Harmonized professional services
The “Harmonized professional services” programme aims to harmonize and optimize the support services provided to researchers, lecturers, students and management functions at KI.
The overall objective of the programme is to achieve effective and professional services based on the needs of KI’s core business and management. Three key principles are:
- Harmonized: Professional services are harmonized and effectively organized across KI’s functions, central administration and institutions. A shared idea and common goals underpin strong collaboration between stakeholders.
- Insight: The range and delivery of professional services are based on users’ needs and tailored to KI’s heterogeneous organization.
- Optimised: Clear objectives, cost-transparency and prioritisation ensure that professional services create the greatest value, given the resources allocated, for the individual teacher, researcher and student. Professional services provide an attractive workplace where employees are engaged and able to take responsibility and develop.
Final words from the programme management
Local and central administration tied closer together
For a little more than 1.5 years, the harmonized professional services programme has focused on coordinating work methods and processes. The programme, which is soon to be wrapped up, has been a starting point for further work.
More from the projects
Increased clarity regarding communications support
There are many questions surrounding how best to communicate your operations and how to find the right support to do so. In the communications subproject within the project Coherent operational support, work has been started to make it even clearer what communications support is available – the goal is to produce a kind of service catalogue for KI's employees.
From budget process to research support network
Initially, the project was to focus on the budget process in externally funded research projects. But it became clear, quite early on, that something else was to be prioritised. Ideas on how to better support researchers emerged, based on the vision of a harmonised professional service.
Research-related agreements under the microscope
Simplifying processes for research-related agreements is one of the main goals of the sub-project within the programme Harmonized professional services.
Economists pull together
Initially, the work was sluggish for the members of the project group Accounting within the programme 'A harmonized professional services'. Over the past few months, they have developed a collaboration that has profoundly changed the way they work.
The role of purchasing coordinator becomes centralized
Purchasing and procurement, a sub-project within the project Harmonised professional services, has come to coordinate and centralize the purchasing coordinator organisation. Six to seven full-time positions within the organisation are being reorganized and will now be incorporated in the Central Administration.
Easier than ever to find research support at KI
This new presentation of research support is a result of the Lotsen project that aimed to summarise and develop information to allow researchers understand what support is available to them. This work was run by a group from KI Central Administration together with three department representatives.
Plan and organisation
The programme has a phased implementation with different focus areas during different periods. The work is primarily employee driven and performed in cross-functional teams with representation from the different stakeholders. At present, the project plans to run until June 2021.
Background
For KI to achieve it overarching objectives it needs professional support services that create the greatest possible value for the individual lecturer, researcher, student and manager. In early spring 2019, KI started its first comprehensive review since 1993 of its professional support services. KI’s professional support services encompass functions and processes at all levels of the organization, including HR, finance, communications, education, student support, researcher support, facilities, security, IT, legal, archive/registry and management support. Since 1993, KI, the sector and world at large have changed dramatically, and KI needs to adapt the range, delivery and organisation of its professional services.
Contact
The programme is owned by Katarina Bjelke and managed by Ulrica Lundin.