is achieved and our impacts on the university are important factors in defining our success. One of our first items of business was to create priority guiding principles that set the tone for our interactions as a task force, as well as for our recommendations. Those are:

• Achieve positive, cooperative and collaborative relationships through generosity of spirit and trust, and foster the sense that each individual has authority and value
• Avoid “us vs. them” mentality within the task force and its subcommittees and groups, as well as with its stakeholders, which creates adversarial relationships
• Create and preserve meeting the needs of the institution and its units, which stewards CSU’s reputation
• Avoid an external agency action that is negatively impactful
• Create and preserve and create clarity of expectations, roles and authority
• Create and preserve and create university confidence in processes and systems. Achieve outstanding processes. Achieve knowledge base and cross training.
• Avoid layoffs
• Achieve ongoing shared accountability across the university between service providers and stakeholders
• Continual communications among central university functions and campus constituents

As an institution, CSU has continued to grow and strive for excellence. Faculty members are engaged in research at levels exceeding that of their peers and we continue to make progress in retaining students and improving time to graduation. As units have taken on more responsibility and added greater levels of complexity, it has become clear that we will need optimal support structures to ensure we achieve the strategic outcomes of the university.

As the task force conducts and completes its research, recommendations will likely be made to:

• Mitigate institutional risk while still maintaining effectiveness and efficiency.
• Identify and lay out the most effective processes to refocus our attention to innovation.
• Develop and sustain a framework of knowledge sharing across the university that
  • optimizes critical functions that may or may not be done regularly,
  • provides effective tools and resources, and
  • identifies expertise across campus and best utilization of that expertise.
• Identify and implement best practices across the university. This includes developing a change management process that supports our culture of administrative excellence, continuous improvement, and self-assessment, and creating a continued evaluation and review system.

Subcommittees and subgroups have identified needs and strategies through campus wide surveys with some items that can be adjusted now without a required authorization or review. For example, concerns have been raised regarding connectivity in outlying units across Colorado. ACNS is already working to address these concerns to ensure an understanding of the issue and how best provide a solution that meets the needs of the respective units.

Some recommendations or adjustments will require resources or will impact a broad audience of our university. In these circumstances, we will be broadly sharing the issues identified and vetting recommendations with CAAG, CAPAC, Ram-Around, COD, cabinet and many other groups across campus before they are finalized and presented to President McConnell.

Yes. This website has been developed to update campus on the work of the task force and its subcommittees.  We will regularly post summaries of meeting discussions, findings, action points, and progress toward recommendations. We want our university partners to be fully engaged so that our outcomes support what’s best for the institution and there is a commitment to achieving our goals.

When it comes to centralized vs. decentralized structures, there is no right answer and the task force has not been charged to change where the University currently resides. However, where we land on that continuum must be supported through structures that are well thought out and intentional, to address the resulting risk profile and provides each unit with support structures that meet their needs.

The task force is still assessing the current structures and practices across campus and has not yet determined recommendations. One of our goals is to avoid loss of jobs, but we must also ensure that our recommendations are in the best interest of the university’s needs. It is possible that recommendations will include adjustments that impact reporting lines and resources, and in some cases, changes to streamline processes and systems. As one of its first acts, the task force created guiding principles that include “avoid layoffs.” These principles provide guidance to the task force’s decision-making process.

The task force is designed to explore different opportunities. It is engaging in significant research to learn how other universities have succeeded or failed in similar processes. The task force is also looking inward at each area of campus and identifying what structures and best practices already exist that may apply campus wide. There is no pre-conceived model that we are working towards, just needed improvements to ensure we have the most effective and efficient support structures in place.

There currently is not a set end date. The task force intends to provide recommendations in the fall of 2019. We hope the focus of the task force on continuous improvement will continue beyond that time frame.

A specific implementation timeline has not been determined. Some issues may be identified that can be immediately improved or remedied. However, the task force has not yet determined its recommendations. Once we formulate recommendations, we will provide time for needed discussion to reach agreement, and time to determine how and when implement them. Given what we have seen from other institutions, this is likely to be a three to five year process.

The Vice President of University Operations was charged by President Frank and Provost Miranda to create, organize and coordinate the task force. An outside facilitator, Trebuchet Group, has also been engaged to support the task force and subcommittees.

Resources have not yet been allocated, and a needed budget is not identified during the current phase of research and analysis. When recommendations are finalized, it may include resource requests, depending on the urgency and impact of some recommendations and the potential of a multi-year implementation.

The original task force charge was specifically on finance, human resources and business operations. Due to synergy related to those two topics, research administration was added. These priorities present a significant undertaking for the task force; adding IT would have created too large of a focus and hinder our ability to be successful and efficient on a productive timeline. However, we may explore a similar task force structure for IT or other such concerns in the future.

The task force will dissolve after it makes recommendations, but certain subcommittee structures may remain to implement any accepted recommendations and to support continuous improvement. The University structure and skill sets and training subcommittees will complete their work. Information about training will continue to be updated on the website. It is likely that the shared best practices  and system process mapping subcommittees will remain active.

We hope this work is a starting point to support our culture of administrative excellence, continuous improvement, and self-assessment. We will continue to evaluate and review our progress and plans as we develop change management policies and recommendations. We intend to sustain these efforts, as determined by the findings and recommendations of the task force.

Absolutely. The task force is in the process of identifying collective stakeholder groups with the intent of providing regular reports to impacted groups on task force activities. Additionally, the task force will regularly provide progress updates on this website. For additional questions or to request a report out to a stakeholder group, please submit the information request form.

HrQ is a human resource consulting firm that CSU has contracted with to evaluate and review our talent management and human resource processes.  The task force and Human Resource department staff will review hrQ recommendations to see what can be applied to subcommittee work.