Becoming LEAN
in
Enrollment Management
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Presenters
• Karen Kusler (kkusler@ucok.edu, (405) 974-2540)
– Certified Lean Facilitator
– Coordinator and Trainer for the Center of Strategic
Improvement
– Process Improvement
• Patti Neuhold (pneuhold@ucok.edu, (405) 974-2560)
– Certified Lean Facilitator
– Assistant Director, Organizational Development
– Process Improvement
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© Copyright 2007 Argent Global Services
What is Lean Enterprise?
Lean is…
A systematic approach to identify
and eliminate waste through
continuous improvement.
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The Origins of Lean
U. S.
1900
The Lean Timeline
1915
Time and Motion Interchangeable Parts
F. Taylor
E. Whitney
Mass Production
Henry Ford
“Today and
,”
1926
1945
1983
S. Toyoda
K. Toyoda
Supermarket System
U.S. Productivity and
Quality Seminars
1973
Jidoka
Just-In-Time
1935
1995
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Japan
1st Oil Shock
U.S.. consumers look for smaller
cars; Big 3 market share decline begins
Toyota opens Kentucky
mfg. facility
MIT IMVP Study:
Lean dissemination begins
Toyota Production System
Taiichi Ohno
Japanese industry
recognizes
TPS and dissemination
begins
Globalization
Dollar / Yen Exchange Rate
and Renewed Cost Reductions
Foundation of Transactional Lean
Identify and Eliminate Waste including:
– Defects
– Overproduction
– Waiting
– Not Utilizing People
– Travel/Transportation
– Inventory
– Motion
– Excess Processing
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© Copyright 2007 Argent Global Services
Why Transactional Lean?
• Emphasizes the role Quality plays in the
organization
• Allows you to react to changes in customer demand
quickly
• Makes employees jobs easier
• It involves all employees – Bottom-up approach
• Customers (internal & external) demand value
– Quality is expected
– Fast response
• Provides competitive advantage
• Creates a way to proactively respond to budget
constraints
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Changes in Campus Environment at UCO
Significant efforts have resulted in:
– External Environment
• Enhanced Landscape and Gardens
• Customer Friendliness of Campus
• Campus Pride
– Internal Environment
• Adopt Good to Great Principles
– Transactional Lean Environment
• Employees Encouraged to Initiate Improvement
• 5th Year of Utilization
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Source: OAME
How Does Lean Work?
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Lean Solution
Things we had to understand going in:
1. Managers, Directors, VP’s, etc. had to be
committed to pursuing solutions that had not
yet been identified.
2. Solutions had to be pursued without placing
blame
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Transactional Lean in Action
• Three Significant Transactional Lean
Events In Enrollment Management
– Financial Aid - Application Process
• Executive Director: Drew Duke
– Enrollment Management - Transfer Student
Process
• Assistant Vice President: Susan Wortham
– Graduate Program International Student
Admissions
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Identified Problem
• Financial Aid vs. Bursar
Financial Aid
Office
Bursar
Students
Bursar
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Financial Aid
Office
Relevant Points
• Early adapter of lean ideals; faith in the
people that were conducting the self study
• Issues were a little bigger than typically
associated with Lean
• We began with some mistrust. Employees
were quick to see exercises like this as
attempts to downsize the operation.
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The Team
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Coordinator
Third Party Scholarship billing
Office Assistant
Student Accounts Office
Financial Aid Counselor
Data Entry Processor
Student Financial Aid
Internal lean Advocate
External Lean Advocate
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How was the Team Selected?
Employees who:
1. Worked in the trenches
2. Were respected by their peers
3. Had reputations for exceeding expectations
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How did they do?
Several excellent kaizen opportunities
1. Long distance telephone codes
2. Extended bookstore charges
3. More efficient processing of OHLAP
4. Productive cross training ideas
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Long Term Results
1. Combined resources to build one
comprehensive department of Student
Financial Services
2. Development of a Call Center
3. Immediate increase in cooperation
between units = better service
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Transactional Lean in Action
• Three Significant Transactional Lean
Events In Enrollment Management
– Financial Aid - Application Process
• Executive Director: Drew Duke
– Enrollment Management - Transfer Student
Process
• Assistant Vice President: Susan Wortham
– Graduate Program International Student
Admissions
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© Copyright 2007 Argent Global Services
Prospective Student Services/Admissions
Purpose:
• Streamline flow of information and
admissions processing for students
• Improve communication between the
departments.
• Establish a recruitment mentality
throughout the Enrollment Management
Division.
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Prospective Student Services/Admissions
Goals:
1. Explore the merging of the PSS and
Admissions Departments.
a. Create an environment and structure that promotes
a recruitment mentality shared by all staff.
2. Improve communications systems and styles
aimed at employees and students.
3. Streamline processes and positions to better
serve students.
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Prospective Student Services/Admissions
Challenges:
• Staff resistance to change.
• Task-orientation.
• Territorialism
• Lack of information sharing between
functional areas.
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Prospective Student Services/Admissions
Actions taken:
1. Merging of PSS and Admission depts. to become the
Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
a.
2.
3.
Creation of the Transfer Center to serve transfer and
non-traditional students.
Evaluation of communications systems
a.
b.
c.
4.
Creation of call center
Rework of communication documents sent to students.
Created an improved meeting and communication system with
staff.
Records storage and access rework
a.
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Reevaluation of all positions resulted in elimination of three
positions, redefinition of eight positions, and creation of one
new clerical support position.
Merging many separate file areas into one physical location.
Prospective Student Services/Admissions
Actions pending:
1. Creation of help desk
a. Funding challenges and new changes related to
merge will cause us to reevaluate the goals of the
help desk.
2. Evaluation and rework of the articulation and
advisement process for transfer students.
a. An evaluation of existing processes and service
levels is in process and must be completed prior to
introducing additional changes at this macro level.
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Prospective Student Services/Admissions
Outcomes:
1. Staff is more productive & enthusiastic
a. Reorganization of tasks to allow each staff member
to focus on core job responsibilities has caused
employees to accomplish more.
b. A focus on a team-oriented environment and
creation of cross-functional teams within the
department to solve problems and generate new
ideas has created a richer and more productive
work environment due to employee empowerment
and information sharing at a staff level.
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Prospective Student Services/Admissions
Outcomes:
2. Reduced application processing time
a. Reducing waste and duplication in the application
processing flow has allowed us to respond more
quickly to applicants.
b. Creation of a clerical “hub” to manage pending
applications and communicate with applicants
regarding missing documents has allowed us to
provide better customer service and relationship
building with students.
c. Improving our utilization of technology tools has
allowed us to accurately track backlog to be
proactive in adding labor resources at peak times.
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Prospective Student Services/Admissions
Outcomes:
3. Creation of call center
a. This has allowed us to allow students to get
answers quickly.
b. We are in the process of completing training
with call center staff and implementing call
center scripts designed to answer questions
for callers that do not wish to speak with a
representative.
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Prospective Student Services/Admissions
Outcomes:
4. Ability to serve students more
intentionally.
a. Rework of positions to allow us to offer a full
admissions service on the road.
b. Rework of positions to allow us to provide
targeted recruitment.
c. Creation of transfer center allows us to
provide a seamless transfer process to
incoming students.
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Transactional Lean in Action
• Three Significant Transactional Lean
Events In Enrollment Management
– Financial Aid - Application Process
• Executive Director: Drew Duke
– Enrollment Management - Transfer Student
Process
• Assistant Vice President: Susan Wortham
– Graduate Program International Student
Admissions
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© Copyright 2007 Argent Global Services
Graduate Program Admissions
Purpose:
• Reduce time to process International
Students admissions.
• Improve communication of process with
internal customers and the student.
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© Copyright 2007 Argent Global Services
Graduate Program Admissions
Goals:
1. Create a system to accurately evaluate
International student admission records.
2. Improve communications systems
between the Office of International
Students and Graduate College.
3. Streamline processes and positions to
better serve students.
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© Copyright 2007 Argent Global Services
Graduate Program Admissions
Challenges:
• Inconsistent interaction between two
departments.
• Departments report to two VPs.
• Territorialism.
• Confusing prospective students with
inconsistent points of contact.
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© Copyright 2007 Argent Global Services
Graduate College Admissions
Actions taken:
1. Defined process to route student records
between offices.
2. Reworked status notification letters to
include information from both the
International Office and the Graduate
College.
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© Copyright 2007 Argent Global Services
Graduate College Admissions
Outcomes:
1. Staff is more responsive to students’
needs.
2. Admission records reviewed and
forwarded to appropriate office same
day.
3. Consistent communication and points of
contact established for prospective
students.
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© Copyright 2007 Argent Global Services
Transactional Lean Facilitator
Certification Training
On-site Process Facilitation
Karen Kusler - 100 N. University Drive, Edmond, OK 73034 - kkusler@ucok.edu - (405) 974-2540
© Copyright 2007 Argent Global Services