What is Operational Excellence (OpEx)?
Operational Excellence (OpEx) is a philosophy, which is about increasing efficiency whilst simultaneously creating a better customer experience.
The 5 Operational Excellence principles are:
- specify value
- identify end to end process
- create flow
- create pull
- attain perfection.
Delivering value to a process is about reducing/eliminating waste. There are 7 sources of waste (though not all wastes will necessarily be present in all processes), they are:
- transportation
- inventory
- motion
- waiting
- over production
- over processing
- defects.
There are many OpEx methodologies in existence, including Lean Management, Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma, Kaizen and the Shingo model. Though the methodologies vary slightly from each other in emphasis and/or the tools used to analyse the process, they all come back to the same overall philosophy of increasing efficiency and improving customer experience.
Operational Excellence at St George's
At St George's, the Head of Operational Excellence Projects works with the Chief Operating Officer to progress a number of operational excellence (OpEx) projects within our institution. The projects focus on improving regulations, policies, processes and procedures.
The aim of the projects is to improve student and staff experience and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the university. The projects to date have focussed on education.
You can find out more about each of the projects that have been completed or are currently being worked on below.
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Project aim: To review schemes of assessment, with a view to rationalising assessment regulations across programmes.
Progress
Main project status: Complete.
- A set of assessment regulations/framework for students has been agreed by Senate in July 2021 for roll-out in 2022-2023, regardless of programme.
- A schemes of assessment template has been devised, based on agreed framework, to support new programme development and current programme management.
- Current schemes of assessment being transcribed onto new template by December 2021
- New suite of SITS markschemes being set up.
Wider project status: In progress.
- To incorporate the schemes of assessment regulations into a wider set of St Geroge's Assessment Regulations (a Task and Finish Group is currently being set up which will work in parallel with the group reviewing the Teaching and Learning Strategy).
Impact
- Parity of student experience across programmes
- Increasing the reliability of the assessment process
- Minimising the opportunity for assessment processing errors.
Project aim: To review current programmes’ policies with a view to rationalising to one policy across St George's.
Progress
Project status: Complete.
- A single St George's policy was agreed in July 2021 and will be implemented in 2021 to 2022.
Impact
- Parity of student experience across programmes
- Simplified processing for staff.
Project aim: To review current programmes’ policies with a view to rationalisation.
Progress
Project status: In progress.
- It is anticipated that there will be 1 to 2 (maximum) university policies agreed (project will report these during 2021 tp 2022)
- Current St George's policies to be collated
- Collect and analyse policies from other universities
- Workshop(s) to be held to discuss, review and rationalise.
Impact
- Parity of student experience across programmes
- Simplified processing for staff.
Project aim: To review requirements for an award at each classification and to review consideration of borderline candidates.
Progress
Project status: In progress.
- It is anticipated that there will be a single set of requirements, applicable to all postgraduate taught programmes (project to report during 2021 to 2022)
- Current St George's policies to be collated
- Current policies will be reviewed as part of the wider schemes of assessment project which is establishing St George's Assessment Regulations.
Impact
- Parity of student experience across programmes
- Simplified processing for staff.
Project aim: To review the circumstances that might require/permit a student to repeat the teaching for a module (as opposed to just resit the assessment) and provide clear regulation around the decision-making process.
Progress
Project status: In progress.
- It is anticipated that regulation/guidance will be devised around this, so there’s parity of experience and access for students across programmes (project to report during 2021 to 2022)
- Part of the wider schemes of assessment project which is establishing St George's Assessment Regulations.
Impact
- Parity of student experience across programmes
- Simplified processing for staff.
Project aim: To design and set up a university calendar aimed particularly at supporting programme planning processes.
Progress
Project status: Complete.
- Calendar went live in February 2021
- A dynamic Outlook-based calendar established, which staff can access read-only (including Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education (FHSCE) staff). Editing access for nominated staff to be introduced when the issue with FHSCE e-mails is resolved as part of the dissolution of the joint faculty.
- All dates for 2021 to 2022 uploaded July 2021.
Impact
- The combination of university and student life-cycle dates, together with programme planning and maintenance dates, support programme planning processes.
This project was a direct result of an operational excellence process mapping workshop which identified a gap in planning processes.
Project aim: To review timelines, to introduce longer lead-in times, to allow preparations for go-live to be actioned in a managed way.
Progress
Project status: Complete.
- New timelines in place for validations/modifications going through in 2020 to 2021
- 1 year lead-in time for new programmes
- 9 month lead-in time for modifications.
Impact
- Planned and managed introduction of new programmes
- Improved staff experience.
(This project was a direct result of an operational excellence process mapping workshop which identified a gap in planning processes)
Project aim: To establish a process for managing cumulative course changes (e.g. For student recruitment; delivery, room, estate, resources, academic and professional support staff; and cumulative effect of changes since validation).
Progress
Project status: In progress.
- It is anticipated that there will be a new process, bringing together the responsibilities of our various committees, which are currently acting in silos when managing cumulative course changes.
- This project will be picked up when the related course costing exercise (see "Course costing" section below) is complete.
Impact
- Co-ordinated process across directorates and departments
- More joined-up thinking which will reduce silo-ed working.
Project aim: To establish a model which calculates accurately the total cost of running a programme.
Progress
Project status: In progress.
- Short-term quick wins agreed to improve the contribution model that is currently in use
- Full ecomonic costing (FEC) model to be established (which will include indirect and overhead costs)
- Work commenced with Finance (Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC) return expected to be used to extract non-direct costs)
- Programme cost templates to be produced which will act as a formula for a high, medium and low-cost programme.
Impact
- Better understanding of the total cost of running a programme, which will allow better decision-making for new and continuing programmes
- Programme costing evidence to support the work of the Portfolio Growth Group.
Project aim: To consider whether it would be possible and/or desirable to have fixed exam periods at the university.
Progress
Project status: In progress.
- Output will be either the establishment of fixed exam periods or a rationale for why it is not feasible/desirable
- Work has commenced on analysing the exam timetable
- A clear idea of the issues currently experienced, how they might be resolved through the project, and unintended consequences, is currently being put together.
Impact
- Currently there are examinations every month of the year and often in every week of a month; such a timetable disrupts the teaching timetable.
- We want to make sure there is an understanding that we have reviewed the issues and considered the solutions.
Project aim: To review and understand students’ comments in the National Students Survey (NSS) (where clinical placements were raised as a major source of student concern).
Progress
Project status: In progress.
- A preliminary meeting held with Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education, Institute of Medical and Biomedical Education (IMBE) and the Registry to ascertain understanding of the issue
- A process mapping workshop to be held in December 2021/early 2022 to understand the process for clinical placement allocation and to identify the root cause of students’ concerns.
Impact
Find out more
Operational Excellence projects can be in the arena of education, research or university operations.
If you would like to find out more please contact Soosan Atkins, Head of Operational Excellence Projects at satkins@sgul.ac.uk.