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Vice President for Finance

The University’s trusted financial partner

Continuous Improvement

Continuous Improvement is at the heart of our mission

UVAFinance strives to meet the needs of the University community, and a big part of that is maintaining a culture of continuous improvement.  We focus on better training and process standardization in order to produce results more effectively and better support our stakeholders and the University mission.

The UVAFinance Continuous Improvement Committee (CIC) works to guide UVAFinance to meet these goals while minimizing the burden on faculty and staff. 

If you have any questions related to the Committee's official charge or the below resources, or about continuous improvement in general, please get in touch with us here. 

Official charge of the CIC:

UVAFinance, in pursuit of better partnership with and service to the UVA community, seeks to adopt, encourage and foster a culture of continuous improvement in its day-to-day operations. This culture will futher the attainment of the values of UVAFinance:

* Accurate Information  * Excellent service and support * Collaborative & trusted relationships * Operational effectiveness * High performing teams 

The Finance Continuous Improvement Committee was formed to undertake activities that will result in the effective, sustainable adoption of a continuous improvement culture. Expected outcomes of these activities are as below:

  • UVAFinance units have established standards for consistent service delivery to the university community 
  • Processes are made uniform across UVAFinance, and within specific departments with unit-specific processes
  • Technology solutions available to UVAFinance have been inventoried, awareness about them is widespread, and opportunities to leverage them for optimal business processes have been explored
  • All UVAFinance employees have received minimum training on Lean and other Continuous Improvement methods 
  • Designated UVAFinance employees have achieved certification in Lean
  • Establish structure by which we can track all UVAFinance improvement initiatives, including project participants 
  • UVAFinance colleagues are actively participating in Continuous Improvement activities
  • Process improvements have been completed, documented and celebrated, are being maintained, and are being quantified across UVAFinance
  • Continuous Improvement is visible throughout the UVAFinance physical and virtual work environment
  • Kanban boards are displayed throughout the UVAFinance physical and virtual work environment
  • All units of UVAFinance have defined key operational metrics and are tracking/reporting against those metrics
  • Standup meetings are taking place on a regular basis for all UVAFinance units
  • A UVAFinance-wide situation room standup meeting takes place weekly 
  • The Continuous Improvement Community in the JIVE environment is active with employee discussion and content sharing
  • Clearly articulated executive objectives for process improvement
CIC Members

IMprovement workstreams:

Process: Tasked with creating standard tools and templates.

Audience: Facilitates and leads the development and implementation of a change management plan, manages the people side of change. 

Communication: Charged with developing and defining continuous improvement communications strategy and channels.

Technology: Spearheads the inventory process of technology solutions available to UVAFinance and helps with spreading awareness about their optimal business use. 

 

James Gorman:  Project Sponsor and Project Manager

Brenda Nalley:   Project Assistant Manager

Brandi Van Ormer: Communications Lead

Meredith Dixon:  Technology Lead

Shannon Wampler:  Audience Lead

Krisztina Kiss, Sarah Doran, and Danielle Hancock:  Audience 

Jack Jensen:  Process Lead

Josh Breeden and Ashley Bagby:  Process

Training and Resources

Lean Fluency: 

Many people in UVAFinance and across Grounds have completed the Lean Certification program. If you don't understand the concepts of Lean or know the terminology, it may seem like they are speaking a different language. If you feel like the intent of process improvement initiatives is being lost in translation, then register for Lean Fluency! This is a 3-hour workshop (with some pre-work) designed to familiarize learners with the basics of Lean principles, vocabulary, and tools. 

Lean in Daily Work

 

Based on Lean concepts, this class provides practical, easy-to-implement strategies to make your current processes more efficient. Upon completion of the class, you will gain skills to help you:

  • Use the 5S strategy for organization to help with identifying and eliminating waste and continuously improving processes. 
  • Document how you do your work using the Standard Work approach.
  • Manage work through tools such as a Kanban Board.
  • Implement time-saving ideas to improve efficiency and increase productivity.

Prerequisite: Completion of Lean Fluency or the Leading a Lean Transformation certificate. 

 

 

Lean Projects

Picking up where Lean Fluency left off, this course will delve deeper into leading a continuous improvement project using Lean principles and tools.  The class will focus on using the A3 tool to organize your project and communicate it to others.   Through lecture, discussion and activities, you will gain the knowledge and skills to start leading your own “Lean projects.”

Prerequisite: Completion of Lean Fluency or the Leading a Lean Transformation certificate.

 

Analytics for Finance Professionals:

In partnership with the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, this offering is a 4-day course developed through the Cornerstone Program to provide an opportunity to learn how to use data to advise and influence your stakeholders. Business analytics can provide insights that inform business decisions and can be used to automate and optimize business processes. Successful business analytics depends on data quality, skilled analysts who understand the technologies and the business, and an organizational commitment to data-driven decision-making. At the conclusion of the course, participants will receive a UVA-recognized certificate of completion. Cost of Attendance: $1,050 - this course is eligible for reimbursement using UVA Education benefits.

 

 

Other resources: