PowerPoint Presentation

Faculty transcript management processJames Madison UniversityChristina L. LandesApril 23, 2012Icebreaker lets draw!Each participant should draw1-2 additions to the sketch based on your opinion of what the object is.

No guidance will be provided from the facilitator until the end.

Final picture

Learning lessonWhere there is no vision, the people perish . . .

Proverbs 29:18objectivesWelcome Debbie Glass, JMU Business Process ManagerDescribe the organization and performance issueDiscuss the current transcript management processReview the identified performance gapExplain data collection methodsReview the Performance Improvement Plan

Organization & Performance issueJMU Human Resources department role in the faculty transcript management processSothern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) reaccreditation in Fall of 2012 and Spring of 2013 Past SACSCOC review in 2002 resulted JMU being cited for violations to transcript tracking processTypically handled by Academic Affairs

Transcript Management processTranscripts and hiring justification documentation should be sent to Human Resources office with Personnel Action Request (PAR) form when new faculty members are hired.Policy 2101 Faculty Hiring Procedures outlines 60-180 day deadlines for submission of paperworkUntil 2007, Human Resources administrative assistant was allowed to hold PAR forms until required documents arrived.Concerns about faculty teaching without payment prompted change, PAR forms could no longer be held.Policy not enforced by Academic Affairs no accountability for failure to submit documents.

Transcript Management processHuman Resources administrative assistant responsible for transcript management until 2010.Due to upcoming SACSCOC review, Human Resources Representative was given responsibility for assessing the status of:(a) the current official transcripts on file, (b) the missing transcripts that should be on file,(c) the process for requesting and gathering missing transcriptsHuman Resources office move in 2011 and restructure of administrative staff functions uncovered major issues with document processing.

Performance gapCurrent practice does not follow written policy. No process in place to ensure that the university, through Human Resources:(a) understands what credentials the faculty member possesses that qualifies them to teach a particular course, (b) can clearly identify what documents are expected from different institutions for each faculty member, (c) can effectively follow-up with, or hold accountable, faculty members who fail to provide required documents by the established deadlinesPerformance gapInefficiencies in document management processes within the Human Resources department including:Confusion about incoming mail processing Lack of communication and training about importance of transcript and hiring justification documentsInability to effectively access hard copy documents following the transition to electronic document scanning into Nolij

Data Collection MethodsStructured interviews with Human Resources staff membersUnstructured interviews with Human Resources staff membersOne-on-oneGroup meetingsUnstructured interviews with departmental administrative assistantsReview of organizational documents

Walk Through InterviewsWere employees aware of the importance of the official transcript?Did employees know what to do with a transcript?Did employees know how to identify a Hiring Justification Form or other documents that could be accepted in lieu of the form to justify hiring, such as memos or email communications?If transcripts, hiring justification documentation or emergency hire forms came across the employees desk, what did they do with it? Walk Through InterviewsWhy did they follow the process they did? Were they trained to do it that way? Did they create a process that made sense to them? Did the process they were following make sense to the big picture as they understood it to be?Did they have suggestions for improving the process?

Performance improvement planPerformance Improvement Recommendation #1StepsforImprovementJustification for ImprovementDocument processing improvements within the Human Resources departmentLimit the number of Human Resources staff members who are responsible for opening and processing incoming mail to permanent, non-student positions.Create a training checklist for Human Resources administrative assistants responsible for mail processing covering all types of transcript documents.Change current internal mail processing procedures to allow only the receiving person listed on the envelope (Deliver To) to open mail, including intercompany envelopes. Mail addressed to Human Resources in general may be opened and distributed as appropriate.Implement a cross-check system for scanned documents before they are put into already scanned boxes. Already Scanned boxes should be labeled with the date range that documents contained inside were scanned. Frequent changes in student and wage positions creates a lack of emotional attachment to documents and difficulty in training on all the scenarios over short periods of time.To ensure complete understanding and urgency of transcript related documents, including hiring justifications.Requests are made that transcripts be mailed directly to the Human Resources Representative responsible for them. This minimizes misdirection of documents.Allows for verification that no transcript related documents are being misfiled.To increase the ease of retrieval of documents. Additional processes should be explored to further aid in retrieval.16Performance improvement planPerformance Improvement Recommendation #2StepsforImprovementJustification for ImprovementTranscript Tracking and Follow-Up with Academic DepartmentsImplement the use of a shared spreadsheet to track the need for a transcript based on information received on the PAR form for newly hired or rehired faculty members. Information from the PAR form is keyed by the Human Resources administrative assistant who initially processes the PAR form when it arrives in Human Resources.Conduct weekly audit of transcripts needed based on information keyed to spreadsheet. Follow-up with monthly reminders to academic departments if transcripts are not received in Human Resources, increasing the level of contact from departmental administrative assistant, to Dean/Department Head, then Provost until transcript or justification is received and on file for SACSCOC.Generate a query each semester comparing the Instructor of record from the Student Administration system to the transcript tables in the Human Resources database. Notifies the Human Resources Representative in charge of transcripts that a transcript is needed as soon as new hire paperwork process beings. Allows more time to capture required documents before the faculty member begins work. Allows for timely reminders and follow-up with academic departments regarding missing transcripts. Demonstrates due diligence on the part of Human Resources to obtain required documentation. Accountability for failure to obtain documents will rest ultimately with Academic Affairs.To ensure complete transcript files and allow follow-up for new instructors who were not identified through the PAR process.Performance improvement planPerformance Improvement Recommendation #3StepsforImprovementJustification for ImprovementCreate process for advance notice to Human Resources from the academic department regarding expected credentialsResearch the ability to utilize the front-end Personnel Action system already slated to begin implementation in the summer of 2012 to capture expected credentials to notify Human Resources about what transcripts or justification documentation will be arriving.If front-end system wont allow for this type of tracking, modify the existing Onboard Request Form, already submitted by departmental administrative assistants for new hires and rehires, to capture credentials expected.To minimize the disconnect between the knowledge academic departments have regarding credentials held by new faculty members at the time of hire and the official documentation expected in Human Resources. Allows Human Resources to answer, How do we know when we have what we need?Same as Justification 1.Questions