The President’s Office Manual Workshop

Jessica A. Hallam, B.A. Director of Presidential Operations

DePaul University

Adriel A. Hilton, PhDExecutive Assistant to the President & Chief Diversity Officer

Upper Iowa University

Willie D. Larkin, PhDExecutive Assistant to the President

Morgan State University

Todd D. Kleine, MS, MBA Assistant Director of Records Management

DePaul University

National Association of Presidential Assistants in Higher Education25th Annual Meeting

Los Angeles, California

March 9, 20121:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

What we will cover!

• Why a President’s Office Manual?• Theoretical Framework for Office Manuals

• Round Table Discussions• Workshop Summary and Take-a-ways

• Questions & Answers

Why a President’s Office Manual?

• 2011 NAPAHE Conference over 70 PA’s…..• Great interest across the organization…..• Opportunity to connect and create a valuable

tool…..• The process used to develop a manual….

The President’s Office

• Complexities of the President’s Office– PA’s are faced with the dynamics of daily operations, annual and

changing demands, developing and implementing policies through shared governance, and interacting with university stakeholders

• Understanding our unique environments– Each college/university or state system of higher education is different

• Diverse governance structures that dedicate our priorities are prevalent• An assortment of sizes, shapes and leadership directives are present

• Challenges that we face– Dedicating time to work on a manual – Staff buy in and support for starting and completing this project

Why PA’s want an Office Manual

• A central location for operational processes, office policies, and resources

• Ensures consistency in operations

• Clarity of responsibility by position

• Aids staff in understanding the division of responsibility by each position (for operations that are staffed with two or more employees)

• Cross training tool for current staff

Why PA’s want an Office Manual

• New or temporary employee orientation tool

• A critical tool for presidential transitions

• Provides a framework for day to day, month to month, year to year

• Increases efficiency in office operations and enables all positions to perform at the top of their potential

What we need to consider.....

• Today was have 52 institutions (31 public) (21 private) attending this workshop.

• Understand the diversity of PA’s and the various roles, titles, challenges and levels of responsibility held within each of our unique environments

• Sensitive to the fact that the information we are presenting can be easily applied to any office environment

What we will achieve here today

• Introduce theory and best practices

• Provide take-a-ways that can be utilized in your own administrative organizations

• Advance these conversations asking NAPAHE to permanently commit to the on going development of this kind of training

Business Continuity Planning

Continuous business operations in all situations– Focuses on “mission-critical” office items– Can be executed by any appropriate staff member– Available to and accessible by all staff members

Source: Laudon & Laudon, 2006

Consistent Process Improvement

Source: Besterfield, 2003

Theoretical Framework for Manual Creation

Systems Analysis

Systems AnalysisA problem-solving technique that decomposes a system into its component pieces for the purpose of studying how well these component parts work and interact to accomplish their purpose.

Source: Whitten & Bentley, 2007

Systems DesignSystems Design

A complementary problem-solving technique (to systems analysis) that reassembles a system’s component pieces back into a complete system, hopefully as an improved system. This may involve adding, deleting and changing pieces relative to the original system.

Source: Whitten & Bentley, 2007

Define Project Goals• Ask yourself at the beginning:– What do we hope to achieve?– Is now the right time?– What constraints are present?

Identify Project Goals

Engage Outside Help

• Engage “outside consultant” for interviews– Allows for unbiased feedback and discovery of

process bottlenecks– Allows for less tension and more trust in

documentation process– Could be paid, professional consultant or internal

business analysts

Engage outside help

Define Mission Critical Activities

• Prepare for interviews– Identify all “mission critical” office

procedures/functions– Identify all stakeholders to the “mission critical”

procedures/functions– Notify stakeholders of overall mission and process

Define mission-critical strategic and operational procedures

Conduct Structured Interviews

• Consultant performs structured interviews– Consistent questions asked throughout interview• “Describe your role in the procedure?”• “What documents are produced from the procedure?”• “Are passwords stored in systems, other places?”

– Notes summarized and provided to stakeholders within a reasonable time for review & approval

Conduct structured interviews and document procedures

Internal Review of Procedure Drafts

• All user interviews summarized into templates• Reviewed by interviewees for consistency• Reviewed by other office members– Identifies “holes” in procedures– Informs other members on procedures which

might miss their scope of operation

Review procedures and edit as necessary

Template Design Guidelines

Consider the following items:– Avoid excessive use of jargon or acronyms– User should always know what to do next– Avoid design inconsistency– Involve the user in the interface design– Practice iterative design– Remember “appropriate technology”

Source: Galitz, 2007Pick Delivery Method

Process/Procedure Template

Review and Change as Necessary

• Manual is an organic being• Consider annual review of manual• Tie procedures to performance evaluations

and reviews

Review manual regularly and change as necessaryReview manual regularly and change as necessary

Round Table Discussions

Using the theory and best practices discuss with your group how

you would answer the following questions.

Round Table Discussions 1) What are two goals you hope to achieve by attending this session? Do you believe the session will help you achieve those goals?

2) What are the 5 to 10 operational procedures that should be included in your manual?

3) What are the 5 to 10 daily procedures that should be included in your manual?

4) What is a realistic timeframe for implementing this manual?

Round Table Discussions Continued

5) What barriers do you anticipate in creating a manual? How will you overcome them?

6) What internal resources are available at your institution to assist in analyzing the key processes of the President's Office?

7) For those participants who have created an office manual, what will be your next steps following this workshop (for those participants who have yet to create an office manual, what will be your next steps)?

Summary and Take A Ways

What was learned?

List tools and take-aways ~~~~~

What are some outstanding questions?

What's the next step in the development of your office manual?

Contact Information Jessica A. Hallam B.A.

Director of Presidential OperationsDePaul University

jhallam@depaul.edu

Adriel A. Hilton, PhDExecutive Assistant to the President & Chief Diversity Officer

Upper Iowa Universityhiltona@uiu.edu

Willie D. Larkin, PhDExecutive Assistant to the President

Morgan State Universitywillie.larkin@morgan.edu

Todd D. Kleine, MS, MBAAssistant Director of Records Management

DePaul Universitytkleine@depaul.edu