Establish a Continuous Improvement Framework
Portland Community College is establishing a Continuous Improvement framework to improve processes and allow us to better serve our students. This systematic review and continuous improvement process will analyze administrative procedures, operations, and practices through a racial equity and social justice framework that centers our students. This framework will be implemented across all areas of the college (Academic Affairs; Student Affairs; Finance and Administration; People-Strategy, Equity and Culture; Strategy, Policy, and Integrated Planning; Office of College Relations; Marketing and Communications; and IT).
Developing the Continuous Improvement framework means doing four things at the same time:
- Advancing the work that needs to be done for accreditation.
- Supporting relationships by learning about each other and each other’s work, a pillar of integrated planning.
- Documenting that we are developing our Continuous Improvement knowledge and practice. Surveys are currently being administered to the college community.
- Completing a component of the Strategic Plan.
The project promotes many leadership behaviors that support Continuous Improvement. PCC benefits when leaders openly share their belief that:
- Continuous improvement is everyone’s job, every day.
- Continuous improvement is an important part of the organization’s future.
- Everyone has valuable experiences and ideas that contribute to PCC’s improvement culture.
- Embracing both big projects and small improvements has value; embracing change at a thoughtful scale contributes to successful continuous improvement.
Providing Feedback on the Continuous Improvement Framework
The success of PCC’s framework relies on engagement from all areas of the college (IT, Facilities, Finance, Student and Academic Affairs, students, and so on). Listed below are the seven proposed elements of the framework, followed by an opportunity to provide anonymous feedback. We hope you will take this opportunity to share your perspective!
Seven (Proposed) Elements of the PCC Continuous Improvement Framework (Version 3.2)
- Integrate the use of B-JEDI decision tools when planning. For example, use the racial equity and social justice framework; or use the Fist of Five decision method, or similar.
- Plan a cycle. The cycle won’t be the same for everyone, but we can make the planning sustainable and predictable and we can communicate the plan plainly.
- Create and share expectations about connections to (integrated) college planning and decision-making. Strive, ultimately, to streamline and make transparent the connections of a unit’s planning to the broader college planning and resource allocation.
- Describe what transparency looks like in your planning, so people know what will be transparent and what won’t be. Set and communicate expectations using plain language.
- Document accountability and flexibility. This won’t be the same for everyone, but we can strive to make this predictable and we can communicate expectations plainly.
- Develop and support a culture of continuous improvement. For example, welcome and share both large and small suggestions for improvement and model leadership behaviors that support continuous improvement activities. Let go of “sunk costs” to free resources. Provide time, resources, and structure for change and change management.
- Build resilience and nimbleness. Readiness for change won’t look the same for everyone, but we can strive to build resilience, backup plans, and a “readiness for the next _____” as we choose and prioritize the changes that we work toward.
Please provide your feedback on this framework on this one-question survey: