What is Focus?
Focus is the University's continuous improvement programme, established in 2018 and led by Gill Aitken, the Registrar. It covers the spectrum of professional and administrative services that support Oxford’s academic mission.
Focus galvanises positive change and is currently helping the University respond to the challenges of COVID-19.
Aspiration
Focus aspires to an exemplary administration: one that underpins and sustains the University and can self-review and improve to accommodate new demands without a corresponding growth in costs. Focus is about working smarter and developing our staff, so we become the best that we can be.
Angles
Focus is interested in:
| POLICY |
PROCESS |
DATA |
| Simplifying policies and communicating them clearly |
Improving efficiency and reducing unecessary complexity |
Developing trusted data sources |
| SERVICES |
SKILLS |
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT |
|
Reviewing and improving services delivery models
|
Developing process improvement skills and increasing institutional capability for change
|
Creating greater consistency across roles and stronger networks to support professional development |
Approach and methodology
Focus uses structured methodologies to deliver large projects and smaller quicker interventions. Focus provides the tools to help people think differently about what they do and how they do it.
Focus takes a diagnostic, problem-solving and joined-up approach. The Focus experience is participatory, collaborative and hands-on.
Focus trains and empowers you and your team to identify your own solutions and sustain your journey of improvement, going forward. We don’t do projects ‘for’ you or ‘to’ you – we help you succeed in achieving the changes you identify.
Benefits
The benefits we are working towards include enhanced staff/customer satisfaction, business continuity in the face of COVID-19, saved time, reduced cost, lowered risk, improved data sources and improved compliance.
Find out about the Focus Programme here.
