Business Process Improvement
We are targeting to recognize AUC as a role model in Business Process Improvement in Higher Education by simplifying the processes reactively and proactively and applying international standards and best practices.
“Creating a Culture of Continuous Improvement"
Our Mission
- Create a culture of continuous improvement among the AUC community (students, faculty, and staff)
- Ensure that AUC's current processes meet existing and emerging needs
- Optimize the use of AUC’s existing resources and promote operational efficiency
- Apply international standards and best practices in simplifying and improving our business processes
Our Methodology
The Business Process Improvement function team applies the Lean framework using the Business Process Management 5-stage life cycle for helping the requesting department/function as follows:
Process Improvement Cycle
- Design: The first phase of the BPM lifecycle involves identifying the business process's current steps, challenges, stakeholders, and tools used to deliver the desired result.
- Model: Mapping the current and the proposed improvement workflow to maximize the process's outcomes by eliminating waste and acquiring the process owner and involved stakeholders' sign-off.
- Execute: Enact process improvement by improving the processes' activities and utilizing the available automation tools when feasible.
- Monitor: During this phase, business processes are performed, and data is collected to evaluate how critical tasks are running over time, using metrics and KPIs.
- Optimize: Make improvements to the process's workflow and fix bottlenecks based on insights from the monitoring phase to make the process more efficient.
Success Stories
Software Technical Assessment Process
Offices and departments across AUC request different software to support their operation, such as simulation, design and other software. The IT performs a standard assessment to ensure that the requested software fulfills the requesting department's needs, is compliant with our information security policies, and is compatible with other AUC systems.
Key Improvements and Controls:
- Adopted a new unified technical assessment checklist across involved IT assessors
- Defined criteria for DT area head approval which involved cost and impact
- Software Assessment team members ensure the alignment among all technology layers
- The information Security team ensures that the requested software complies with AUC security policies
- Defined SL (Service Level) at each stakeholder (previously uncontrolled SL)
Faculty Clearance Process
For a full-time faculty member to separate AUC, he/she is required to obtain approvals from several offices to ensure that there are no pending liabilities. School's Chain and Dean approvals are essential to proceed with the clearance process activities. Relevant departments include Payroll, IT, Library, Facilities, and other departments.
Key Improvements and Controls:
- Automation of the process
- Approvals of the Chair and the Dean
- Review and approval of the Office of the Provost
- Approvals of all relevant offices in parallel instead of sequentially to ensure that there is no pending liability
- Settlement of the separating FT faculty member’s financial accounts as the last step
- Defined SL (Service Level) at each stakeholder (previously uncontrolled SL)
Import and Export Process
Relocated faculty and staff members can submit Import/Export and Customs clearance support requests online to send or receive their personal effects and business equipment. The Business Support team manages the process in collaboration with relevant departments: the Office of the Provost and the Office of Human Resources.
Key Improvements and Controls:
- Automation of the process
- Mandatory upload of custom-related documents
- Approvals of the Office of the Provost for relocated Faculty and the Office of Human Resources for relocated Staff
- Control of custom clearance expenses within the set allowance
- Defined SL (Service Level) at each stakeholder (previously uncontrolled SL)