Transforming Business Processes in U.S. Education Institutions

Higher education institutions in the US are implementing quality-improvement approaches like Lean and Six Sigma to enhance operational efficiency, simplify processes, and foster a culture of continuous improvement. According to a review of Lean initiatives in Higher Education (Balzer, Francis, Krehbiel, & Nicholas, 2016), adopting Lean leads to significant improvements in administrative and academic operations, with effectiveness at departmental and institutional levels. The authors emphasize the importance of long-term strategic planning while implementing Lean in Higher Education to maximize its benefits The University of Virginia, Notre Dame, and North Carolina State University have all implemented CQI methods. Here at the University of North Carolina.In 2009, the Bain report (Relations, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Cost Diagnostic: Final Report Summary July 2009)

found that administrative expenses per student increased faster than academic expenses, and the university's complex organizational structure led to inefficiencies.

In response to the findings, former Chancellor Holden Thorp created Carolina Counts, a campus-wide project to improve efficiency and streamline operations. The Carolina Counts initiative saved UNC $160.1 million in state monies over four fiscal years (Relations, Carolina Counts Reaps $58 Million in Savings | Page 3, 2013). However, the Carolina Counts campaign was abandoned after 2013 Our team initially planned to argue for reintroducing a campus-wide CQI effort. Provost Blouin led the campus's Carolina Excellence project to address process inefficiencies. After consulting with administrators, we shifted our project emphasis to gather information from internal and external sources at UNC Chapel Hill. This paper outlines our findings and recommendations for the success of the new Carolina Excellence effort. We begin by reviewing data-driven process improvement approaches that have successfully moved from industry to higher education Selected process improvement methodologies Review Six sigma: According to Business media, Six Sigma is a technological methodology used by engineers and statisticians to enhance goods and processes. Six Sigma aims to achieve near-perfect customer satisfaction. Six Sigma is a statistical performance target of 3.4 faults per million activities or chances.

According to Pandade and R.P. (2000), Six Sigma involves more than just measures and statistics in its development process.

To improve, follow the DMADV process: define, measure, analyze, design, and verify. Six Sigma success relies on five key principles: customer requirements, statistical analysis, problem identification, process improvement, cross-functional teams, and thoroughness and flexibility (Graves, 2012) Six Sigma aims to streamline operations, resulting in high-quality products and services with few flaws. In their 2002 book "Lean Six Sigma: Combining Six Sigma with Lean Speed," authors Micheal George and Robert Lawrence first presented the concept. The book aims to enhance understanding of lean enterprise and Six Sigma principles. Lean Six Sigma management and Six Sigma are derived from various techniques. One strategy is employed to improve current procedures. The second strategy involves creating new procedures and products for services. Spasojevic B. V. (2016) emphasizes the importance of these notions in the function of employees.Lean Management: Lean management eliminates eight categories of waste: defects, overproduction, waiting, non-utilized talent, transportation, inventory, motion, and extraprocessing, sometimes known as "DOWNTIME." "LEAN" refers to a method of measurement or tools that aid in Identify and remove waste (Investopedia 2018).

The Lean Six Sigma technique has five steps for problem-solving.

This strategy can enhance profits, cut costs, and improve efficiency. effectiveness and contribute to the development of individuals and employees. This method includes the following phases characterize the problem, measure - quantify the problem, and analyze - determine the cause of the problem, enhance - implement and verify the solution, and control keep the solution (DMAIC). (investopedia, 2018). Combining Lean and Six Sigma methods generates a model. Which possibility results in operational excellence. As companies and institutions of higher education, use the Lean Six Sigma process, and aim on achieving operational excellence. Larry Bossidy's deployment team used the phrase operational excellence to highlight the extended Six Sigma deployment at Allied Signal (now Honeywell). Operational Excellence is a concept with four major categories. They are strategy deployments. Performance management, high-performing teams, and process excellence. The concept is: very popular, because organizations make attempts to deliver the greatest product or The service is provided at the lowest possible cost. This puts the U.S. in rivalry with A foreign firm produces the same products (Lean Six Sigma Training Certification, 2018).