CU Innovation & Efficiency Tips for 2019: Improve Operational Efficiency!

How is your department doing in these areas?

  • Is your department reimagining business processes?
  • Is your department leveraging staff insights to create new operational efficiencies?

See what your CU colleagues are doing ... and see if their solutions work for you.

Find out how your colleagues promote business process improvement.

  • UCCS redesigned their seasonal mowing process to include mulch kits. Per Joseph Dutton in Grounds & Nursery, this promotes decomposition, allows soil to easily absorb the nutrients, and reduces yard waste and pick-up. The new approach saves funds and saves the environment. Plus, it saves time for landscape maintenance personnel to work on other projects. See Adding Mulch Kits for More Efficient Grounds Maintenance
  • CU campuses are required to conduct biennial physical inventories of capital assets. Thomas Johnston (Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus) collaborated with Calvin Anderson, Bradley Rieke, and Linda Warren (CU System) to replace a manual, labor-intensive survey with an intercampus system that completes these inventories in PeopleSoft. Time and effort savings are significant. User experience is positive (“It was really easy, loved it... It reduced the time!”). See Asset Inventory Management System
  • Anschutz Medical Campus researchers and clinicians generate more than 82 tons of regulated biohazardous waste every year. A contracted vendor used to transport this waste offsite for autoclaving prior to disposal. Denise Donnelly and Mark Garcia established a new process using the autoclaves already available in campus research buildings. Their initiative saves money, promotes a safer workplace, and establishes a more environmentally sustainable program to manage regulated waste. See Autoclave Program for Managing Biohazardous Waste
  • CU Boulder offers students, staff, faculty, and visitors over 15 venues for campus dining. Over 3 million meal swipe transactions occur annually. Operations run all year long and involve over 5,000 pieces of equipment. To address this unique maintenance challenge, a cross-functional team from Housing Facilities Services, Campus Dining Services, and Financial Services (Patricia McNally-Leef, Juergen Friese, Don Seeley, Matthew Brents, Stephen Whiteley, Alan Brown, Eric Denklau, Jon Keiser, Cynthia London, and Brent Baker) developed a multi-year dining equipment maintenance/repair/replacement plan, and a dedicated schedule for maintaining related building mechanical systems. See Dining Equipment Maintenance Master Plan.

See how other departments support internal and external customers.

Check out all the CU I&E Awards Program submissions this year on the Office of University Controller website.

Join us at the CU I&E Expo on May 7

Come to the CU I&E Exposition & Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, May 7, 2019 (11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.), at the CU System offices (1800 Grant St., Denver). Enjoy refreshments while watching this year's semifinalists (to be determined) demo their submissions.

We look forward to seeing you! Questions? Contact CU I&E Program Manager Frances Chapman.

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