CSUQI: Can you give me a brief history and description of how you became the Quality Improvement Facilitator at Cal Poly Pomona?

Sharon: As the University Risk Manager, I am called upon to analyze situations and to assess them from a process improvement standpoint. Also, Patricia Farris, Vice President for Administrative Affairs, felt that I was a good fit to lead our division’s quality improvement initiative because of my experience in project management and in developing operating procedures and processes. I look forward to implementing a successful program for the Administrative Affairs Division at Cal Poly Pomona.

CSUQI: What has been the most notable QI achievement at Cal Poly Pomona?

Sharon: We are in the development and early-implementation stage. We have formed a group from within our division called the “Partnership for Improvement.” Our first task was to refine our individual units’ mission statements, strategic plans, and vision statements in order for us to set measurements that can be used to gather data in support of our strategic plan. Currently, we are in the process of completing an employee climate survey. The information gained in this survey will be used in the development of our measures scorecard.

CSUQI: Tell me about some of the QI initiatives at Cal Poly Pomona.

Sharon: Some time ago, one department within our division implemented the balance scorecard. However, the process became somewhat overwhelming and lost focus shortly thereafter. They did great work on this initial implementation, and we’ve learned a lot from their efforts. We hope to use some of their work, but with a slower and more strategic implementation plan.

CSUQI: What is on your wish list for the future of QI for the CSU system or at Pomona?

Sharon: I want the Administrative Affairs Division at Cal Poly Pomona to become the benchmark that other institutions strive to meet. Basically, our goal is to ensure that everyone in the division focuses on improvements that are student and learning centered. I want to see that all our employees embody quality improvement into their day-to-day work.

CSUQI: What resources have you used to assist with your QI efforts?

Sharon: Our number one resource is our faculty, staff, and students. Recently, Matt Ceppi, Director of Systemwide Quality Improvement, came to our campus and spent the better part of a day with our team. Matt is a tremendous resource and is currently helping us with our employee climate survey. The Internet is also a great resource for information, as many other higher education institutions have showcased their QI initiatives on their Web pages.

CSUQI: What techniques have you used to gain buy-in for QI initiatives in the Administration and Finance Division?

Sharon: Patricia Farris, our Vice President for Administrative Affairs, is the driving force behind a QI initiative for our division, and I have her full support. We have an executive team, which consists of the Vice President, her Associate Vice Presidents (AVPs), and Executive Directors. Each AVP area has identified a participant at the MPP level to work on the Partnership for Improvement team and to communicate between the team and his or her respective area.

CSUQI: What is your biggest challenge in leading the QI efforts at Pomona? And how have you overcome the challenge?

Sharon: As we are just beginning, I anticipate our biggest challenge to be in communicating and executing strategy. Statistically, only five percent of employees know and understand their employer’s vision. If we have a clearly communicated vision it will be easier to gain the cooperation and support of faculty, staff, and students and to get them to embrace our quality improvement initiative.

Ideas, comments, questions? Have news or other Quality Improvement-related information to share? Contact Robyn Pennington at rpennington@calstate.edu. Let us know what information would be helpful to include in the Quality Improvement E-News.