Business Process Re-Engineering
What is BPR?
The CIS Executive Committee has chartered a project to initiate the practice for business process reengineering (BPR) on selected processes. The first process selected is Admissions. The first BPR project is intended to provide a proof of concept, show the value of BPR, and demonstrate how to collaboratively implement a BPR initiative within the community and technical college system.
The outcomes of the BPR initiative include:
- Develop recommendations to improve business process and develop requirements to drive future technology projects.
- Identify changes to the outreach and admissions processes.
- Provide high-level requirements for the identification of technology solutions.
- Developed Collaboration with multiple colleges.
- Develop Common Methodology and tools.
- Increase the knowledge and support of BPR in the CTCs.
Phase 1 Results, April 2008
CIS along with a cross college team of subject matter experts (SMEs) recently completed the first phase of a system Business Process Re-Engineering project. The focus of the BPR engagement was to identify the business processes affecting students' experience from outreach to admissions. The SMEs from different institutions gathered information about current outreach and admissions processes. The BPR Team used this information to identify pain points that many community and technical colleges are facing today. The pain points that were identified are:
- Marketing Management
- Improve Marketing Message
- SBCTC Search
- Student Entry Management
- Student Relationship Management
- Multi-college Application and Registration
- Interface to SMS
A training session leveraging Microsoft’s Business Architecture (MSBA) included an introduction to this tool and analysis of the data collected from the community and technical colleges. The participants of this session (including CIS and SMEs) were able to apply some of the data to the capability model of the MSBA. It was strongly recommended that the college’s procedure for specific business functions such as management of student contact information from the various outreach, marketing, advertising and admissions be developed and rolled out to the colleges for revision and adoption.
This process identified that the documentation and standardization of procedures across a college's programs is critical to improving the student's experience. In addition to the development of business process documentation, another recommendation included exploring the opportunity to acquire a relationship management system for the colleges to support the student’s activities from outreach through admission and beyond.
The business architecture work from outreach to admissions is the first stage of completion. The next steps are the key recommendations from the BPR/MSBA analyses and they include:
- Review with CAR management the BPR architecture and discuss the above listed areas of improvement.
- Identify key individuals from each college and at CIS to own and continue BPR and business architecture to the other WACTC colleges.
- Identify a system method to collect information for continuing BPR analysis and processes.
- Document the lower level processes for the outreach, marketing and admissions using colleges that have no applications/systems for these functions.
- Transition members of the current BPR team to focus on the business requirements and process implementation strategy for a Student Relationship Management System (SRM) and interfaces to the CIS Student Management System (SMS). In addition, add SMEs from other colleges who are currently exploring or using SRMs.
One of the principle lessons learned while working on the BPR project was that student needs are not fully being met. The goal is to move into a Phase II BPR project that will improve the overall student experience from initial contact through program completion and beyond.
 |
 |