Boosting institutional effectiveness in Michigan
A few weeks ago, Mary Marshall VanSant, Janyce Fadden and I all headed north to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to work with the Institutional Effectiveness office at Northern Michigan University. Beyond being a beautiful spot on Lake Superior, the staff there have leaned into agile tools to help jump-start a new strategic plan as well as tackle some processes that needed attention.
Improving Processes

First up: process improvement. Janyce led two different groups in using Rapid Improvement, which applies the principles of lean to a non-manufacturing environment: here, the teams looked at how new students get enrolled as well as the system around granting transfer credit. Both are key drivers of university performance: we’ve seen from experience at UNA and elsewhere that schools that can deliver quickly in these areas tend to “win” at capturing prospective students. Rapid Improvement starts with an always eye-opening mapping of the current process: it’s usually the first time everyone involved can see the entire system. By the end of the workshop there’s a shared commitment to a streamlined “interim state” that will begin a rhythm of continuous improvement.

Launching the new strategic plan
Midway through the Rapid Improvement sessions, Mary Marshall and I peeled off to work with teams of faculty, staff, and external partners on strategies related to the university’s new strategic plan. Teams eagerly dove into an adapted version of a Strategic Doing workshop, identifying assets and brainstorming ways to link and leverage them, sorting through the ideas with a Big Easy process, and planning for their next steps.
Ellen Koski from IE and her colleagues now pick up the baton back up to keep the teams moving, making adjustments as they learn more and new opportunities arise – but we’ll stay engaged to help the team through any challenges.
Can Your Organization Benefit from these tools?
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Liz shepherds the expansion of the Lab’s programming and partnerships with other universities interested in deploying agile strategy tools. A co-author of Strategic Doing: 10 Skills for Agile Leadership, she also focuses on the development and growth of innovation and STEM education ecosystems, new tool development, and teaching Strategic Doing.