A Systematic Approach to Sharing Ideas at Springfield Technical Community College

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Elfreda Heath
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1 A Systematic Approach to Sharing Ideas at Springfield Technical Community College Idea System Steering Committee Kamari Collins, Joseph DaSilva, Arthur Fish, Bonnie MacKay, Linda Meccouri, Maryann Payeur, Michael Suzor, Joan Thomas, Janet Wanczyk 1/24/2011

2 The Idea System Steering Committee recommends that the Admissions, Financial Aid and Student Accounts Offices serve as pilot offices for the implementation of an idea system at Springfield Technical Community College. These offices were chosen because the services they provide to our students are related. This interdependency will provide a learning community model and give us experience with cross-functional ideas and the escalation process. IDEA SHARING PROCESS The committee realizes that not all team members are as familiar as others with their department s goals in relation to the College s Strategic Plan and its goals for the year. Managers should share department goals with all employees. Goals will be used as a springboard for generating opportunities, problem solving and sharing ideas. A whiteboard will be installed and visible in each department. The whiteboard s location is key to the success of the idea system. The whiteboard becomes a showcase for each department s commitment to Great Ideas at STCC and should be readily visible to team members, colleagues, and guests. Teams list focus areas at the top of the whiteboard that are opportunities for improvement consistent with division/department goals. Throughout the week all team members write ideas, opportunities for improvement and problems on large post-its (initialed/dated) and place post-its under titles on the whiteboard. For example: Customer Service Work Flow Outreach Create a mobile app so students can access college info from their cell phone. JT 2/4 How about we use an online photo library like Flicker for the marketing photo library. KT 2/4 Let s look into offering Intersession Classes. BM 2/4 Each team schedules their own weekly ½ hour meeting to review the whiteboard. The team should discuss its meeting ground rules. A facilitator will be designated to lead each meeting. TIP: rotate the facilitator role among team members. Facilitators should take a look at the whiteboard before each weekly ½ hr meeting so they ll be ready to productively facilitate the meeting within the ½ hour timeframe. TIP: To prioritize ideas for discussion, team members can vote on posted ideas by placing checkmarks next to their top three choices when they arrive at the meeting Big ideas should be broken down into smaller tasks that can be completed in a week or two. This helps ensure regular, steady progress. Ideas that the team decides are not ready to be worked on should be put in the team Parking Lot. (The Parking Lot is a folder attached to the whiteboard where ideas that the team feels are not ready to be reviewed will be stored for later discussion.)

3 Departments can post ideas on other department s boards. (name/date/dept. noted for contact purposes in cast the team needs more information) Everyone should have an assignment to work on once the weekly meeting concludes. IDEA IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS If the team agrees that an idea should be implemented and there is no significant cost involved, i.e., it s within the team s budget approval authority, the team discusses the idea and breaks it down into approximately 1-hour actionable tasks. The idea number is then listed on the whiteboard with a follow up task/team member/due date. Customer Service Work Flow Outreach 1. Create a mobile app so students can access college info from their cell phone. 2. How about we use an online photo library like Flicker for the marketing photo library. 1. Research mobile apps. at other colleges. Joan 2/11 2. Review online photo site specifications. Kerry 2/11 Each team member is given one hour release time per week to work on implementing his or her own tasks. Team member completes task and reports back to team at the following weekly meeting. Once idea is implemented or escalated it will be entered into the idea system database. The Outreach idea that was not selected for implementation, i.e., Let s look into offering Intersession Classes., would be escalated since it cannot be implemented with just one department s authority. An idea is escalated ONLY AFTER ALL STAFF WORK HAS BEEN COMPLETED. Escalation Process follows: IDEA ESCALATION PROCESS Ideas that the team decides are valid but cannot be implemented at the department level due to the need for more resources, higher approval, and/or involvement from other departments will be escalated. Implemented Idea implemented at department level. No escalation required. Management Team Idea impacts other departments (all completed work on idea must be done before escalated). Ideas should be forwarded to the Management Team at least 24 hrs. in advance of their weekly meeting. A team comprised of managers (for pilot process the 3 pilot managers) is formed to review escalated ideas every week. Team makes decision on implementation of idea. Resources Idea requires additional budget, facilities and/or information technology (IT) resources. Implementation decision made at this level based on availability of resources. Approval Idea requires approval from the leadership team. Vice Presidents and/or President make(s) decision on implementation of idea. (See Exhibit A for Pilot Escalation Process)

4 Decisions are to be made within 10 work days and the department notified with either an approval for implementation, a decision not to implement, or a parking lot designation. Database will include an escalation tracking feature. Overdue decisions will be timed out to the President so he will know when the system is lagging. IDEA REPLICATION Teams may have implemented ideas in their own departments that they feel would be of benefit in other departments. On a regular basis, the Idea Steering Committee will review ideas coded for Replication in the database and share them with the appropriate departments.

5 EXHIBIT A IDEA ESCALATION PROCESS FOR PILOT OFFICES WEEKLY MEETINGS OF VPS & PRESIDENT COMPLETED STAFF WORK If 3 Pilot Office Managers don t have authority to approve WEEKLY MEETINGS OF 3 PILOT OFFICE MANAGERS If managers can approve, but needs cross-functional work or resources Set up crossfunctional team Send to budget team, facilities or IT COMPLETED STAFF WORK Idea escalated if it impacts other depts., needs more resources, or higher approval. IDEA TEAMS Many ideas are implemented directly by teams.

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