Stepping outside the library : process reviews at the LSE

Stepping Outside the Library: process

reviews at LSE

Jo Tate

Service Assessment and Development Manager/ Business

Process Review Consultant

LSE Library/ LSE Student Services

A Brief History

Tools - 2013

Student Services

Business Process Reviews

Process review areas

Five areas:

1. Course choice

2. Results processing

3. Exam scheduling

4. Change of circumstances

5. Registration & welcome

week

Launch event - 21 June 2017

Held to officially kick-off the Business Process Review

Project.

An opportunity for Student Services staff to learn about the

process review work we carried out in the Library as well as

hearing about our plans for the Student Services reviews.

Lean workshop - 20 July 2017

An introduction to Lean concepts, principles and tools

Process review schedule

1. Scoping meeting

2. Learning about the process, collection of existing manuals and notes

3. Workshop 1: ‘as is’ mapping for both UG and PG processes (if different)

4. ‘As is’ maps revised and finalised with key stakeholders

5. Process improvement survey sent using Typeform, results analysed

6. Student survey analysis

7. Sub-process mapping with individuals in Registry

8. Workshop 2: ‘could be’ mapping for UG process

9. Workshop 3: ‘could be’ mapping for PG process

10.Workshop 4: identifying wastes and actions for improving sub-processes

11.Final report and recommendations written and presented

Course choice: attendees at workshops

SSC: Peter Chiazzese, Cheryl Edwardes, Gio

Graglia, Rebekah Huggins, Chris Hunt, Chiara

Milani, Nicola Morgan, Dan Peel, Caroline Thurtle

PMO: Alix Cork

Student Communications: Imogen Withers

TQARO: Tom Hewlett

ARDS: Rob Mintrum

ARD: Max Palmer-O’Connor

LfY: Ron Riley, Zulfikar Rashid

Timetables: Linda Taylor

USSC Chair: Suki Ali

GSSC Chair: Terhi Rantanen

SU Education Officer: Esohe Uwadiae

Department reps:

Economic History: Helena Ivins, Tracy Keefe

Economics: Sarah Johnson, Jen O'Connell

Finance: Shahnaz Ahsan, Osmana Raie

Geography & Environment: Sam Colegate

Government: Catherine Robinson

International Development: Roxane Ray

International Relations: Adnan Khan, Martina

Langer, Uzma Lone

IPA: Michelle Batten

Law: Michele Sahrle

Management: Robert Kirkland, Charlie Tickle, Jean-

Michel Villot

Course choice - what is it?

● Students select compulsory and options courses that they will study in

the forthcoming year via LSE for You (LfY).

● All programmes have a set of regulations which list the courses available

to students (including the option to take courses in other departments)

● The majority of students have to register for four full units (or equivalent)

for each year of study.

● 128 UG courses are capped to limit the numbers of students registering

and the majority of these use first come first serve

● A large number of PG courses control access by asking students to

apply and the selection methods (e.g. written statement, essay, exam)

and deadlines vary by department.

● Scoping meeting held

● Collection and reading of existing manuals and

process notes

● Workshop 1: as is process maps for UG & PG

● Existing student survey comments about the

process

Course choice review

Summary of main issues

● Too much choice!

● Students disappointed when they don’t get their first choice

● Inconsistency caused by departments: their own deadlines, allocation

methods

● Communication problems: lack of information about the process

● Use of first come first serve as an allocation method: seen as unfair and

causes stress for students

● LfY is outdated and difficult to use

+

● Sub-processes that rely heavily on paper forms

● Students are allowed to take modules that clash

Could be mapping and actions list

Core process recommendations

We identified 5 areas requiring improvement:

1. Rationalisation of course choice

2. Communications

3. Process improvements

4. Provision of course choice information

5. IT systems development

Final report

● 18 pages long (excluding appendices)

● 83 recommendations in total

● Presented to Deputy Head of Student Service and Exams

Manager (owner of process in SS)

● Subsequently forwarded to Academic Registrar

● Recommendations are being fed into other related projects

and being implemented

Lessons learnt

● Complexity of the areas we are reviewing

● Structure of the workshops

● The time it takes to organise the workshops

● Use of Basecamp

Feedback

“Thank you for making the process so interesting and engaging – I have really enjoyed mapping the process.”

“Thanks for all your work on this - it’s a mammoth task!...There’s huge desire for improvement from all corners, so thanks again for taking it forward.”

“I’m glad to be given the opportunity to contribute and happy to see the School has recognised there are issues with this process and is seeking to improve upon it.”

“The course choice report was exactly what we were hoping for.”

Tookit

Flowchart

Scoping

Weekly tasks

Presentations for workshops

Communications Plan

Questions?