Project Vision
Transform administrative efficiency across Oregon's public universities through strategic shared services implementation, enhancing financial sustainability while improving service quality and operational effectiveness. This vision aligns with HECC strategic priorities and addresses the financial pressures facing Oregon's regional universities while maintaining service excellence.
Project Objectives
These objectives directly address the key challenges identified in previous discussions among TRUs + PSU leadership and align with state-level efficiency mandates.
- Operational Efficiency Improvement
- Eliminate redundancies across institutions
- Streamline processes and reduce administrative burden
- Enhance service delivery speed and consistency
- Service Quality Enhancement
- Leverage specialized expertise across the system
- Implement best practices and standardized procedures
- Improve response times and stakeholder satisfaction
- Financial Sustainability Enhancement
- Identify cost efficiency opportunities through economies of scale
- Quantify ROI for each shared service area
- Develop sustainable funding models for ongoing operations
Project Scope
Service areas were selected based on preliminary analysis showing highest potential for shared service benefits and institutional readiness. Additional areas may be considered in Phase 2 if capacity permits.
- Purchasing and Procurement Services
- Information Technology Services (Platforms, Technologies, & Cybersecurity)
- Legal Services
- Compliance and Risk Management
- Internal Audit
- Payroll Services (backend processing)
- Human Resource Management (Training/Recruitment)
- Academic Affairs
- Research & Graduate Studies
Success Criteria
Success criteria are based on benchmarking with peer institutions that have successfully implemented shared services models.
- Quantitative Measures
- Efficiency Gains: 20% improvement in process cycle times where shared services are
implemented - ROI Timeline: Positive return on investment within 24 months of implementation
- Qualitative Measures
- Stakeholder Buy-in: 80% agreement among institutional leadership on recommended shared
service models - Implementation Readiness: Clear governance framework and operational plan for priority
opportunities - Risk Mitigation: Comprehensive risk assessment with mitigation strategies for all
recommended changes
Project Approach & Methodology
The two-phase approach ensures thorough analysis while maintaining momentum and stakeholder engagement throughout the project lifecycle.
Phase I: Foundational Knowledge Capture (July - December 20025)
Objective: Establish comprehensive understanding of current state and identify high-priority
opportunities
Key Activities:
- Extensive document review and analysis
- Stakeholder engagement (executive leadership and service unit leaders)
- Campus-specific assessment weeks
- Hypothesis development and validation
- Comprehensive work plan creation
Phase 2: Operational and Financial Roadmap (January 2026 - June 2026)
Objective: Develop detailed implementation roadmap with financial projections and governance framework
Key Activities:
- Benchmarking analysis with peer institutions
- Financial modeling and ROI calculations
- Organizational readiness assessment
- Governance framework development
- Final recommendations and implementation roadmap
Project Timeline
Timeline includes buffer periods for institutional scheduling constraints, holiday breaks, and thorough review cycles with extended Phase 1 for comprehensive stakeholder engagement.
Phase 1: July - December 2025
- July: Project kickoff preparation and leadership session
- August: Document review, synthesis
- September: Executive alignment, project charter, data collection, data analysis
- October: Campus engagement weeks (4 institutions)
- November: Final campus week, hypothesis drafting and validation
- December: Hypothesis revision and work plan development
Phase 2: January - June 2026
- January: Work plan finalization, hypothesis 2.0, and benchmarking initiation
- February: Governance design and model development
- March: Report writing and presentation materials development
- April: Final presentations preparation, staging, and delivery
- May: Deliverable management and optional HECC briefing
- June: Project close-out, archive, and final handoff
Expected Deliverables
Deliverable structure supports both strategic decision-making and operational implementation planning.
Phase 1 Deliverables
- Campus-specific "Pulse Memos" following each site visit
- Mid-point synthesis report with preliminary findings
- Comprehensive work plan with detailed Phase 2 approach
- Validated hypotheses and opportunity prioritization
Phase 2 Deliverables
- Executive summary with key findings and recommendations
- Comprehensive final report (PowerPoint format with supporting documents)
- Financial models and ROI calculators
- Implementation roadmap with governance framework
- Individual institutional presentations
- Optional HECC briefing