Delivering continuous improvement projects for the university

In order to maximize resources, prioritize projects, and ensure that a project is in alignment with UBC’s strategic goals, all potential projects go through our project pipeline. Once we receive a project intake form, the Operational Excellence team reviews the project and gathers additional supporting data before presenting to the Governance team for evaluation 

There are currently 126 continuous improvement projects captured in the pipeline, in addition to 57 yellow belt and 8 green belt projects delivered as part of the Lean Six Sigma training program.

Project Submissions

Out of these projects, 55 of them fall under business intelligence and 40 under automation, and 18 are local projects and 13 are cross-functional projects. 

Most of the projects are submitted by the VPFO, followed by VP Human Resources.  

Project Status

Approximately 60% of these projects have been completed or are in progress. The rest are either on hold or waiting to proceed in the next step of the pipeline.  

As a small team supporting many competing projects across the university, we have to prioritize projects based on our resources, alignment with UBC’s strategic goals, and the faculty or unit’s readiness for change. This means some faculties and units may have a longer wait for their projects to be delivered.  

We strongly encourage faculties and units to nominate participants to become yellow and green belt certified, which will equip more team members with the hands-on tools to deliver continuous improvement projects in their own area, with the support of the Community of Practice — a forum for Lean Six Sigma practitioners at UBC to share their questions, experience, knowledge and best practices.  

To learn more about our process, visit the Project Process page 

If you’re interested in signing up for the Lean Six Sigma yellow or green belt training, please speak with your supervisor or contact Operational Excellence