Below is a timeline of the events that took place to develop The MSU Way. To jump to a year, click on one of the links below:
June – December: Phase 2: Scoping and Development
In June 2011, a kick-off meeting for the Core Group was held to discuss the following:
The Core Group further subdivided into three committees, each meeting monthly in a 4-hour workshop, namely: Committee #1: BOT Projects; Committee #2: M&R projects; Committee #3: Minor/Self-performed/PO projects. Each committee is tasked with identifying and piloting opportunities for improvement in its focus topic.
January-May: Phase 1: Validation and Cohesion
Working together, and through a monthly lunch meeting and offline meetings and efforts, the Steering Committee focuses on achieving the following:
This phase resulted in the formation of a Core Group, 18-20 member, tasked by the Steering Committee to develop and implement process improvement projects.
November: Kick-off meeting scheduled for stakeholder and steering committee members
Stakeholders and steering committee members will meet at 7 a.m. on Nov. 30, at Brody Square. Agenda topics include: Welcome/Introductions; Opening Remarks; Project Overview; Group Discussion; Plus/Delta.
June-November: Facilitator Tariq Abdelhamid prepares for successful project kick-off
Abdelhamid immerses self in preparations by meeting with stakeholders to introduce himself and the effort, developing a preliminary outline for MSU Way ECOS and adjusting participant structure to include both stakeholders and a steering committee. Planning culminates in the "MSU Way ECOS Project Overview" document distributed on Oct. 21, 2010, and a formal kick-off meeting is set for Nov. 30, 2010.
June-October: Stirrett, Mrozowski and Zelt begin focus groups with campus customers
Three focus groups with customers from Athletics and Residential and Hospitality Services are conducted. Results will be made available in a comprehensive report at the conclusion of focus groups in 2011.
June: Ron Flinn invites Tuesday Staff and extended group of Physical Plant team members to special meeting
To update the original group involved in the March 2009 meeting, as well as a wider group of Physical Plant team members, a second meeting is held to discuss developments since the March meeting, and to address any concerns that may exist. In attendance were: Ron Flinn, Dan Bollman, Lynda Boomer, Brad Bull, Chris Burns, Angela Carey, Ken Crowell, Van Frazee, Gus Gosselin, Michelle Jacobs, Sue Hopper, Shawn Kelly, Angela Knauf, Scott Kyes, Adam Lawver, Jenni McManus, Bob Nestle, John Nurenberg, Stacy Nurenberg, Anne Phillips, Barb Wilber, Leisa Williams-Swedberg, Jason Vallance, Will Whelton, Karen Zelt, Bill Zlotek. Invited but did not attend: Brandon Baswell, Bob Ellerhorst, Dave Townshend.
May: 'The MSU Way' removed from Physical Plant Management Team Meeting
In light of the scope change from what was originally discussed in March, it was decided to remove the topic from the spring Management Team Meeting in favor of a smaller group of individuals, as participated in the March meeting. Bull and Zelt were asked to submit names of influential opinion leaders around the Division who could be directly or indirectly involved in the effort, and thus influential in its success or failure.
April-June: Bull and Zelt work with SPDC on focus group component of effort
The SPDC volunteers a grad student to assist with the focus group component of “The MSU Way.” Upon grad student leaving for summer internship, Zelt takes lead in planning groups, working with Tim Mrozowski (SPDC) and Chad Stirrett (CPA). Due to Stirrett’s unique role at CPA as a process analyst, he is interested in participating in a greater capacity in the effort than stakeholder only. Focus groups are in the works with participants from Athletics, RHS, Engineering Research, Radiology, and others will be scheduled as recommended. As per the original focus of “The MSU Way,” the focus groups are specific to capital project delivery and data will help inform ‘MSU Way’ recommendations.
April-June: Tariq Abdelhamid from SPDC is named facilitator; scope of effort increases, per Flinn and Gore
Upon Dr. Abdelhamid’s appointment as facilitator of “The MSU Way,” Flinn and Gore meet with him to discuss the effort. Gore and Flinn determine the timing is right to expand the effort to include not only capital projects, but a more comprehensive operational and organizational self-study of the operations side of the University. Abdelhamid is charged with putting together a proposal for how that would be accomplished. He is presently developing the proposal. Important to note, however, is that in using PMI principles, the scope, process and schedule of the effort is defined by the stakeholders, which have yet to be engaged.
March-June: Bull and Zelt engage other campus partners as stakeholders
Bull and Zelt meet with various MSU partners and the following stakeholders are named:
March: Ron Flinn decides to pursue third-party facilitator
Barb Wilber and Bob Nestle propose engaging a third-party facilitator who will lead the effort, instead of Bull and Zelt, who then can more appropriately serve as stakeholders. Ron Flinn agrees and decides to regroup with Vennie Gore (RHS) to ask the SPDC for facilitator recommendations. Bull and Zelt are still given the go-ahead to serve as Physical Plant point people on the effort, and to move forward with the back-end planning (stakeholders, focus groups).
March: Physical Plant stakeholders named
Stakeholders are defined as “persons or entities that impact or are affected by the project.” Physical Plant stakeholders named were: Angela Carey, Ken Crowell, Gerry Dobbs, Shawn Kelly, Adam Lawver, Bob Nestle, Anne Phillips, Barb Wilber, Brad Bull and Karen Zelt. Later added as stakeholders: Dan Bollman and Jason Vallance.
March: Ron Flinn invites Tuesday Staff and extended group of Physical Plant team members
to special meeting
“Developing ‘The MSU Way of Project Delivery” is introduced to this wider audience and charters are handed out. Those in attendance were: Ron Flinn, Deb Dohm, Lynda Boomer, Gerry Dobbs, Bob Ellerhorst, Gus Gosselin, Jenni McManus, Bob Nestle, Roy Simon, Andy Smith, Barb Wilber, Ken Crowell, Shawn Kelly, Scott Kyes, Stacy Nurenberg, Dan Bollman, Van Frazee, Sue Hopper, Dave Townshend, Brad Bull and Karen Zelt. Tuesday Staff was asked to provide names of who would be Physical Plant “stakeholders” in the effort (using PMI terminology).
January-March: Bull and Zelt proceed with planning
Bull and Zelt proceed with PMI training and use PMI format to develop a “project charter” for “Developing ‘The MSU Way of Project Delivery.”The charter is specific to the Physical Plant, to explain the initiative as it would relate to the Division. Included in planning is not only involving SPDC for project manual development, but also in facilitating focus groups of campus customers to get empirical data on how we’re doing and potential areas of improvement. Bull and Zelt, using PMI terminology, are listed as “project managers,” with the written authority to only engage campus customers/stakeholders in the effort and to present the group’s recommendations to Ron Flinn on organizational and process changes.
January-March: Physical Plant employees complete project management training (PM) with Residential and Hospitality Services
In light of the December 2009 activity, and with Ron Flinn’s support, six Physical Plant employees participate in PM training: Sue Hopper, Jacob Sabins, Kevin Durkin, Leisa Williams-Swedberg, Brad Bull, Karen Zelt.
December: Bull and Zelt present to Tuesday Staff and receive support to proceed with planning
Bull/Zelt receive support from Tuesday Staff and Ron Flinn to proceed with planning. Bull/Zelt explain how the PMI format will be used to plan the effort, as training with RHS occurs over the next few months.
Ron Flinn, Brad Bull and Karen Zelt (Physical Plant) meet with Vennie Gore and Jane Emery (RHS)
To discuss the above two bullets, these four individuals met. As a result, Ron supported Physical Plant’s participation in both efforts and assigned Bull and Zelt to work on a proposal for Tuesday Staff review and approval.
Residential and Hospitality Services approaches Physical Plant to partner in thinking boldly
Citing President Simon’s “Shaping the Future” materials and the “neighborhood concept” planning principles included within, RHS approaches Physical Plant to partner on behalf of MSU. RHS invites Physical Plant (via Dan Bollman, Brad Bull and Karen Zelt) to participate in two key ideas/efforts:
President Simon releases “Shaping the Future” initiative, related to the current financial climate
“Difficult times require us to think differently, indeed boldly. Today’s increasingly severe economic circumstances and current fiscal realities demand our continued attention. In the face of significantly reduced state funding and increasing expenses, we must focus carefully on our priorities and modify our activities, attitudes, and culture to continue reducing expenses.”
School of Planning, Design and Construction engaged to help facilitate Phase 2
Already a known entity due to its involvement with Physical Plant on other initiatives, the SPDC was invited to meet with the PPCSCC to help determine the framework for Phase 2. The group agreed that the SPCDC could be very valuable in developing a project manual that would come out of the “The MSU Way of Delivering Projects” manual. That manual would be available online as well as used in the HRD course that Sue Hopper originally suggested.
Physical Plant Customer Service Communications Committee (PPCSCC) convenes
Small group of Physical Plant personnel from various departments (Shawn Kelly, Sue Hopper, Anne Phillips, Dan Bollman, Brad Bull, Karen Zelt) teams together to try to tackle both of the above-mentioned ideas. The team starts to develop a brochure and checklist that would help customers through a construction or renovation project with the Physical Plant. The goal was to determine what the Physical Plant’s process was and to standardize how we deliver projects as a Division, focusing on the keeping it as simple as possible for the customer. Upon completion of those Physical-Plant-specific materials (Phase 1), the plan was to expand the effort to partner with other MSU entities to determine, essentially, “The MSU Way of Delivering Projects” (Phase 2). This expanded effort would include key partners like RHS, ATS, CPA, Facilities Planning and Space Management, Land Management, MSU PD and potentially others. This action continued on through 2009.
Course on “How to Do Business with the MSU Physical Plant”
at MSU Human Resources suggested
Sue Hopper from Engineering and Architectural Services suggests developing a class that Human Resources Development would run, explaining to campus customers how to request services through the Physical Plant, specifically how to request and what to expect when working with the Physical Plant on capital projects. This continued on through 2007.
Alterations and Improvements service flier requested
Shawn Kelly of Maintenance Services requests flier/checklist to help customers specifically with Alterations and Improvements projects. It is quickly realized that several other Physical Plant departments and other divisions around campus are also included in A&I projects and the effort expands to include input from Telecom and EAS as a start.