1. Can a school or unit submit more than one process improvement effort for consideration?

Preferably the school or unit will choose among eligible process improvement efforts and submit the one that most closely aligns with the award's criteria.

2. Can a school or unit submit an application without any supporting project documentation?

Yes, the submission of an application without supporting documentation implies that your school or unit has engaged one or more process improvement efforts and intends to submit an effort for consideration.

However, supporting documentation must be submitted on or before the cutoff date as indicated in the Schedule of Activities. Efforts that have no supporting documentation cannot be considered.

3. Why is the emphasis of the University Awards for Process Improvement based on the quality of the improvement methodology?

While value-added results are critical to any improvement effort, the awards for Process Improvement is primarily concerned with methodology for two reasons:

If the improvement approach is sound, the results of the project will add value from the learning that flows from the effort.

An effective improvement methodology is repeatable and can be duplicated to facilitate improvement in other process related areas.

 

 

 

 

 

4. The University Award for Process Innovation appears to be more results oriented, is there a reason for this?

Yes! Innovation is characterized by the introduction of a new idea, method or device. Accordingly, the successful innovation team must have established a new benchmark for operational performance or service delivery that demonstrates unprecendented change.

5. Can a team/department resubmit an improvement effort that did not attain award status the first time around?

No! However, a team/department may submit an effort focused on the same/similiar process so long as the effort is the result of a new cycle of improvement. Such an effort would differientiate its focus from the previous one. Minimally, a charter establishing new conditions, constraints and possibly new success indicators will be necessary.

Award-winning efforts may not be resubmitted for any reason. Additionally, a team/department of an award winning effort may reapply for the University Awards for Process Improvement and Process Innovation subsequent to a two-year waiting period.