CSUQI: Can you give me a brief history and description of how you came to the position of Assistant VP of Administration and Finance at CSU Long Beach?

ML: The Division of Administration and Finance at CSULB has a history of Quality Improvement. With the implementation of the Balanced Scorecard, the division leadership decided they would like to have someone dedicated to QI full time. At the same time I was looking to continue my career in Quality Improvement, but looking to do it closer to home (and stop traveling so much.)

CSUQI: How has your private sector consulting experience helped you in this role?

ML: It helped me understand the complexities of large scale change efforts. Specifically I learned how to implement performance measurement frameworks concurrently with systems implementations, which is helpful in the CSU because of CMS.

CSUQI: What has been the most notable QI achievement at CSULB?

ML: I believe that CMS is the most notable QI achievement at CSULB in the past few years because it has changed how we do business to a more integrated process. The most exciting part to me is the self-service capabilities for students, staff, and faculty.

CSUQI: Tell me about some of the QI initiatives at CSULB.

ML: Each of the units within the Division of Administration and Finance, as well as other divisions across campus, is spearheading function relevant quality initiatives. A few exciting initiatives as of late include implementing wireless handheld devices for our Facilities Management team, HR Employee Self Service that just rolled out to staff employees, and our ever expanding online capabilities for students, such as online degree progress reports. The Balanced Scorecard, of course, is a QI initiative near and dear to my heart, but it really just serves as the common language we use to measure the QI efforts happening in the functional areas.

CSUQI: Are there any campus or systemwide QI initiatives that you are particularly looking forward to?

ML: I’m looking forward to the Common Best Practices initiative that is being led by CABO and FOA because it will encourage information sharing across campuses.

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

ML: My biggest resource is the knowledge base to which I have access through the functional professionals here at CSULB and through the Chancellor’s Office QI team, including the QI Facilitators at other CSU campuses. Institutional Research here at CSULB supports many QI efforts, including the customer and employee satisfaction surveys. Additionally, I must admit that I use some of my old consulting deliverables to remind me of techniques that were successful. Of course, the web is a great resource for industry standard research.

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

ML: Communication and involvement are the key vehicles for buy-in that I have used here. I take many opportunities to present at division meetings, functional unit meetings, and manager meetings whenever I can. I have found that education overcomes many objections, especially when a framework like Balanced Scorecard is being implemented for the first time. Key stakeholder involvement, which here is usually the Area Managers and functional Directors, is crucial to buy-in on our campus, the earlier the better.

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

ML: Time. The functional Directors and Managers have businesses to run and are therefore engaged most of the time, so it is my job to not only integrate QI into what they are already doing, but find the time in their schedules to initiate and follow-through on this process. Although setup time is inevitable, hopefully the QI efforts will become seamless and we will have concrete performance data to plan with.

CSUQI: You have recently joined the Quality Improvement Planning Committee. Can you explain how this has impacted your QI efforts?

ML: The QI Planning Committee is a great way to learn about other campus’ improvement efforts and keep up-to-date on the CO QI activities. The best thing about being on the Planning Committee is having a group of QI professionals to consult with when needed. Additionally, I have used some tried and true practices from other campuses for the QI program here at CSULB, so I have saved time not “reinventing the wheel.”