Project Overviews
JMA partners with schools to reimagine processes across the higher ed enterprise, including student, academic, administrative, research, technology, financial, human resources, alumni, facilities and more. The following Project Overviews provide insight into Challenges, Results, and Recommendations from a variety of past projects.
Financial Aid
Challenge
Student inquiries diverted staff focus from processing, docs were late and incomplete, and volume surged at deadlines, leading to delays and frustration.
Outcomes
Faster, more accurate financial aid processing that enabled disbursement of funds in a timely manner.
Recommendations
- Tiered staffing model with escalation
- Proactive volume monitoring / balancing
- Expanded central call center capabilities
- Inquiry triage process and system
- Student communication and education via social media
International Admissions
Challenge
Newly implemented system didn’t deliver anticipated process efficiencies and service upgrades. As a result, the unit had to develop complex, manual processing workarounds which were time consuming and confusing for staff, applicants, and agents; delayed offers; and negatively impacted service, targets and institutional reputation.
Outcomes
Easy, intuitive applicant and agent processes; timely, unified communication; efficient staff processes; staff who understood and embraced processes; engaged applicants receiving exceptional service; and offers to qualified applicants as early as possible.
Recommendations
- Real-time applicant alerts and tracking
- Staff training and change management support
- Simplified instructions and terminology
- Smart application soliciting personalized info and docs based on applicant and program
- Self reported grades and scores
- Realigned staff responsibility by program vs. country
- Prioritized evaluation of completed files to speed offers
- Shared notes location
Student Wayfinding
Challenge
If a student is unaware or unable to easily connect with services, they may not realize their personal and educational goals because of missed opportunities and uninformed decisions.
Outcomes
To ensure students were aware of and able to connect with services, the school undertook a Process Streamlining project. Sponsors crafted end results describing the desired future state to guide the review.
Recommendations
- Continually-evolving knowledge base
- Interactive voice and texting chatbot
- Services-searchable smart map
- On-demand personalized services roadmaps
- Periodic check up and tuning tool
Faculty Hiring
Challenge
Non-FT Faculty Hiring was complex and error prone for hiring departments, confusing for new hires, and highly manual for staff, leading to duplicate activities, delays, errors, and a poor hiring experience.
Outcomes
Flexible processes that support department hiring goals, are efficient for staff, and are easy and engaging for new hires, creating a positive first impression.
Recommendations
- Simplified offer letters
- Urgent-hire fast tracking
- Auto-populated and workflowedonline forms
- Service level agreements
- Quickstart systems provisioning for email and LMS access
Degree Completion
Challenge
A dramatic increase in volume and use of new exam modes (driven of COVID) requiring more interaction between central and grad units – coupled with antiquated processes and communication via spreadsheets, email, and Post-It notes – led to an opaque, inefficient process for students (and others) at a critical point in their academic career.
Outcomes
Well-supported students and committee members; appropriate levels of transparency by stakeholder type; best practice staff processes; work completed where most appropriate; and clearly articulated roles and responsibilities; technology supporting the process end-to end.
Recommendations
- Consistent templates, guidelines, and timelines used by all academic units
- Clearly defined and communicated responsibilities by staff and stakeholder type
- Central unit realignment to support and actively build community among units
- Updated and simplified messaging
- Workflow system to facilitate intake and processing, prompt required action, send relevant communications, and provide real-time tracking
Registrarial Financials
Challenge
Enrollment growth significantly increased the volume of financial transactions, leading to backlogs and unacceptable student service.
Outcomes
Optimized, standardized, and flexible financial processes that eliminate backlogs and meet student needs and expectations while complying with university policy.
Recommendations
- Streamlined front desk operations
- Consolidated online payment system
- Enhanced P-Card usage
- Online workflow system