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When the University System of Georgia initiated the Comprehensive Administrative review process last year, Georgia Tech stepped forward to serve as the first research university to participate.

For Tech, the occasion presented a chance for self-reflection and critical analysis of the Institute’s mission to provide the highest level of education and services to its students while sustaining and enhancing its global excellence in scholarship and research.

“We view this as a great opportunity to examine our administrative operations and be more efficient and effective as we deliver our teaching, research, and economic development missions,” said President G.P. “Bud” Peterson.

All colleges and universities in the University System of Georgia (USG), as well as the system office, are participants in a Comprehensive Administrative Review. Georgia Tech began participating in this USG assessment process last fall, starting with data collection; a survey to collect information on functions and processes that work well and those that present an opportunity for improvements; a second survey to understand the administrative activities performed across the Institute; and focus groups and interviews.

Following the assessment phase, Georgia Tech’s leadership created a plan to address the survey results. In late September, Peterson charged a five-member working group with analyzing the findings and working with functional leaders to propose solutions to some of the operational challenges reported in the campus assessment. Those challenges include, talent and people management; information technology; communications, marketing, and events; and procurement and expense management.

“The working group is not only looking at the operations of central units that lead these functions,” said Sonia Alvarez-Robinson, executive director for Georgia Tech Strategic Consulting and working group facilitator. “We are considering how Georgia Tech performs these activities in every area of the Institute.”

While the working group’s task is not finished, they have completed analysis of the CAR assessment data on the first area of exploration: talent and people management.

“The group looked at the specific comments from those who completed the assessment,” said Alvarez-Robinson. “They analyzed the details of where these activities are taking place across campus. Then, they met with a cross-section of human resources leaders drawn from across campus.”

On December 12, the working group will hold a Collaborative Solutions Workshop, bringing staff who have a role in managing talent and people management processes together to identify potential solutions to the challenges identified in the report.

“We are looking at the full life cycle of that process from establishing a position, recruitment, selection, advancement, promotion, development, compensation, and separation,” Alvarez-Robinson said.

The working group is repeating its process for each of the other three areas of focus. The output will be a draft action plan that the group will present to the decision group in February. Final action plans will be submitted to the USG’S Office of the Chancellor for review and approval. It is expected that the initial draft plan will be ready for review in late March 2019. Implementation of that plan will begin in the late spring, with many of the actions expected in the next fiscal year.

A CAR informational session will be held at 10 a.m. on Dec. 11, in Room 152 of the Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons. The campus community is invited to participate. Participants are asked to submit their questions in advance to askcar@gatech.edu.

For more information on the CAR report, the process, working group and decision group members, and progress, please visit http://www.president.gatech.edu/car-report. To submit questions about CAR, visit askcar@gatech.edu.