2025-2026 EDITION
DRIVING OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE
BY TAN MEI SIE, Senior School Manager
The Professional Staff of the School of Business
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In a complex academic institution such as Monash University Malaysia, operational excellence is not merely a goal but a fundamental prerequisite that underpins the success of academic programs, research initiatives, and student experience. Within the School of Business, professional staff are essential to this foundation, supporting students and academics across a diverse spectrum of functions including course and workload planning, budgeting, research support, external engagement, and event coordination. While much of this work takes place behind the scenes, it is instrumental in ensuring the School functions effectively and with impact.
In recent years, professional staff have led a number of important process improvements and service enhancements. The Operations Management team, for example, has strengthened workforce planning and academic workload allocation through the introduction of data-informed tools that promote transparency, equity, and more effective resource distribution. One such initiative involved the design of an automated workflow tool to process academic requests.
“ Together with clear guidelines, the form processed over 200 requests with more than 90 % user satisfaction. It significantly enhanced transparency and efficiency. I’ m proud to have worked on it.”
The Education Management team has also made significant strides in streamlining student-facing processes. A multi-channel support model now offers students access to in-person assistance, student town halls, and comprehensive online resources. These efforts have reduced routine enquiries, enabling staff to focus on more complex and high-value matters. In tandem, the team has introduced digital tools to simplify course mapping and graduation checks, which are an especially valuable innovation in a School that offers highly flexible, and at times complex, program structures.
“ I enjoyed the process of developing the Course Completion Tool. Built on Google Sheets, the tool assesses students’ eligibility to graduate. It speeds up the process, reduces manual work, and minimises error. I genuinely find joy in building tools that make our work smarter.”
MAH JEE KHIN Assistant Manager, Student Experience
BRIEFINGS
AILIE KONG Manager, Operations