Rachel McAssey
With: University of Sheffield
Role: Head of Process Improvement
Rachel has 20 year’s of experience of working in HE. She is head of Lean HE Hub Continental Division (Europe) and vice-chair of the UCISA Project and Change Management Committee. She is an experienced lean facilitator; leading projects across the university and delivers lean training at the university and externally.
Contact: Rachel
Simpler processes to support students studying abroad
When the University of Sheffield's Global Opportunities and Engagement team realised that their various admin systems had become too cumbersome, they called for help. Rachel McAssey explains how her team of lean practitioners carried out a process review that has produced many benefits including significant time savings.
How to create a lean team
Institutions implementing a lean strategy need to think carefully about who will support it. The University of Sheffield’s Rachel McAssey explains some of the elements that make up a successful lean team.
Share your views on process improvement capability in higher education
Two authors collaborating on a Universities and Colleges Information Systems Association (UCISA) guide to Establishing Process Improvement Capability in Higher Education have launched a survey to gather data for the project. Rachel McAssey and Steve Yorkstone, who are producing the guide as part of the UCISA Project and Change Management Group's work, are inviting colleagues to take part and will be seeking more contributions later in the project.
Don’t wait for Godot, start fixing things now
Inspired by the absurdist Samuel Beckett play Waiting for Godot, the University of Sheffield's Rachel McAssey issues a call to arms in her blog; instead of waiting for big change to happen, get some problem solving skills and start making small improvements.
Process improvement events – why they are worth the effort
Process improvements are "the most effective way of achieving a strong project team with collective responsibility for improvement activities," says Rachel McAssey. In this blogpost, the University of Sheffield's head of process improvement explains how project teams can benefit from these events and shares advice on running them.
How lean is making a counselling service work better for students
The Process Improvement Unit at the University of Sheffield was established in June 2012 to help the university improve its business processes. Rachel McAssey describes one of the unit’s big success, which is having a real impact on the student experience - and winning awards.
