Finance & Operations
Status: In Process
Primary Contact –
Name: Adam Fowler
Email: amfowler4@ua.edu
College/Department: Human Resources
Description: New Hire Onboarding Automation Project
Scope: To Improve the New Hire Onboarding Process for The University of Alabama
College of Continuing Studies – CSS
Status: In Process
Primary Contact –
Name: Tim Salazar
Email: trsalazar@ua.edu
College/Department: CCS
Description: Small routine tasks automation project
Scope: To improve the automation of small routine tasks to achieve employee effectiveness. CCS has experts teaching in technology on staff and how to utilize these assets to benefit staff members typical workdays. The second project is looking to automate a reporting process that is used continually by the CCS UA-Online team
Status: In Process
Primary Contact –
Name: Tim Salazar
Email: trsalazar@ua.edu
College/Department: CCS
Description: Reporting automation project
Scope: To automate a reporting process that is used continually by the CCS UA-Online team
COMPLETED PROJECTS
| TITLE | COLLEGE / DEPARTMENT | AGILITY CONTACT | PROJECT DESCRIPTION | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Streamline of the revenue transfer process | CCS – College of Continuing Studies | Tim Salazar trsalazar@ua.edu | Automation of a very manual, labor-intensive process. Through the automation of the process, it has freed up significant time early in each semester for a group of employees. Additionally, the automation has also reduced the time it takes for CCS to reimburse colleges each semester. | |
| Electronic ePA use | CCS – College of Continuing Studies | Tim Salazar trsalazar@ua.edu | CCS’s moved to using an electronic ePA form, saving time and reducing challenges in the process of getting instructors, and other professionals, through the administrative process for reimbursement. | |
| Auto claims process improvement | Risk Management | Jennifer Clark jennifer.clark@ua.edu | The new process allows Risk Management to handle the auto claims as a team. Also, more claims will be reported to the third-party administrator to allow them to investigate and rule-out bodily injury claims. These changes will improve the quality of the auto claims handling. In the long run, that will mean better claim results. | |
| International travel process improvement | Risk Management | Jennifer Clark jennifer.clark@ua.edu | A new travel waiver process was implemented to process an increased number of travel requests to high-risk international locations. The updated process uses a newly devised International Travel Exception Request form to collect needed information about the particular travel and traveler for review and approval. This new process has allowed UA to better monitor international travel since the pandemic and make sure travelers are insured and prepared prior to departure. It allows for more efficient processing of travel requests to high-risk locations. | |
| Faculty-led study abroad program process improvement | Risk Management | Jennifer Clark jennifer.clark@ua.edu | The study abroad process was mostly focused on the academic and logistics aspects of the program; there was little related to risk management. In the Summer 2021, a new form was added to the process that directly collects health and risk-related information and reviews the risk management plans of the partners and vendors UA works with. The improvements allowed UA to better assess and mitigate potential risks and prepare faculty and staff for any challenges they may face. | |
| Pre-departure orientation process improvement | Risk Management | Jennifer Clark jennifer.clark@ua.edu | The mandatory Pre-Departure Orientation session for UA students going abroad incorporate now an online component to each application. This change will allow UA to deliver essential information and “test” students on the content, international insurance, potential risks and how to respond in a crisis. It will also allow for the in-person PDOs to include content that students may find more relevant. This change will save a significant number of hours spent answering questions about matters previously covered during a PDO session. It will be rolled out for students going abroad in Summer 2022 and after. | |
| Export control process Improvement | Risk Management | Jennifer Clark jennifer.clark@ua.edu | Developed a more robust policy and procedures to ensure Education Abroad activities are in compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and related export control regulations. The change will help UA travelers (and UA as an institution) meet compliance requirements related to the FCPA and other Export Control regulations. | |
| Backups on job duties documentation | Risk Management | Jennifer Clark jennifer.clark@ua.edu | Job duties on the department were assigned, but the backups to the primary professional were not clearly defined. The team developed a spreadsheet that lists every major job duty, the primary professional assigned, a first backup, a second backup and in some cases a third and fourth backups. For each job duty, the primary professional is responsible for training all their backups and keeping them permanently informed. It will improve the Department ability to serve UA, improve the quality of work as a team, save on average about 10 person-hours per month. | |
| Paperless catering program implementation | Risk Management | Jennifer Clark jennifer.clark@ua.edu | The UA Catering Program was stuck in an outdated process of printing all the documentation and creating a paper file for each caterer. Meetings were conducted in person to talk about the program and for caterers to sign all documents. Paperwork was changed to electronic files, as are easier to access, copy and file. Caterers are now added to the program through phone conversations and email correspondence. The idea has improved the quality of work and saves approximately 5 person-hours per month. | |
| On-the-job injury program communication improvement | Risk Management | Jennifer Clark jennifer.clark@ua.edu | Communication to HR about OJI lost time claims was conducted via phone calls and emails. But that communication was inconsistent and often ineffective. The team improved the communication process, creating a shared spreadsheet that is used and updated by both departments Risk Management and HR. This allows to easily access lost time information about OJI claimants. Emails are still sent to HR contacts, but at well-defined points in the life of the claims. The improvement has increased the quality of work for both Risk Mgt. and HR and increased the ability to serve injured workers. It is estimated that it saves around 6 person-hours per month. It has the potential to save UA several thousand dollars each year by avoiding fine and penalties. | |
| On-the-job injury pharmacy old file audits implementation | Risk Management | Jennifer Clark jennifer.clark@ua.edu | The Department begun auditing the medication expenses of older OJI claims to ensure that they are related to an injury and reviewing medication alternatives that may be available. This often involves conversations with pharmacy contacts regarding any possible improvements or any medications that may need to be reviewed. In the long run, is expected that these audits will save UA a considerable amount of money (potentially $250,000 annually). | |
| Document sharing for major claims | Risk Management | Jennifer Clark jennifer.clark@ua.edu | High dollar claims often involve a large amount of document sharing between UA Risk Mgt., Legal and claimants. In the past, if the data file was too large to send by email, a jump drive was hand delivered or mailed. The department now use Box to exchange and organize data. This has saved time by allowing all data and documents to be hosted on a single site and easily available to the people who need them. It saves UA about 3 person-hours per month. | |