Transforming Solutions Inc. (TSI), was engaged by a Southwest University Health Science Center to create an organizational culture of continuous improvement. As background, the institution is one of the nation’s premier graduate academic medical centers, with five schools that specialize in patient-centered education, research and health care. They are part of the University system. 

Spearheaded by the Chief People Officer, the University sought to explore new ways to address problems and continuously improve through guidance and training to transform the institution into one that embraces LEAN and Agile in an employee-centric and pragmatic way. 

Starting with pockets of exposure to Agile and LEAN methodologies, the University wanted TSI to help the overall organization take this, along with other cultural attributes (such as their vision, mission and values) and transform the culture to improve quality and gain efficiencies. 

TSI’s Approach and Role

Approach

To accomplish the identified goals, TSI engaged in the following:

• In the initial phase, the University sought to develop and prioritize processes for improvement and initial process improvement implementation for critical need areas to help build a business case with proven effectiveness and value for further buyin. This work intended to implement and share best practices and training with internal LEAN coaches and key stakeholders for process improvement, establish a usable, sustainable communication plan, evaluate improvements through metrics, and estimate return on investment for the improvement initiatives.
• In the second phase, TSI was asked to develop a Continuous Improvement methodology to be shared with University staff through training with follow up coaching. This methodology was intended to be sustainable and usable for improvement initiatives across the University. 

TSI collaborated with the University Leadership Team to identify and prioritize business processes to implement a practice-based training and mentoring program to enhance LEAN and Agile understanding and development of implementation skills. TSI created a training program for continuous improvement and led a cohort of leaders through process improvement methodology using processes that were identified as critical processes including Budgets, Contract Administration, HR Hiring, and the University Leadership as a pilot. Once the pilot was complete, phase two was implemented that provided full training and mentoring to the cohort for implementation of business process improvement and other continuous improvement strategies throughout the University Health Center and coaching for growth and development for future Continuous Improvement sustainability at the University.

Role

TSI served as a methodologist, project manager, continuous improvement leader, trainer, coach, and facilitator throughout this project. TSI provided and tailored its methodology as the basis for the methodology that is currently in place. After that, TSI evaluated trainees and quality of deliverables after they were trained and did a variety of “hands on” activities to get familiar with the tools. 

Results

This project was viewed as a huge success. Based on TSI’s involvement the University achieved the following:

• Developed and used a repeatable methodology to use on areas deemed “ripe for improvement”
• Took dozens of areas through the methodology which resulted in hundreds of improvement ideas implemented
• Trained over a dozen practitioners thus improving their skillsets
• Realized tangible savings, from the improvement ideas mentioned above, that resulted in hard dollar savings of over $1 million dollars annually.

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Transforming Solutions, Inc. (TSI) was engaged by Information Technology Services at a southern flagship university to help establish a Portfolio Management Office (PMO). This office was intended to support a variety of projects from across the University system. The University engaged TSI to help establish the PMO with training, structure, management strategies, and development of critical PMO foundations through the development of a charter, mission, and vision. Extensive in-depth training was also provided on topics such as project management, Lean Principles, and Business Process Improvement. TSI provided this training and ongoing support to the PMO staff and worked collaboratively to foster a culture of innovation and improvement throughout IT Services and the campus community.

TSI’s Approach and Role

Approach

To accomplish the identified goals, TSI engaged the following approach:

PMO Development

In order to launch a new Portfolio Management Office, TSI was brought in to collaborate and provide ongoing support and development to newly appointed or hired PMO staff. Working closely with the PMO Director, a series of high level and detailed trainings were provided surrounding project management, office setup and maintenance activities, and mentoring for PMO growth and stability. Overall, TSI provided training to approximately 40 individuals including Project Managers, Business Analysts, Business Process Analysts, and administrative staff. Additionally, TSI collaboratively presented to groups throughout IT Services to foster cultural change towards improvement and level set language used across the unit. Part of the PMO development was a Business Process Improvement Training and Mentoring program which included an in-depth dive to BPI for PMO staff and a Train-the-Trainer component for Business Process Analysts.

BPI Training and Mentoring

To support PMO growth and development, the University asked TSI to provide in-depth training in TSI’s BPI methodology. With varied experience levels of PMO staff, TSI chose to implement its’ I DO, WE DO, YOU DO approach to training and mentoring. This approach provides a deep dive exploration of the 6 steps of the methodology followed by hands-on implementation of the concepts learned. It also allowed each individual in training to progress at their own pace. With the I DO phase, the TSI facilitation team led the facilitation and documentation of the current state, analysis of current state, and future state sessions and developed the deliverables for each session. The facilitators-in-training observed the methodology in action during the I DO sessions and reviewed the process of creating and finalizing the deliverables. 

In the WE DO phase, facilitators-in-training were actively part of the facilitation team for current state, analysis of current state, and future state sessions as well as for the development of deliverables for each process area. Collaborating with the TSI facilitation team, the facilitators-in-training took the lead with mentoring, guidance, and feedback as needed. Once a desired level of competencies were achieved and communicated, the individual continued to the YOU DO phase. In the YOU DO phase, each mentee took the lead for the facilitation team for all stages of the process improvement and developed the deliverables independently with review and feedback from the TSI team. For each session, pre-session planning and post-session debriefing meetings were held to share best practices for preparing for process improvement and gathering feedback about implementation of the methodology and engagement with stakeholders. This training was intended to empower PMO staff to be able to implement BPI across the University as needed for its projects.

Train-the-Trainer

Once each PMO staff member evidenced mastery of each competency for the various training components (BPI, Project Management), they were engaged to serve in a collaborative role with other mentees, observing, co-facilitating, and providing constructive feedback. Additionally, they were engaged to facilitate the training presentations for different topics to staff within the PMO, IT Services, or other stakeholders across the University. To modify and evolve the training content, PMO staff collaborated with TSI to add relevant examples, develop case study content, and track delivery. Each mentee received feedback, suggestions, and coaching throughout their trainer development.

Role

TSI worked closely with the PMO Director to develop training curriculum, materials, and tools that would result in sustainable PMO Operations. TSI serves as a project manager in collaboration with the PMO Director and other Business Analysts to reinforce training and project management best practices. TSI served as a facilitator, lead trainer, mentor, and evaluator.

Results

Throughout the engagement both the University and TSI gathered data to support progress toward goals, effective implementation of methods, measure outcomes, and evidence a return on investment. Some of this data included:

• 40 individuals received general project management training for the PMO development
• 20 individuals received deep dive training and mentoring in TSI’s Business Process Improvement methodology
• 20 Portfolio Management Office staff completed team training in Lean principles, Project Management, and Organizational Change Management
• 6 individuals completed all competencies for the train-the-trainer developmental coaching and now serve in the training role for the PMO
• Detailed feedback and coaching was provided and tracked for 20 PMO BPI mentees and train-the-trainers to ensure visibility and transparency of competency development
• Metric tracking was established to monitor project timelines, progress, success, and other defined measures
• Methods for tracking business processes and desired metrics were developed for the PMO which continue to be used for PMO internal work 

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Business Challenge:

TSI’s client, a fast-emerging innovator in the Biotech space, knew it needed to invest in enterprise systems.  Yet at the time it was balancing many initiatives that caused many of their internal SMEs to be spread very thin as they were embarking on clinical trials, raising another round of funding, building a production facility, along with hiring new employees and conducting the rest of their business.

When TSI was selected, Finance was using QuickBooks and Excel.  Operations and Quality had no defined processes, systems or formalized IT group. The company desired a cloud-based solution, but wasn’t sure about on-premises vs. cloud risks and trade-offs.  There were significant time pressures to identify a cost-effective, reliable and scalable ERP solution that met FDA validation requirements.

TSI’s Approach and Role:

Approach

• Worked with Leadership Team to define/understand strategic direction and priorities
• Conducted a series of rapid design sessions to define future business processes and prioritized functional requirements
• Leveraged TSI’s 20+ years of experience and develop a short list of Vendors for focused software demonstrations and participation in a streamlined RFP process
• Developed, communicated and maintained a committed milestone schedule and set of guiding principles to keep the team on track
• Benchmarked vendor costs and utilize best practices in selection/contract negotiation
• Developed a phased ERP implementation plan to manage risk and reduce time to market for critical functionality while avoiding customizations

Role

• Overall Program, Vendor and Organizational Change Manager
• Business Analysis
• Subject Matter Expertise – ERP, Finance, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Quality
• QuickBooks Interim Technical and Accounting Staff Support
• Technical Infrastructure Support

Results:

• Completed Process/Requirements Definition and ERP Selection in 12 Weeks
• Achieved Validated ERP System Go-Live in 100 Days
• Under Budget 19% for Integrator and TSI
• Shortly after the completion of our work, this company was acquired by one of the largest biotech/pharma conglomerates in the world. The successful implementation of the ERP, along with the process work that TSI led surrounded this, helped to solidify the administrative and financial components of the due diligence.  This, along with other competitive advantages of this organization, led to an extremely lucrative buyout.

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Transforming Solutions Inc. (TSI), was engaged by the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) to create an organizational culture of continuous improvement. As background, UNTHSC is one of the nation’s premier graduate academic medical centers, with five schools that specialize in patient-centered education, research and health care. They are part of the University of North Texas system. 

Spearheaded by the Chief People Officer, the UNTHSC sought to explore new ways to address problems and continuously improve through guidance and training to transform the institution into one that embraces LEAN and Agile in an employee-centric and pragmatic way. 

Starting with pockets of exposure to Agile and LEAN methodologies, UNTHSC wanted TSI to help the overall organization take this, along with other cultural attributes (such as their vision, mission and values) and transform the culture to improve quality and gain efficiencies. 

TSI’s Approach and Role

Approach

To accomplish the identified goals, TSI engaged in the following:

• In the initial phase, UNTHSC sought to develop and prioritize processes for improvement and initial process improvement implementation for critical need areas to help build a business case with proven effectiveness and value for further buyin. This work intended to implement and share best practices and training with internal LEAN coaches and key stakeholders for process improvement, establish a usable, sustainable communication plan, evaluate improvements through metrics, and estimate return on investment for the improvement initiatives.
• In the second phase, TSI was asked to develop a Continuous Improvement methodology to be shared with UNTHSC staff through training with follow up coaching. This methodology was intended to be sustainable and usable for improvement initiatives across UNTHSC. 

TSI collaborated with the UNTHSC Leadership Team to identify and prioritize business processes to implement a practice-based training and mentoring program to enhance LEAN and Agile understanding and development of implementation skills. TSI created a training program for continuous improvement and led a cohort of leaders through process improvement methodology using critical processes including Budgets, Contract Administration, HR Hiring, and UNTHSC Leadership as a pilot. Once the pilot was complete, phase two was implemented that provided full training and mentoring to the cohort for implementation of business process improvement and other continuous improvement strategies throughout UNTHSC and coaching for growth and development for future Continuous Improvement sustainability at UNTHSC.

Role

TSI served as a methodologist, project manager, continuous improvement leader, trainer, coach, and facilitator throughout this project. TSI provided and tailored its methodology as the basis for the methodology that is currently in place. After that, TSI evaluated trainees and quality of deliverables after they were trained and did a variety of “hands on” activities to get familiar with the tools.

Results

This project was viewed as a huge success. Based on TSI’s involvement the UNTHSC achieved the following:

• Developed and used a repeatable methodology to use on areas deemed “ripe for improvement”
• Took dozens of areas through the methodology which resulted in hundreds of improvement ideas implemented
• Trained over a dozen practitioners thus improving their skillsets
• Realized tangible savings, from the improvement ideas mentioned above, that resulted in hard dollar savings of over $1 million dollars annually.

The post Continuous Improvement at the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) appeared first on Transforming Solutions Inc..

Transforming Solutions, Inc. (TSI) was engaged by a southern flagship institution to ensure that appropriate mechanisms were in place to meet the needs of the University community for the modernization of its student information systems, which included the four University institutions. The project was driven by the Chief Information Officer (CIO) in collaboration with the other three campus CIOs.

To support the broader priorities of the CIO for improvement across IT Services and the University, a Portfolio Management Office (PMO) was established. TSI, in collaboration with the PMO team, was tasked with training and mentoring the PMO staff in business process improvement (BPI) methodologies. Additionally, TSI spearheaded the process improvement initiatives across the four campuses to assess the current state of readiness for change, opportunities for improvement, pain points, requirements for a new student system, and collect data about student, staff, faculty, and administrator experience across the four institutions through constituent experience sessions.

TSI’s Approach and Role

Approach

To accomplish the identified goals, TSI engaged in the following:

BPI Training and Mentoring

TSI was asked to provide in-depth training in TSI’s BPI methodology. With varied experience levels of PMO staff, TSI chose to implement its’ I DO, WE DO, YOU DO approach to training and mentoring. This approach provides a deep dive exploration of the 6 steps of the methodology followed by hands-on implementation of the concepts learned. It also allowed each individual in training to progress at their own pace. With the I DO phase, the TSI facilitation team led the facilitation and documentation of the current state, analysis of current state, and future state sessions and developed the deliverables for each session. The facilitators-in-training observed the methodology in action during the I DO sessions and reviewed the process of creating and finalizing the deliverables. 

In the WE DO phase, facilitators-in-training were actively part of the facilitation team for current state, analysis of current state, and future state sessions as well as for the development of deliverables for each process area. Collaborating with the TSI facilitation team, the facilitators-in-training took the lead with mentoring, guidance, and feedback as needed. Once a desired level of competencies were achieved and communicated, the individual continued to the YOU DO phase. In the YOU DO phase, each mentee took the lead for the facilitation team for all stages of the process improvement and developed the deliverables independently with review and feedback from the TSI team. TSI was present to provide feedback and assistance as needed. For each session, pre-session planning and post-session debriefing meetings were held to share best practices for preparing for process improvement and gathering feedback about implementation of the methodology and engagement with stakeholders. Additionally, for each WE DO and YOU DO session, verbal feedback and written feedback in the form of a rubric with comments were provided to each individual. The rubric included competencies such as preparedness, meeting management, methodology implementation, and soft skills. Competency development was rated with the following scale with detailed feedback for each:

• Exceptional – ready for next phase, shows full development of competencies, no further need for co- support
• Proficient – Evidencing growth and development of competencies, may need more co- support but showing strong progression.
• Developing – not ready for next phase, needs to receive feedback and mentoring for further development, still needs co- support.

BPI Train-the-Trainer

Once each PMO staff member evidenced mastery of each competency for BPI development, they were engaged to serve in a collaborative role with other mentees, observing, co-facilitating, and providing constructive feedback. Additionally, they were engaged to facilitate the training presentations for different topics to staff within the PMO, IT Services, or other stakeholders across the University. To modify and evolve the training content, PMO staff collaborated with TSI to add relevant examples, develop case study content, and track delivery. Each mentee received feedback, suggestions, and coaching throughout their trainer development.

Process Improvement Sessions

TSI created a visual representation of business processes that identified the stakeholders responsible for the process, to what standard it should be completed, and how the success of each process should be determined for critical entities with direct influence into the Student System: Recruiting and Admissions, Student Records, Student Accounts, and Financial Aid. These student-focused units were assessed independently at each of the four institutions to document the similarities and differences of the current state business processes.

As part of the I DO, WE DO, and YOU DO phases of BPI training, Business Process Analysts (BPA) worked collaboratively with TSI team members to manage the process work in order to appropriately plan for, staff, and map out processes for all functional areas across the University that worked with the current student system. This included all functional areas that touched Recruiting and Admissions, Student Records, Student Accounts, and Financial Aid such as Athletics, Bursar, Financial Aid, Registrar, Advising, International programs, the Graduate School, and others. After a pilot phase of process improvement through the current state, analysis of current state, and future state, the University decided to expand process improvement to all four campuses. This decision was intended to align system requirements and processes across all four campuses to align needs for a new system and ensure all campuses needs were met.

By using real processes, the PMO staff were able to gain hands-on experience of the intricacies involved and flexibility needed in processing mapping. 350 processes were mapped across four campuses with two deliverables (current state process map and analysis of the current state document) produced for each process area. 

As BPA’s mastered the needed competencies for independent process improvement, they took over leadership of process improvement for the PMO. After completion of the training initiative and the process improvement initiative across the four campuses, the PMO had 13 fully trained staff members to lead process improvement. Six of these staff members were designated as BPAs and continued process improvement projects throughout other departments on campus.  The other 7 trainees had either switched roles or had continued on as trained project managers. Some metrics that were collected throughout the process improvement sessions included the total number of: pain points, opportunities for improvement, participating stakeholders, processes, and sessions held.

Stemming from the 350 process improvement sessions, constituent experience sessions, and supplemental requirements gathering sessions, 1119 unique requirements were gathered to support the broader system selection project.

Constituent Experience and Voice of the Customer

In order to assess readiness for change, capture unique needs of campus constituents, and understand the experience of faculty, staff, students, and community members using the existing student system, the University requested that TSI conduct Continuous Improvement Constituent Experience and Voice of the Customer sessions across the four institutions. TSI team members partnered with University staff members to facilitate and document these sessions and analyze the data collected as a result. University staff members were trained in the methodology for both facilitation and documentation. Some of the data surrounding these experience sessions included total number of: student participants, faculty, staff, and community participants, sessions held, unique requirements from each session, and existing requirements that emerged but already identified in another session.

Role

TSI led training and mentoring in Business Process Improvement (BPI) and constituent experience. TSI served as a project manager and lead for the BPI mapping initiatives and constituent experience sessions across the four University institutions. TSI served as a facilitator, documenter, lead trainer, mentor, and evaluator.

Results

Throughout the engagement data was gathered to support progress toward goals, effective implementation of methods, measure outcomes, and evidence a return on investment. Some of this data included:

• 20 individuals received deep dive training and mentoring in TSI’s Business Process Improvement methodology
• 13 individuals successfully mastered all competencies of the Business Process Improvement training and mentoring initiative evidencing mastery of facilitation, documentation, deliverable creation, and stakeholder engagement
• 6 individuals complete the train-the-trainer developmental coaching and now serve in the training role for the PMO
• Detailed feedback and coaching was provided and tracked for 20 PMO BPI mentees and train-the-trainers to ensure visibility and transparency of competency development
• 350 processes were mapped for the current state and analyzed collaboratively with TSI and BPI trained PMO process mapping analysts 
• 46 Constituent Experience sessions were held across the four campuses
• 145 unique requirements were gathered from the Constituent Experience sessions
• 1119 unique student lifecycle requirements were gathered throughout the duration of this project across the four institutions
• Metric tracking was established to monitor total numbers of: pain points, opportunities for improvement, participating stakeholders, processes, and sessions held.
• Methods for tracking business processes and desired metrics that were developed with TSI for this project continued to be used for the PMO internal work within the PMO after completion of the project

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Transforming Solutions, Inc. (TSI) was engaged by Information Technology Services at a southern public flagship university as a strategic, transformation partner to ensure that appropriate mechanisms were in place to meet the needs of the multi-institution University community for the modernization of its student information systems. One goal of the initiative was to build a more centralized environment for university system-wide functionality. As a strategic partner, TSI’s transformational team worked to identify, align, and drive the needs of the University with the identified institutional priorities as well as analyze the academic governance structure of each institution to ensure alignment with the new system to maximize successful implementation. Using change management strategies throughout the project, TSI emphasized people and processes over software while working to ensure that the proposed student information system efficiently and effectively aligned with key university values. 

TSI’s Approach and Role:

Approach

To accomplish the identified goals, TSI engaged in the following:

Change and Cultural Management

To achieve the goals of the digital transformation project, TSI used various strategies. Change management strategies were employed throughout the entire project across the four campuses. TSI assessed change readiness with various key stakeholder groups, leadership, and other critical players using a series of organizational context definition sessions. TSI worked collaboratively to foster a culture of innovation and improvement throughout IT Services and the University campus community. The conversations with stakeholders, the development of requirements, and the early discussions with the vendor regarding functionality all facilitated the development of detailed Business Cases as well as a Roadmap for demoing the proposed software.  

IT Needs Evaluation and Assessment

TSI conducted an IT needs assessment to determine areas of need, technology currently used, integrations needed, existing gaps, functional and technical requirements, etc. TSI worked closely with an identified vendor to gather and analyze all necessary functional and technical requirements to support the customized demonstration of and design of software to meet the needs of the institution. Working collaboratively with representatives from the four campuses and Workday, TSI led the development of user stories, scenario narratives, and personas based on the gathered requirements to lead software functionality demonstrations.

Business Process Improvement and Requirements Gathering

Additionally, TSI spearheaded process improvement initiatives across the four campuses to assess the current state of readiness for change, opportunities for improvement, pain points, process complexities and connections, requirements for a new student system, and collect data about student, staff, faculty, and administrator experience. TSI created a visual representation of business processes that identified the stakeholders responsible for the process, to what standard it should be completed, and how the success of each process should be determined for critical entities with direct influence into the Student System. The team also helped drive the designing of future state processes to foster interconnectedness throughout campus, improve efficiency in university operations, and maximize use of technology. These student-focused units were assessed independently at each of the four institutions to document the similarities and differences of the current state business processes.

TSI managed the process work in order to appropriately plan for, staff, and map out processes for all functional areas across the institution that worked with the current student system. This included all functional areas that touched Recruiting and Admissions, Student Records, Student Accounts, and Financial Aid such as Athletics, Bursar, Financial Aid, Registrar, Advising, International programs, the Graduate School, Online programs, and others. Processes and session outcomes were used to align system requirements and processes across all four campuses to align requirements and needs for a new system and ensure all campuses’ needs were met. The team mapped 350 process improvements and held constituent experience sessions and supplemental requirements gathering sessions resulting in the gathering of 1119 unique requirements to support the broader system selection project.

TSI led the process of prioritization of the identified requirements to ensure appropriate infrastructure and planning was established for a smooth implementation.

Role

TSI served as a project manager, transformation leader, change agent, and facilitator throughout this project. Additionally, TSI collaborated and worked closely with the Workday software team to deliver requirements, demos, build user stories and personas, and meet the needs of the University client.

Results

Throughout the engagement both the University and TSI gathered data to support progress toward goals, effective implementation of methods, measure outcomes, and evidence a return on investment. Some of this data included:

• 350 processes were mapped for the current state and analyzed collaboratively with TSI and the University
• 46 Constituent Experience sessions were held across the four campuses
• 145 unique requirements were gathered from the Constituent Experience sessions
• 1119 unique student lifecycle requirements were gathered throughout the duration of this project across the four institutions
• Metric tracking was established to monitor total numbers of: pain points, opportunities for improvement, participating stakeholders, processes, and sessions held.
• 20 University staff received training in BPI, Lean principles, Project Management, and Organizational Change Management
• Methods for tracking business processes and desired metrics that were developed with TSI for this project continued to be used for the PMO internal work within the PMO after completion of the project

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Transforming Solutions, Inc. (TSI) was engaged by a top 10 public research university with a medical center to assist with technology transformation efforts for University Advancement to develop a comprehensive understanding of the current state of the technology infrastructure and use this information as a basis to inform the evaluation and selection of a new CRM system. As a foundation for this work, TSI was asked to spearhead a CRM software selection effort. These efforts were managed by the Assistant Vice President for Strategy and Operations for the Foundation. TSI has served as a transformation partner throughout the project lifecycle, including the execution of an IT needs assessment, change readiness assessment, business case development, organizational change management, requirements gathering, development of an RFP, system identification and selection, and business processes improvement training and execution.

TSI has frequently engaged in similar software evaluation and selection projects, and we aim to gather data to capture answers to the following questions:

• What technology is in place and used (and by whom) to perform various activities?
• How effective is this technology? 
• What gaps or opportunities exist to streamline processes and increase ROI? 
• Are there areas where the existing applications or resources can provide more value by being upgraded or by investing additional resources in training efforts?
• Are there risks that are apparent in the current inventory of technology?
• What is the “customer experience” or “constituent experience” as a function of the current processes? 
• What future state options should be considered moving forward?
• What platforms may be feasible alternatives to meet the defined functional and technical requirements?

TSI’s Approach and Role

Approach

Process Improvement Sessions

The software selection project provided a relevant platform for which to conduct business process improvement sessions with the cohort of practitioners. This cohort of documentors and facilitators conducted business process improvement sessions in functional areas related to Advancement including Gift Processing, Prospect Management and Research, Annual Giving and Membership, Finance and Accounting, Donor Relations, among many others. The facilitation teams actively engaged with stakeholders by asking reflective questions, identifying opportunities for improvement and areas of risk, and developing recommended action plans based on current and future state maps.  

An integral part of any software evaluation and selection project is the identification of functional requirements for a new CRM system. BPI sessions provide a platform to collect requirements.

Constituent Experience and Voice of the Customer Sessions

The University requested that TSI conduct a series of constituent experience sessions to assess change readiness and capture the unique needs of the employees and stakeholders to inform the evaluation and selection of a new CRM system. In order to assess readiness for change and capture the unique needs of the constituents and their needs and desires for a new CRM system, TSI team members partnered with the stakeholders to document and facilitate Constituent Experience and Voice of the Customer Sessions. The cohort of practitioners were trained in the facilitation and documentation of these sessions, whereby they collected points of pride, pain points, areas of opportunity, envisioned the future state, and gathered requirements for a new software system. 

Requirements Gathering

TSI facilitated and documented requirements gathering sessions as a part of the Constituent Experience and Voice of the Customer sessions by answering the following prompt: “In the desired future state, I need the ability to…”. Throughout the requirements gathering process, it became clear that while functional areas had requirements that were unique to their job responsibilities, there were also requirements that transcended throughout all areas. Some of these included flexible reporting functionality, customizable homepage dashboards, and in-system notifications. These requirements gathering sessions resulted in 1,215 unique requirements for desired functionality that were then divided amongst the project’s eight Lots:

• Lot 1 Core CRM
• Lot 2 Integrations
• Lot 3 Communities & Portals
• Lot 4 Online Giving
• Lot 5 Event Management
• Lot 6 Digital Marketing
• Lot 7 Data Catalog
• Lot 8 Implementation Services

Role

TSI facilitated all sessions during this engagement, including requirements gathering sessions, constituent experience, business process mapping, vendor demonstrations and training sessions, stakeholder training, reference checking calls, among many others. TSI also led the analysis of various scoring and evaluation factors, including:

• Functional and User Experience Scoring
• Technical Scoring
• Vendor Viability
• Reference Checking
• Total Cost of Ownership, Transition, and Support
• Cultural fit

At the end of the selection process, TSI developed a set of pre-final recommendations and analysis in collaboration with the project team. This iterative process culminated in a comprehensive final report that incorporated stakeholder feedback and data from the entire project. 

Results

The project team and TSI were intentional about collecting metrics to track progress toward goals in learning, process, and strategy. Some of this data included:

• 13 practitioners received in-depth training on business requirements and requirements gathering methods
• 56 processes were mapped and analyzed (current state, analysis, and future state) with TSI, practitioners, and stakeholders
• 176 total processes have been mapped as a result of BPI training efforts
• 40 current state, analysis, and future state process sessions held to capture existing and forward thinking processes and define requirements
• 20 requirements gathering, constituent experience, and voice of the customer sessions with functional area stakeholders
• 1,215 requirements were gathered as a result of BPI and Constituent Experience sessions, which will inform the selection of a new CRM system
• Metric tracking was established to monitor total numbers of: pain points, opportunities for improvement, technical and functional requirements, participating stakeholders, processes, and sessions held

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Transforming Solutions, Inc. (TSI) was engaged by a top ten, public research university with a medical center to develop and execute a business process improvement training program. A cohort of University trainees embarked on a journey to capture the current state, analysis of the current state whereby stakeholders identified areas of risk and opportunities for improvement within their current processes, and identified the ideal future state of these processes. These change efforts were managed by the Assistant Vice President for Strategy and Operations. TSI served as a transformation partner throughout the business processes improvement training and execution.

TSI gathered data and performed analysis to address the following questions:

• What processes existed and how was work within those processes conducted?
• What technology was in place and used (and by whom) to perform various activities?
• What gaps or opportunities exist to streamline processes and increase ROI? 
• What is the “customer experience” or “constituent experience” as a function of the current processes? 
• Why did the processes occur in the way they were documented in the current state? What areas of waste occurred? What opportunities for improvement emerged?
• What metrics were used in the process to measure success and efficiency?
• What future state options should be considered moving forward?

TSI’s Approach and Role

Approach

BPI Training and Mentoring

TSI was asked to facilitate an in-depth training in BPI methodology with a cohort of Advancement employees who would later facilitate, and document business process improvement sessions throughout the Advancement lifecycle. Practitioners followed TSI’s I DO, WE DO, YOU DO approach to training and mentoring that was customized to meet the unique learning styles of the cohort and needs of the department. The centralized focus of the University’s Advancement department helped frame the strategy of application of the I DO, WE DO, YOU DO methodology. Trainees observed TSI Consultants as they modeled the facilitation and documentation of the I DO, WE DO, YOU DO methodology using relevant, Advancement-focused case study examples. Practitioners gained mastery of BPI methodologies through a co-facilitation and co-documentation model, collaboratively working as part of a facilitation team with a TSI Consultant who provided just-in-time feedback during sessions with stakeholders to encourage in-the-moment, transformative learning that could be applied throughout the remainder of the mapping session. This feedback was also provided in an online rubric for reference and development.

Process Improvement Sessions

The cohort of co-facilitation team members conducted business process improvement sessions  (documentation and facilitation) in functional areas related to Advancement including Gift Processing, Prospect Management and Research, Annual Giving and Membership, Finance and Accounting, Donor Relations, among many others. The facilitation teams actively engaged with stakeholders by asking reflective questions, identifying opportunities for improvement and areas of risk, and developing recommended action plans based on current and future state maps. The sessions also collected any functional or technical requirements of any technology options for desired future state processes.

Role

TSI established the curriculum for the business process improvement training and mentoring program and managed the training project. TSI monitored all processes examined, evaluated competency development and progress of each cohort participant, and managed the finalization of all BPI deliverables.

Results

TSI and the cohort were intentional about collecting metrics to track progress toward goals in learning, process, and strategy. Some of this data included:

• 10 individuals received deep dive training and 9 received further mentoring and coaching in TSI’s Business Process Improvement methodology and mastered all competencies of the Business Process Improvement training and mentoring initiative evidencing mastery of facilitation, documentation, deliverable creation, and stakeholder engagement
• 47 University participant stakeholders received a high level training in BPI without outlined expectations for their involvement
• 14 University leaders participated in an engaging training about BPI and their role in supporting process improvement and change across the Foundation
• 13 University practitioners received in-depth training on business requirements and requirements gathering methods
• 56 processes mapped and analyzed (current state, analysis, and future state) with TSI, cohort practitioners, and University stakeholders
• 40 current state, analysis, and future state process sessions held to capture existing and forward thinking processes
• 700 technical and functional requirements gathered 
• Metric tracking was established to monitor total numbers of: pain points, opportunities for improvement, participating stakeholders, processes, and sessions held

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TSI was selected for several projects at The Archdiocese of Chicago.  First, TSI led the implementation of Blackbaud’s Luminate Online solution to satisfy their need for a contemporary online giving and e-communication management platform. Transforming Solutions was selected to manage this implementation to ensure on-time and on-budget delivery of the product.

TSI was also engaged to define and improve financial and gift receipt and reporting processes.  We leveraged our methodology that included program management, current state process mapping and analysis, future state process development, development of applicable policies, and change management. The outcome was a platform and a comprehensive set of online procedures related to online giving. This capability, in turn, helps the Archdiocese of Chicago better engage with constituents, strengthen its mission, and ultimately increase revenue.

Transforming Solutions worked closely with key stakeholders, C-level management, 3rd party vendors, and end-users to ensure a successful implementation. This included facilitating working sessions to map and review the current state of online giving-related processes, defining the ideal future state of these processes, and developing supporting documentation.  

Overall, the project successfully implemented a number of online giving forms with a seamless user experience, event registration, email functionality, and procedures over the course of 8 months. A data sync between the online giving platform and the database of record is also in place as part of the implementation, giving the Archdiocese more accurate and rapidly available data to drive strategic decisions and strengthen controls. Additionally, TSI conducted several ‘Voice of the Donor’ sessions that provided input of actual donors into the implementation of the technology.  

The implementation transformed the Archdiocesan ability to connect with donors via a digital platform.  Not only are donors able to give online but are also receiving more correspondence regarding the opportunity to engage further. While they were previously sending 5-6 messages per year, with Luminate Online the Archdiocese of Chicago was able to distribute 10 messages in just 3 months to just under a million donor contacts. This level of engagement generated excitement both outside and within the organization, building strong momentum for future phases of implementation.

Careful management of the project resulted in on time and under budget completion, a feat that had not been accomplished at the Archdiocese in recent memory. Furthermore, it was unknown at the time of completion, but the online functionality became instrumental in the management of the coronavirus crisis. Because of the success of the implementation, the Archdiocese was well-positioned to provide online giving functionality to parishes without such a solution. The result was an ability to continue to collect weekly contributions and special COVID-19 fund collections to support those in need.

Luminate Online has brought in over $9.4m across 60k transactions using 7 different online forms. 70 email blasts have been distributed, for 4.7m emails sent. Furthermore, the Archdiocese has added 210k contacts to the database, a 50% increase in contacts overall.

As the spring of 2020 saw the impact of covid-19 increase, the implementation of Luminate Online led to the recognition of the need for a mobile app-based engagement and online giving platform. Key to the success of this platform was ensuring that it would be easy to manage and provide the functionality to support the parishes’ effort to engage at a time when in-person worship was not possible. Using TSI’s vendor evaluation and selection process, Pushpay was identified as the preferred provider.

A successful pilot implementation effort was launched and completed in the fall of 2020. This tool has empowered and enabled the parish to connect and fund-raise in a way previously unavailable. Benefits included a centralized place for communication, a streamlined giving process, and improved process efficiency leveraging workflows and administrator dashboards and reporting. In just 3 and a half months of use, one parish has collected over $15,000 in online gifts alone.

This is just one illustration of how TSI not only ensures a successful technology implementation but also boosts the value of your investment.  

The post Developing and Implementing Next-Generation Processes and Technology appeared first on Transforming Solutions Inc..

A few years ago, TSI was selected to assist Groupon who, at the time, was generating around $100-200 million in revenue, exclusively in “deal of the day” online offers to retailers.  However, their vision required that they go on an acquisition binge, broaden their service offering and take the company public.  TSI’s team was involved from those early days and fortunate to work with so many talented leaders at Groupon including John Bosshart, Joe DelPreto, Mark Hoyt, Brad Downes, Jeff Lole, Mark Stubler and many others.

Collaboratively with the senior leaders, TSI helped to develop the mantra of “Groupon Speed” and, as related to this project, developed a sense of results-orientation with the notion of “good now is better than perfect later”.  TSI defined Groupon’s forward-looking requirements, a short list of software vendors and ultimately, TSI selected NetSuite.

TSI’s talented project team helped to implement NetSuite ERP in Five Countries in Just Six Weeks; Twenty-Six Countries in Three Months.  During that time, we had incredible support by Zack Nelson, Jim McGeever and many others at NetSuite and our understanding is this remains as the fastest software selection and global implementation on record.

After that, TSI helped define the governance structure for NetSuite helping move toward a financial service center both regionally and globally.  This is just one example of the exciting clients we have a chance to work closely with.  Shown below is an excerpt from NetSuite’s SuiteWorld Annual Convention, featuring this project.

http://www.netsuite.com/portal/press/releases/nlpr05-10-11.shtml

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDztlcvEwYg

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