University community invited to Council for Manager Development presentations

The Council for Manager Development classes of 2018 and 2019 are scheduled to present results from their project work at 1-2 p.m. May 30 in Lawson Computer Science Building, Room 1142. Interested Purdue faculty, staff and students are welcome to attend. 
  
The presentation topic for the CMD class of 2018 major project is "Simplifying Concur Expense Reporting." The goal of the project is to understand the perceived dissatisfaction with Concur, Purdue's travel management application, and to improve the expense reporting process. The project was identified through the Business Process Reengineering initiative. The presentation will showcase the Six Sigma analytical approach to understand, analyze and solve a problem.

The project sponsor is Rob Wynkoop, senior director of auxiliary services. Team members are Ben Dispennett, CMD 2018 vice president; Darryl Dickerson; Sabra Moulton; Mitch Nettesheim, CMD 2018 president; Catharine Patrone; Keene Red Elk; and Monica Shively, CMD 2018 project manager.

The CMD class of 2019 will be presenting brief summaries of its Six Sigma unit-specific projects. Their topics are:

* "Apply, Admit, Accept: How can we improve our numbers?": The aim of this project is to investigate the process, discover defects in the process, and make changes that result in reversing the undergraduate teacher education recruitment trend. The project sponsor is Maryann Santos, dean, College of Education, and the project lead is Tonya Agnew, director of communication in the College of Education and the CMD 2019 class president.

* "IT Application Currency: Maintaining and Saving": The focus of this project is on a mid-size application set and will illustrate current expenses as a result of delayed upgrades, analyze the current application currency state, and recommend solutions. The sponsor of this project is Julie Kercher-Updike, associate vice president of IT process management and deputy CIO, and the project lead is Michelle Bates, director of the project management office in Information Technology at Purdue.

* "On Time Catering": After conducting a customer satisfaction survey for Purdue Catering, the CMD team found that one aspect of service that needed attention was having the room ready and set by or before the contracted start time. Reducing variation and performing more consistently in preparing rooms for service will increase customer satisfaction, which will lead to an increase in revenue and a widening of the customer base. The project sponsor is Greg Minner, director of dining and catering, and the project lead is Bryan Gutridge, associate director of catering and beverage, dining and catering.

* "Capital Spin-Off Completion Time Improvement": The goal of this project is to improve "on time" completion time of Capital Spin-Off projects that are assigned to Buildings and Grounds operations. The aim is to improve from a 54 percent on-time completion rate to a 90 percent on-time completion rate. The project sponsor is Ryan Gallagher, senior director building and grounds, and the project lead is Chris Teague, supervisor of in-house project delivery-telecommunications and electronics in Physical Facilities.

* "Improvement of the Web Accessibility Standard Exception Process": All vendors from whom web-based products and software are purchased by Purdue must agree that the services provided to Purdue will be compliant with the accessibility requirements as governed in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Should vendors not agree to this language, the determination must be made on whether or not to approve an exception. The purpose of improving this process is to help assessing the risk of noncompliant services in a more efficient manner. The project sponsor is Rob Wynkoop, senior director of auxiliary services, and the project lead is Ben Terhune, assistant director of contract management for auxiliary services. 

CMD is a two-year program supported by University executive partners and sponsored by William Sullivan, treasurer and chief financial officer. The CMD program, a part of Purdue's culture since 1956, is centered on managerial skill development, professional networking and the opportunity to research, analyze and make recommendations regarding University matters. Participants use these opportunities to help them move forward in their University careers.

CMD offers participants opportunities to meet with key University leaders and learn about their roles and responsibilities; exposure to significant questions and trends that currently shape the direction of Purdue and higher education; and interaction with a cross-functional team to research, analyze and develop strategies and present recommendations for action.