Process Improvement
FDU’s Process Improvement Page
As our students are seizing their opportunities and changing their worlds, we must be prepared to improve our internal processes to meet the continual challenges of providing the personal, global and transformational education that we value and strive for every day.
The FDU Process Improvement team is committed to assisting our community improve how our work gets done and how those we serve experience this work throughout our four campuses.
If you know of a process that needs improvement, analysis or reconsideration, please let us know. We have posted a brief form for you to fill out with your thoughts, ideas and potential willingness to be involved in these improvement efforts. Self-identification is not mandatory, so do not feel that you need to avoid giving us your feedback for fear of upsetting anyone.
Contact Information
Phone: 201-692-2466
Email: processimprovement@fdu.edu
Why Improve Processes
Process improvement is the proactive task of identifying, analyzing and improving upon existing business processes within an organization, with the goal of improving process speed and efficiency while improving the customer/end user experience.
When processes are first created and implemented, they are usually done with the current needs/requirements and number of personnel in mind. However, over time these things change; more steps/reviews are necessary, people leave the university and there are fewer colleagues to perform the same work or recall the exact process that had not been formally documented, or there may not be the need for certain steps, forms or information on the forms as previously required.
Processes that do not function at efficient levels can lead to numerous problems:
- Students and end users complain about poor service delivery
- Team members get frustrated
- Work is duplicated or not completed at all
- Costs increase
- Resources are wasted
- Bottlenecks develop, causing students and/or teams to miss important deadlines
FDU recognizes that everything changes over time and we must adapt to these changes. We also realize that change for the sake of change is not productive. Therefore, we are working to develop and document improved processes that will benefit everyone, and just as important, will be developed by those using these processes every day!
How We Do It
As improvement needs are identified, teams of stakeholders representing departments/areas that utilize the process will be assembled. It is these teams, along with a facilitator, that will review the current process, identify areas of inefficiency, conceptualize the new process and then document and implement the result. All created process maps will be housed in a process library within FDU SAMI Support system that will allow visibility and retention of their work.
Thank you for your participation; we look forward to working with you to make FDU a better place for everyone to learn and work!