The aims of this project were to examine how the PPR workshop approach (and its tools) could be adapted and developed to benefit the wider Higher Education sector.
Evaluation of participative process reviews
Project contacts:
- Rhona Sharpe, Head of Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development
- Ian Whiting, Staff and Organisational Development Consultant, OCSLD
The Participative Process Review (PPR) is a team-based activity which equips teams with the knowledge and skills to conduct a process review. Following restructuring from eight schools to four faculties, we are now critically examining our key processes in order to streamline these and improve efficiency and effectiveness. At Oxford Brookes University, we have developed an innovative team-based format for process reviews, drawing on existing good practice (Sarchet & Kenward, 2006; SUMS, 2009). Four pilots have been conducted with teams from academic and professional support services tackling issues such as summer school accommodation bookings, development of new online courses and reading lists, and shared housing damages recovery process.
Early results are encouraging with indications that there have been significant efficiency savings, as well as improvements in team working and staff morale. This project will allow us to (a) test our review process at a range of institutions; (b) develop and use metrics to evaluate its impact; and (c) disseminate our methods and findings to the sector. We anticipate that our outputs will both convince others of the value of the process and provide them with the tools they need to undertake and evaluate PPRs themselves. Although PPRs are supported internally by the Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development, a thorough evaluation of the PPR format, including testing at other institutions, is beyond the capacity of the Centre without external support.
The outcomes of this project are:
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Download the Report Participative Process Reviews Final Report
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SDF Digest article Participative Process Reviews: Developing a sector-wide tool kit
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BlogPost How Participative Process Reviews can nurture conversations and deliver efficiencies
