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Facilities & Services (F&S) Invoice Workflow Project

he Facilities and Services Invoice Workflow initiative is transformative in many respects. The workflow software automates the department’s invoice payment process (25,000 invoices per year) and significantly increases productivity for over one hundred staff members located across the university. The system actively manages the invoice approval and processing cycle and reduces risk to the department … Continue reading "Facilities & Services (F&S) Invoice Workflow Project"

June 14, 2016

Collaborative Development of a Governance and Reporting Framework for Land Development Activities

Land is one of the University of New Brunswick's (UNB) key assets. In addition to its core campus lands, UNB owns significant endowment lands, many of which are used directly for teaching and research.   In 2003, UNB adopted a Land Management Strategy (LMS) that provided an administrative framework for the co-ordinated management of our … Continue reading "Collaborative Development of a Governance and Reporting Framework for Land Development Activities"

June 13, 2016

Improving finance service delivery through restructuring to a team-based approach in the Faculty of Medicine, UBC

Previously, the Faculty of Medicine decentralized primary responsibility for finance to units. Each unit had its own administrative staff responsible for budgeting and financial management, who reported directly to the academic head. This structure provided units with control and accountability, but lacked segregation of duties or consistency, and did not give departments access to a … Continue reading "Improving finance service delivery through restructuring to a team-based approach in the Faculty of Medicine, UBC"

June 13, 2016

Establishing Enterprise Project Governance at Queen’s through a Project Portfolio Office

The success of Queen’s five year $30+ Million PeopleSoft project depended on inclusive project governance, agreement on the scope and priorities, and advanced project management. After the project, there were dozens of enterprise-level projects still to be done, but with no governance processes for prioritizing, sequencing or funding them. Most were business initiatives with a … Continue reading "Establishing Enterprise Project Governance at Queen’s through a Project Portfolio Office"

April 16, 2015

Memorial’s New Employee Orientation Program

Recognizing the value of orienting new employees into the university’s culture early in their career, Memorial’s Department of Human Resources (HR) developed a comprehensive, multi-component approach to new employee orientation. Through a needs assessment that included focus groups, research and a review of best practices, HR designed an innovative, economically sustainable program that integrates face-to-face … Continue reading "Memorial’s New Employee Orientation Program"

April 16, 2015

“McGill Satellite Procurement Operations” – A Customer Centric Approach

McGill’s vision to implement “Satellite Procurement operations” started taking shape in 2009, with the goal to improve customer service and strengthen the impartiality of the procurement process. The model relies heavily on collaboration, building relationships and sharing functional knowledge while focusing on improving customer response time, process efficiencies and cost savings. A value driven and … Continue reading "“McGill Satellite Procurement Operations” – A Customer Centric Approach"

April 16, 2015

Integrated Academic Program Information: Informing Decisions through Integrated Systems Data Intelligence

York University recently embarked on an institution wide program review (AAPR) that examined every administrative and academic program. A key requirement was the development of a comprehensive data set to support academic programs. York’s Office of Institutional Planning and Analysis designed and developed the data set under the direction of the AAPR data committee. The … Continue reading "Integrated Academic Program Information: Informing Decisions through Integrated Systems Data Intelligence"

April 16, 2015

Bonfire: A new ‘Best Practice’ tool for the Competitive Bid (RFx) Evaluation Process

Ryerson and Laurier worked closely with Bonfire to ensure their system meets the unique requirements of universities while addressing the new BPS procurement directives. Specifically, Bonfire shaped its system to accommodate the varying forms of procurement styles (e.g., contract A/B and the negotiated RFP model) including higher accountability standards for BPS organizations. The company also … Continue reading "Bonfire: A new ‘Best Practice’ tool for the Competitive Bid (RFx) Evaluation Process"

April 16, 2014

RYERSON UNIVERSITY’S FINANCIAL SERVICES CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

There are financial aspects to every department of an academic institution, and postsecondary organizations across Canada are facing increased pressure on their budgets and overall accountability. Yet in many cases, faculty and staff who are responsible for managing or administering budgets and money issues have little financial background, and they report not just a lack … Continue reading "RYERSON UNIVERSITY’S FINANCIAL SERVICES CERTIFICATE PROGRAM"

April 16, 2014

University Manager 2011 Spring

A Fine Balance: Challenges to University Governance, Accountability and Autonomy

Tags: Financial Management, Governance, Government Relations, University Manager

April 17, 2011