Tag: Transformation

Change Champion Chats: Letty Gibson

Our change champions are an integral part of our change programme. In this blog we speak to Letty Gibson, Research School Services Manager, School of Life Sciences, about her role as a change champion.

Please tell us about your role.

I have been employed by the University of Dundee in Life Sciences since 1997 and my role has changed several times during this time as the School has expanded. I am now the Research Technical Lead in Life Sciences within the senior management team. I’m also a member of various management committees across the university. Part of my role includes responsibility for the delivery of the Laboratory Management Support Service which includes a team of lab managers and junior lab technicians. Our work includes dealing with procurement, budget management, health and safety and compliance with legal requirements and adherence to UoD policy in all aspects. We focus on these areas so researchers can focus on their research activities.

What made you want to be a change champion?  

It’s very important to me, in fact, I’ve been involved in initial design workshops, user acceptance testing and training since before I became a change champion.  From day one I’ve contributed to shaping and influencing the way Business Transformation will work. Procurement in Life Sciences is highly complex due to volume, range of funding bodies and types of spend. I’ve been fully involved to make sure the system can meet the procurement needs of Life Sciences regarding what we buy and where we buy it.  But I carry out this work as part of a team, with lab managers and other key Life Science staff, who join me in workshops so we can get the best of their knowledge and expertise.

From the beginning it was critical to me that our School should have a strong voice in the development stages of the Business Management System in order to influence. I’ve been involved in the introduction of new business systems in the School of Life Sciences before, namely in the development and launch of PECOS. Seeing the challenges that change brought, that’s where I learnt where potential obstacles can arise, what critical issues need to be addressed and what can be put in place to make change as seamless as possible.

The key to success is preparation, planning and strong communication. That’s my role as liaison between the BT programme team and the staff within Life Sciences who will be affected by the change.  Understanding and pre-empting what we will and won’t have is critical. I highlight our needs and identify if system solutions are in place and what will be available at go live. The smooth running of our labs during the cutover period is paramount and we do all we can not to compromise service delivery to staff.

What benefits do you see OneUniversity bringing?

I’m very excited about the undertaking to improve business management processes. Currently we spend time looking for information and aren’t always able to access the data required, often duplicating our efforts and not being 100% sure that the information we have is current and accurate. I have been at many sessions where the data provided in the new system is described as a ‘single source of truth’. I’m really looking forward to this and it’ll be fantastic when managers can go and access the data they want instantly.

I know that the grant holders are very excited when given an insight into the type of budget reporting that will be available and accessible using any device, anywhere. When the research model goes live it will have a huge impact on Life Sciences when researchers can trace a single pathway from idea to award. In HR too, to run my team of 25 people, it will be so useful to have a single source of information that’s easy, quick and efficient to access. Having simple access to complex data is going to help me do my job.

Fun fact about Letty

I love driving but have never mastered reverse parking!

Student Administration set to be Transformed

OneUniversity Solution

The University of Dundee is aiming to transform the way that it works. In order to provide efficient and effective student management processes, it has signed an agreement with TechnologyOne who will provide a cloud based business solution called OneUniversity.

This contemporary, Web enabled, Software as a Service (SaaS) solution embraces mobile technology and will be available anytime, anywhere and on any device.

It will bring our Finance, Purchase to Pay, HR, Payroll/Pensions, Research and Student lifecycle activities into a single, integrated administrative solution with embedded, real time, reporting and analytics capability.
The current student records system (SITS) is based primarily round registry and admission.  A great deal of student administration takes place outwith this system and this means that data may need to be input multiple times and information held in local databases and spreadsheets.

The benefits of the new solution

The new solution aims to bring the entire relationship that a student has with the University, from prospect enquiry to offer, matriculation to graduation and alumni, into one place. As this will be part of the OneUniversity integrated solution, the student and curriculum management information will be input once and accessed by those who need it.  This will enhance the effectiveness of our business processes and ways of working, improve the student and staff experience and achieve our aim of having a single source of accurate student information.

Academic Activities

The new Student Management solution will provide greater support for a range of academic activities including a programme and module catalogue, programme and module approval system, attendance and engagement monitoring facility, and support for student placements, assessment, results, progression, retention, grades and classification. Those members of staff who currently use SITS or one of the bespoke services will notice the increased functionality.

Dr Jim McGeorge is the Programme Sponsor for the University of Dundee.
“We are delighted to be moving ahead with an effective, integrated product that will enhance the experience for the staff and students whilst streamlining our administration processes.”

Our students will have access to information about their course and their academic progress be through their mobile phones, laptops or tablets, no matter where they are and what time of day or night.  This will enhance their engagement with the University and their studies and further contribute to our reputation for delivering an outstanding student experience.