1722 – Research and Consultancy Service
Following the merger of UCL and IOE , SUMS was asked to : “ Support the integration of IOE and UCL research and enterprise processes and make recommendations for future organisation structure and process efficiencies that will retain IOE expertise and deliver the most effective overall processes for both IOE and UCL .”
During the course of the assignment , a facilitative approach was taken with the aim of engaging all stakeholder groups . One to one interviews were conducted with representatives from key customer groups and the staff of research services . The assignment was coordinated with a parallel review of KT services and findings were shared as the assignment progressed . Comparisons were made with other universities ’ research services organisations .
A number of recommendations were made , including the identification of opportunities to improve IOE research services ’ processes to eliminate duplication of tasks by different groups ; the design of a new research services organisation structure that was more integrated with the UCL structure , retaining IOE-specific knowledge , but at the same time unencumbered by numerous reporting lines into research centres ; the addition of a role to further promote and develop research hand in hand with academics ; a timeline to implement the recommendations and a strawman of how the organisation could be further integrated into a single UCL / IOE research services unit .
The benefits of these recommendations should be a simplified organisation that is more responsive , helpful to academics and less bureaucratic ; the retention of IOE specific knowledge and improved interaction with UCL , thereby delivering a seamless service .
1737 – Timetabling Support
This work followed on from 1714 which saw the establishment of an outline plan for timetable system migration . SUMS provided ad-hoc advice and facilitation to support the transition from the IOE system across to the UCL system .
58 SUMS Consulting Annual Review 2016