Meeting the Challenges of K-12

Leadership in Technology

Operations

Memphis Public Schools

Principals Academy

June 4th and June 5th, 2009

Introduction

• Steve Muzzy – Asst. Supt. Educational

Technology

• Brevard Public Schools, Florida

• Governors Award for Organizational Excellence

• Currently Applying for MBNQA

Brevard’s Technology

Success Stories

• 80% of Classrooms meet “Sunrise Standard”

• Ubiquitous Access to Technology

• Highly Proficient Teachers who Integrate Technology

• Most “Star” Educators in the Country

• Leadership, Governance, and Community Recognition

Journey

From:

• CIO Terminated

• Low Cust. Sat.

• Masters of “NO”

• Lots of Tech Talk and

Tech Lockdowns

• Data/Information

Centralized

• Admin. Tech vs.

Instr.Tech

To:

• 95% Customer Sat

• Customer Svc. Culture

• Tech viewed as a

Strength

• Supportive Board

• High PD

• State Model of

Technology Excellence

Program

Today’s Agenda

• Sharing the BPS Journey to improve

technology

• What we have done to improve customer

service, increase capacity, and improve

effectiveness and efficiency

Goals of the Session

• Understand the importance and definition of

“Process”

• Increase your understanding of some key

process management tools

• Realize the power of the “Six Questions”

• Better understand the role of technology in

improving operations and instruction

Technology Beliefs and

Values

Primary Challenge are Human Factors and Related to Process

Personalizes Learning and Overcomes Time and Space Barriers

Transformation Requires Strong Leadership and

Vision

Technological Fluency Prepares our Children for

Today and Tomorrow

Equitable and Ubiquitous Access

is a Necessity

Enables Innovation, Resulting in Greater

Efficiencies and Productivity

K-12 TECHNOLOGY

CURRENT STATE (CoSN)

• Average Computers per Tech is 650

• Average Students per Tech is 1,943

• 85% of Leaders identify high need of Instructional

technologists, techs, and web specialists

• 55% report over 80% of time is reactionary

• 80% report budget is not enough to meet the

expectations of Board/Supt./Community

Challenges Summarized

• Growing Technology Needs or Dreams

Becoming Nightmares

• Balancing Security with Using Technology to

Tap Into Excitement of Teachers and Students

• Shrinking Staffs and Shrinking

Budgets

MEETING THE CHALLENGE

• Relentlessly Pursue the Elimination of

Waste

• Focus on Customer Requirements and

Customer Service

• Not About Getting Leaner but Increasing

Capacity with the Same Funding

The Fundamentals

Process

Measurement

Customer

Improvement

The Labels Are Many

• Lean

• Six Sigma

• Total Quality Management

• Business Process Management

• Balanced Scorecard

• Accountability

• Many, Many, More

PROCESS MANAGEMENT AND

IMPROVEMENT

• Will Transform Your Organization

and Enable You to Build Capacity

•Technology will Accelerate Your

Improvement and Create Flexibility

“Focus on processes;

you can’t change

the outcomes

unless you change

the processes

that generate them!”--Jack Grayson, Jr.

Process Management

Overview

Process:• Is a designed group of related tasks that work together

to create a result of value to the customers

• A series of interrelated activities that convert inputs to

results or outputs

• …steps and decisions involved in the way work is

accomplished

Why Process Focus?

• Process focus is concerned with outcomes and results

• A shift from a task focus to a process focus is essential

to achieve desired results.

• A process is a related group of tasks that together create

a result of value to the customer

• Processes cross between traditional functions and

involve multiple people

Why Process Focus?

• A process focus requires a customer and results focus

• Much attention is paid to inputs and outputs, but less has been given to the process or how the work gets done.

• Most problems in organizations are not task problems –they are process problems

• A process is a related group of tasks that together create a result of value to a customer

Can You Find Waste Your

Processes?

• Too Many Hand Offs

• Excessive Approvals

• Paper Based Data Input

• Non-Value Added Tasks

• Unnecessary Paperwork

• Focus on Task Excellence in Departments

or Silos

19

Process Management Overview

Process:

A systematic approach for achieving a desired result.

Because it is systematic, it is repeatable and can produce

results with minimal variation. All processes can be

measured in terms of quality, cost, and time.

Key Learning Point:

By improving quality or reducing time, costs will be reduced.

Principles Of Process

Management and Improvement

• Customer Focus

• Respect For People

• Manage By Fact

• Continuous Improvement

Definition of Insanity

• “Expecting Different Results and

continuing to do the same things.”

-Albert Einstein

The Six Questions

• What Do You Do?

– Description that identifies need(s) you are meeting

• How Do You Do It?

– A flow chart showing process steps, people or function involved,

and key decision points

• Who Do I Do It For?

– Identifies customer(s) and who receives the product or output of

your process

The Six Questions

• How Do You Know You Are Doing A Good Job?

– Outcome measures and In-Process measures are compared to

customer requirements and benchmarks

• How Do You Improve?

– Benchmarking, Plan-Do-Check-Act, DMAIC

• Can You Demonstrate Your Improvement System?

Key Takeaway

• By constantly focusing on the six questions, you will

begin to master The fundamentals of process,

measurement, and data

• By learning what causes things to happen in a process

and removing things that contribute little or no value to

the result will improve efficiencies…Outcomes can’t be

improved without process change

• The Improvement Fundamental is Enhanced by DMAIC,

PDCA or other problem solving methodology

26

Process and Measure Fundamentals

Important Process Management Tools:

Flow Chart - Describes the process, players, and key

decision points.

Outcome Measure – Describes the degree(s) to which the

process is successful in meeting its mission and

stakeholders’ requirements.

In-Process Measure – Describes the performance of

behavior factors which are known to have significant

influence on the outcome measure(s).

The Six Questions Template

• An Assignment for you and your staff

• Will provide you the template at the end of

the session

The Progression

A Process Discipline

Relentless Process

Improvement

Measurement and

Benchmarking

Warning

• Embracing Process Management is HARD

WORK

• Not Doing One of the Fundamentals Will Result

in Failure

• Leaders Must Walk the Walk

• Change in Culture Does Not Happen Overnight

Focus Points

• Steps or Activities must be based around

the results or outcomes

• Focus must be on the customer, not

politics or tradition

• FIX THE PROCESS FIRST, THEN

AUTOMATE

Technology Misconceptions

• Automating Processes Will Fix My Problems

• We Need Faster Computers

• We Need Better Software

• We Need More Bandwidth

Applying Technology

• To an Improved Process Will Yield Enhanced Results

and Increased Capacity

• Better, Cheaper, and Faster

• Technology Accelerates Improvement and Enables

Flexibility

• Mastery of the Fundamentals and The Six Questions Will

Change Your Culture

Remember….

• A Bad Process Automated is a Faster Bad

Process that is More Expensive

Brevard’s Key Technology

Processes

– Manage Educational Technology

• Manage Network Operations

• Manage Internal Customer Inquiries and Problem Resolution

• Information and Data Management

• Programming and Integration Services

• Provide Customer Technology Training

• Manage IT Projects

• Ensure Continuity of IT Operations

• Manage State Reporting

• Manage External Customer Inquires and Problem Resolution

• Manage Printing and Digital Reproduction Services

• Manage Technology Support and Repair

Example Customer

Requirements and Outcome

Measures

• Quality/Usability

• Availability

• Reliability

• Responsiveness

• Problem Resolution

• Access to computing and

communications technologies

• Proficient users

• Cost Efficiency

• Customer satisfaction ratings

• Critical server uptime

• Infrastructure uptime

• WAN link uptime

• Help Desk response and

resolution times (tier 1 and tier 2)

• Student/computer ratio

• % 21st century classrooms

• Teacher proficiency ratings

• Student proficiency ratings

• Average cost of repairs

• Staffing ratios

Linking In-Process and

Outcome Measures

• Example Outcome Measures

– IT customer satisfaction

rating

– System uptime

– First call resolution

– Proficiency of IT users

– % budget for IT

• Example In-Process Measures

– Response times, Progress

compliance reports related to

meeting tech plan objectives

– Daily and weekly core/WAN

links from NOC

– Abandonment rate

– % of technology training trends

reports

– Monthly variance analysis

Important Measurement

Points

• You must measure the right things

• You must set stretch goals or targets to

strive for the right measures

• What gets measured gets done!

Some Technology Examples

• First Call Resolution Improved To 65%

• Work System Savings of $1 Million Annually Due to Centralized

Procurement

• Hard Savings of $500K annually due to In-House Programming

• Cell Phone Savings of $90K Annually

• Avoided Costs of $1.8M Through Donated Computer and Parts

Surplus Utilization

Some Technology Examples

• Average Time of 2 Days “In the Box” versus 24 days

• Tier 2 Response Time Improved 60%

• Self Maintainer Program Earned 20k in First Year

• Negotiated 250K Cash for Student Enrichment Programs

• Hard Savings of 500k Annually in Printing Operations

• Customer Satisfaction Rating of all Segments at 95%

Best Practices

• Pick Project or Process of Interest to Management

• Ensure Process Participants Allotted Time to Provide Input on

Process

• Ensure Customer Requirements are Correct and Collect Baseline

Data

• Implement Feasible Countermeasures

• Document and Communicate Success Stories

A Culture of Excellence

Through Process

Management• Occurs Incrementally

• Depends on Involvement and Empowerment of People

• Listen, Learn, and Help

• Not a Grand Slam but many Base Hits

• Common Language

• Relentless Pursuit of Excellence

42

Process Management Overview

Process Management:

Ensuring processes always achieve desired results.

Key Learning Points:

1. What do you do?

2. How do you do it?

3. Who do you do it for?

4. How do you know you’re doing a good job?

5. How do you improve?

6. Show me.

Goals of the Session

• Understand the importance and definition of

“Process”

• Increase your understanding of some key

process management tools

• Realize the power of the “Six Questions”

• Better understand the role of technology in

improving operations and instruction

Sources of Help

• Baldrige Education Criteria

• APQC – American Productivity and Quality Center

• Ets, Inc

• Brevard Public Schools Performance Excellence

Resource Manual and Baldrige/Sterling Application

• Muzzy.stephen@brevardschools.org

Some Tools to Help

• The Six Questions Template

• BPS Performance Excellence Resource

Manual