Technology and Job Design

PAM State College seeks to integrate technology into its workforce with the sole aim of creating high-performance work systems. It is critical that this institution first institutes an enrollment management taskforce. The taskforce is to be mandated with analyzing workflows in the institution’s course registration process (Rao, Mansingh & Osei-Bryson, 2012). Every one of the offices involved in the student course registration process will present to the taskforce two scenarios describing how they conduct operations based on two questions, firstly, what is and secondly, what should be.

Process maps and work flow diagrams will be used in offering a description as to how each single office currently processes its operations from the point of receiving student course registration information, information processing channels, all possible transaction ranges to the final point of the entire process (Ahmad, Othman & Mukhtar, 2013). The task force will then require each office to employ a visionary process describing how individual office operation processes should be. “The what should” be perspective will shape the reengineering process more so guide the new student information system’s selection process.

The student recruitment process should be incorporated as the starting point of the new automated student registration process. The new system should be a one stop center where potential Pam State College students should locate all information they require about the institution referred to as the Enrollment center (Rao, Mansingh & Osei-Bryson, 2012). To realize this, the post of assistant director for financial aid and admission is to be incorporated. This post will offer expert advice to students on question they may need answered with regard to courses on offered as well as student aid.

From the process assessment, the second major issue will involve combining the operations of the registrar’s office with that of the director for financial aid to students into the enrollment center (Rao, Mansingh & Osei-Bryson, 2012).  This will enable staff from the previous offices to address students’ issues. It will also allow students to pay up bills directly to the registrar’s office eliminating queues at the cashier’s office.

The third issue will involve incorporating a wide range of available student support tasks form offices such as the students’ records office, the administration office to financial aid office into the central enrollment center. Traditional student recruitment office processes include liaising with other offices charged with data input, file compilation, telecommunications and processing tasks (Hochstettler, McFarland, Martin & Jr., 1999). Consolidating the functions of these offices into a single nerve center will enhance service delivery for prospective as well as continuing students and improve the staff’s degree of job satisfaction.

The reengineering process will then seek to incorporate all the above stated functions within a digital environment. The Internet is the choice medium for this phase. All habitual tasks more so, the clerical tasks will be done online liberating time spent on this tasks and reassigning the time for face to face consultation sessions with students (Van der Aalst, 2011). The taskforce will thus choose a software system designed for student centered environment. To get the best software system the taskforce will request for information from the vendors in the market then narrow down the most favorable vendors. They will then request the shortlisted vendors to offer them proposals.

Implementing the process will require remodeling the office of the registrar, introduce new work stations and train the staff involved in the new system (Van der Aalst, 2011). A new office will be created to oversee the operations of the digital student course registration center.

Implementing the new student information system will involve the vendor that offers the most innovative product and is willing to liaise with Pam State College into the long-term. More so, projects of this magnitude do have major delays, the taskforce will have to hold regular meetings to draw out contingency plans.

References

Ahmad, R. M. T. R. L., Othman, Z., & Mukhtar, M. (2013). Integrating CSF and change management for implementing campus ERP system. International Journal of Information Systems and Change Management, 6(3), 189-204.

Hochstettler, J. T., McFarland, B. P., Martin, A. & Watters Jr., J. A. (1999). Simultaneous Process Reengineering and System Replacement at Rice University. CAUSE/EFFECT journal, Volume 22 Number 3

Rao, L., Mansingh, G. & Osei-Bryson, K. (2012). Building ontology based knowledge maps to assist business process re-engineering. Decision Support Systems 52.3: 577-589.

Van der Aalst, W. M. (2011). Discovery, Conformance and Enhancement of Business Processes. Heidelberg: Springer.