CSU | QI | Roles & Responsibilities - Function Representative

Quality Improvement at CSUS
By Frank Whitlatch, University Affairs

Just about anyone responsible for making purchases at a university or other large organization will tell you it isn't quick and it's rarely easy. Bidding, contracting, invoicing and all the rest can take weeks or even months.

At CSU Sacramento employees have decided that, while the paperwork often provides important safeguards, it isn't always necessary.

Why, for instance, should a department have to pull together bids or write contracts when it's working with an accreditation agency? No other group can provide the service, and the price is fixed.

And why must anyone go through bureaucratic hoops to pay a soccer referee or professional association dues?

Spurred by these and other examples, Administration and Business Affairs at CSUS wanted to make things simpler. Operational managers with process knowledge joined forces with the Quality Steering Council to simplify processes using quality methods.

"The idea was that in certain areas, purchasing and accounting rules were causing extra and unnecessary work," said James Kho, associate vice president for administration at CSUS and chair of the Quality Steering Council. "We knew that if we worked at it, we could make the process better and easier."

The team went to work in June 1998. By that September they were testing a new "direct payment request" system in two of the University's seven colleges and in athletics. Weeks later, the option was being offered to the entire University. Now, submitting one simple approval form pays accreditation costs, referee fees, association dues, gas charges, limited consulting costs, interview expenses and other services where credit cards can't be used. Payments are made in two or three days, rather than weeks or months. Units throughout the University are saving time and effort, and are finding it easier to work with outside vendors and contractors.

The direct payment system is just one result of an ongoing, seven-year commitment to quality improvement at CSUS.

One of the successes has been the development of a speakers program. Speakers have included representatives from government agencies, as well as companies such as Aerojet and Hewlett-Packard. Since its inception, the speakers' series has evolved to include roundtable-style meetings of staff with similar responsibilities in different units.

In addition, teams from Administration and Business Affairs have created an orientation manual for new employees in their unit. They've developed a staff recognition award program, which is being considered for implementation campuswide. They have also developed a planning process for staff training and development.

Meanwhile, Faculty and Staff Affairs has helped promote the customer service focus of the quality improvement effort throughout campus. During the past year, it presented a two-part program on service and teamwork titled "Service First" to more than 1,100 CSUS managers and staff. Academic Affairs is conducting outcome assessments on housing, parking and other campus life issues.

Work to implement a total quality management approach to campus processes was begun during the tight budget years of the early 1990s by Mernoy Harrison, who was then vice president for administration. The quality program continues under the leadership of current vice president for administration Edward Del Biaggio.

In 1995, Administration and Business Affairs conceived its Quality Steering Council. Training in quality management processes was conducted for the Council and all ABA managers and staff and is ongoing. The Council has succeeded in both developing teams to work on process improvements, and working with other units on campus to improve quality in areas that cross functions.Throughout its existence, the group has focused on improving customer service, developing staff while providing them a sense of ownership, and using resources more effectively. They focus on areas highlighted in the University's Strategic Plan, with the idea that employees know best where to find problems and solutions. Assessing improvement efforts has remained a top priority.

"We must find ways to utilize the potential of our staff," says Chiang Wang, a professor of management at CSUS and one of two professors who have worked with the Quality Steering Council. That means managers and staff must communicate and work together better."

Joseph Orsini, also a professor management at CSUS, is the other professor who has worked with the group. As part of their work, the two have so far trained 53 employees as quality facilitators, people who can help teams and other groups accomplish their goals.

The first department at CSUS to embrace a formal total quality management approach was Facilities Management, a unit within Administration and Business Affairs. Ideas for improvements have come primarily from an annual survey of faculty and staff.

During the last seven years, Facilities Management has had nearly a dozen teams examining efficiency, productivity and creativity. Among them was "Woopi Team" which helped streamline the work order process so that, among other things, urgent and emergency work no longer requires a work order. The "Flash Team" developed a more effective approach to dealing with fluctuating classroom and office temperatures.

Achievements in Facilities Management have also included improving procedures for small- scale asbestos abatement and changing the preventive maintenance system. "What's unique about the quality management approach is that process improvements are being made by staff," says Howard Harris, associate vice president for facilities management.

"It is about staff - not management - being empowered to make improvements. And, as a bonus, we have found that in the process of improving our services, we're also reducing costs by reducing paperwork or by doing the job right the first time."

Just as in Facilities Management, the Quality Steering Council for the entire division of Administration and Business Affairs gets ideas for quality improvements from CSUS employees. Ideas come in by mail or by a form available on the Council's website. Ideas also come from quality teams themselves, some of which are formed independently by staff who see the need for a particular improvement in their area.

Of course, those involved readily admit that not all the quality improvement efforts have been rousing successes.

This year, a roundtable series for middle managers was sparsely attended. Many of the managers said they just couldn't find the time. And quality improvement teams working to improve staff training and development have been limited by tight budgets.

Despite the occasional setback - and the time commitment required for success - numerous managers and staff across campus remain convinced that teams of employees are able to create innovative solutions.

And more quality improvements are underway. Among them is work to make the student services building a "one-stop-shop" in which students can get help on financial aid, cashiering and more at every window. A team is working to identify various problems and solutions for the effort.

Kho, the CSUS quality improvement facilitator, is also working to create a campus quality improvement team. He envisions the team as a more inclusive version of the Quality Steering Council, with representatives from all units on campus. More information is available by contacting Kho at (916) 278-6312 or by visiting the website maintained by the Quality Steering Council at http://www.csus.edu/admbus/core.htm, or by inquiry to Sarah Whyte, quality coordinator, at whytes@csus.edu.



QI NEWSLETTER-July 1999	06/22/99

Quality Improvement at CSUS By Frank Whitlatch, University Affairs Just about anyone responsible for making purchases at a university or other large organization will tell you it isn't quick and it's rarely easy. Bidding, contracting, invoicing and all the rest can take weeks or even months. At CSU Sacramento employees have decided that, while the paperwork often provides important safeguards, it isn't always necessary. Why, for instance, should a department have to pull together bids or write contracts when it's working with an accreditation agency? No other group can provide the service, and the price is fixed. And why must anyone go through bureaucratic hoops to pay a soccer referee or professional association dues? Spurred by these and other examples, Administration and Business Affairs at CSUS wanted to make things simpler. Operational managers with process knowledge joined forces with the Quality Steering Council to simplify processes using quality methods. "The idea was that in certain areas, purchasing and accounting rules were causing extra and unnecessary work," said James Kho, associate vice president for administration at CSUS and chair of the Quality Steering Council. "We knew that if we worked at it, we could make the process better and easier." The team went to work in June 1998. By that September they were testing a new "direct payment request" system in two of the University's seven colleges and in athletics. Weeks later, the option was being offered to the entire University. Now, submitting one simple approval form pays accreditation costs, referee fees, association dues, gas charges, limited consulting costs, interview expenses and other services where credit cards can't be used. Payments are made in two or three days, rather than weeks or months. Units throughout the University are saving time and effort, and are finding it easier to work with outside vendors and contractors. The direct payment system is just one result of an ongoing, seven-year commitment to quality improvement at CSUS. One of the successes has been the development of a speakers program. Speakers have included representatives from government agencies, as well as companies such as Aerojet and Hewlett-Packard. Since its inception, the speakers' series has evolved to include roundtable-style meetings of staff with similar responsibilities in different units. In addition, teams from Administration and Business Affairs have created an orientation manual for new employees in their unit. They've developed a staff recognition award program, which is being considered for implementation campuswide. They have also developed a planning process for staff training and development. Meanwhile, Faculty and Staff Affairs has helped promote the customer service focus of the quality improvement effort throughout campus. During the past year, it presented a two-part program on service and teamwork titled "Service First" to more than 1,100 CSUS managers and staff. Academic Affairs is conducting outcome assessments on housing, parking and other campus life issues. Work to implement a total quality management approach to campus processes was begun during the tight budget years of the early 1990s by Mernoy Harrison, who was then vice president for administration. The quality program continues under the leadership of current vice president for administration Edward Del Biaggio. In 1995, Administration and Business Affairs conceived its Quality Steering Council. Training in quality management processes was conducted for the Council and all ABA managers and staff and is ongoing. The Council has succeeded in both developing teams to work on process improvements, and working with other units on campus to improve quality in areas that cross functions.Throughout its existence, the group has focused on improving customer service, developing staff while providing them a sense of ownership, and using resources more effectively. They focus on areas highlighted in the University's Strategic Plan, with the idea that employees know best where to find problems and solutions. Assessing improvement efforts has remained a top priority. "We must find ways to utilize the potential of our staff," says Chiang Wang, a professor of management at CSUS and one of two professors who have worked with the Quality Steering Council. That means managers and staff must communicate and work together better." Joseph Orsini, also a professor management at CSUS, is the other professor who has worked with the group. As part of their work, the two have so far trained 53 employees as quality facilitators, people who can help teams and other groups accomplish their goals. The first department at CSUS to embrace a formal total quality management approach was Facilities Management, a unit within Administration and Business Affairs. Ideas for improvements have come primarily from an annual survey of faculty and staff. During the last seven years, Facilities Management has had nearly a dozen teams examining efficiency, productivity and creativity. Among them was "Woopi Team" which helped streamline the work order process so that, among other things, urgent and emergency work no longer requires a work order. The "Flash Team" developed a more effective approach to dealing with fluctuating classroom and office temperatures. Achievements in Facilities Management have also included improving procedures for small- scale asbestos abatement and changing the preventive maintenance system. "What's unique about the quality management approach is that process improvements are being made by staff," says Howard Harris, associate vice president for facilities management. "It is about staff - not management - being empowered to make improvements. And, as a bonus, we have found that in the process of improving our services, we're also reducing costs by reducing paperwork or by doing the job right the first time." Just as in Facilities Management, the Quality Steering Council for the entire division of Administration and Business Affairs gets ideas for quality improvements from CSUS employees. Ideas come in by mail or by a form available on the Council's website. Ideas also come from quality teams themselves, some of which are formed independently by staff who see the need for a particular improvement in their area. Of course, those involved readily admit that not all the quality improvement efforts have been rousing successes. This year, a roundtable series for middle managers was sparsely attended. Many of the managers said they just couldn't find the time. And quality improvement teams working to improve staff training and development have been limited by tight budgets. Despite the occasional setback - and the time commitment required for success - numerous managers and staff across campus remain convinced that teams of employees are able to create innovative solutions. And more quality improvements are underway. Among them is work to make the student services building a "one-stop-shop" in which students can get help on financial aid, cashiering and more at every window. A team is working to identify various problems and solutions for the effort. Kho, the CSUS quality improvement facilitator, is also working to create a campus quality improvement team. He envisions the team as a more inclusive version of the Quality Steering Council, with representatives from all units on campus. More information is available by contacting Kho at (916) 278-6312 or by visiting the website maintained by the Quality Steering Council at http://www.csus.edu/admbus/core.htm, or by inquiry to Sarah Whyte, quality coordinator, at whytes@csus.edu.


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Last updated: November 9, 2004