Where should your business process analysis start?
According to Wendy Kilgore, PhD, senior consultant at AACRAO, it should start with this fundamental, big-picture question: What is the purpose of this specific process?
Further analysis should: (1) investigate whether the process ties to a law, regulation or internal policy and (2) map how that process moves through the institution, Kilgore says. For example, with document retention practices, many institutions assume they must keep various forms even though the data contained on the form has been processed in the student information system. However, in many cases, that may just be unnecessary paperwork, because regulations don't require the institution to retain the original document once processed.
Avoid processing for processing's sake
The kind of misguided effort to comply described above can actually result in business process inefficiency. As a result—and in spite of best intentions—institutional policies and procedures may:
• Be inadequately documented.
• Reflect the past more than the future.
• Fail to take full advantage of technologies.
• Be counterproductive to enrollment goals.
A focus on goal-oriented processing can help ensure that your institution's policies and procedures are student-centric, compliant, efficient and effective.
But it is challenging to find the time to actively review and reengineer student services during the course of normal business. Here's how AACRAO's holistic business process analysis can help.
Create an effective, student-centered business process
Our analysis can provide insight into how to improve services from a student-centric perspective, with a focus on establishing goal-oriented processing. As a result, our clients can improve service levels with the same or fewer resources.
To hear more about how business process analysis can help you provide better service to students, please come by the AACRAO Consulting booth at the AACRAO Annual Meeting and visit with Dr. Kilgore. Or visit the AACRAO Consulting website.
By: AACRAO Connect