Office of Research & Development ORD Goal 1 Meeting July 18, 2006

1. Office of Research & DevelopmentORD Goal 1 Meeting July 18, 2006 Office of Research & DevelopmentISS Staff UpdateFebruary 27, 2007

2. Agenda • Where We Have Been • ISS Timeline • ISS Mission and Objectives • How We Performed • ISS Personnel Benefits • ISS Customer Benefits • ISS Service Level Agreements • ISS Performance Monitoring and Continuous Improvements • What We Have Learned • Observations and Lessons Learned • Where We Are Going • ISS Updates • Team Meeting Agenda

3. Where We Have Been

4. ISS Timeline • Developed and launched ISS Portal to provide: • Specific and summary data on administrative tasks • Performance metrics on meeting service level agreements • Workload distribution information • Continuously updating ISS Portal as part of the ORD@WORK Portal (next major enhancement due in Oct 2006) April 2005- DAA/Management charged IOAA/ORMA/OSP with the task of consolidating administrative services for the three offices into one unit to be operational by October 2005 Planning Implementation Monitoring July 2006 April 2005 to December 2005 Jan 2006 to June 2006 Exploring opportunities to expand use of the Portal as a tool in other areas of ORD • Assigned 16 FTE to consolidated unit (originally 27.41 FTE, spread across 47 individuals, performed some level of administrative functions) • Identified administrative functions to consolidate into the new unit • Mapped work processes and developed standard operating procedures (SOPs) for every function • Designed and named organization structure- Integrated Service Staff (ISS) • Assigned work responsibilities to ISS staff • Conducted customer survey - major finding was lack of information on who was performing the task, status, feedback, and follow through June 2006- ISS reorganization effective (officially assigned to the IOAA)

5. ISS Mission and Objectives The ISS will efficiently and effectively provide exceptional financial and administrative support services. This high-performing team will create a seamless experience for customers requesting service. Streamline work processes to better serve customers Provide quality services according to negotiated performance standards and standard operating procedures Provide easy access for customers to request services Maintain dialogue with customers on quality service and satisfaction Evaluate and continuously improve service

6. How We Performed

7. ISS Personnel Benefits Staff is better positioned to take advantage of changes in the way ORD provides administrative services in the future. Staff has designated support and back ups allowing for easier workload balancing during scheduled and unscheduled office absences Staff members are given the opportunity to increase their knowledge, skills and abilities Certain staff members were able to gain team leader and management experience Staff members have written SOPs and guidance for all tasks they complete

8. ISS Customer Benefits Customers can access the one stop Portal to request services, view points of contact and standard operating procedures for common administrative services Customers receive notification of when requests are received and completed Customers have a clear understanding of when to expect services to be completed Customers receive higher quality service and products from well-trained ISS staff members Customers can be sure their needs are still met when ISS staff members are away from the office

9. ISS Service Level Agreements (SLA) Information and Facilities Management Team Budget and Finance Team Extramural Management Team Human Resources Team The ISS has improved its performance in meeting timeliness Service Level Agreements (SLA)

10. Performance Monitoring and Continuous Improvements The ISS is committed to monitoring performance levels of each service team. As the ISS matures, new performance measures are developed and monitored. Quality Staff Satisfaction Customer Satisfaction Financial Maturity of Performance Measures Timeliness Adoption Rate Volume Organization Maturity

11. What We Have Learned

12. Observations and Lessons Learned • ISS started out as a pilot and is now a proof of concept for consolidation of administrative services • Initial structure, 2 teams, did not work given workload and training needs of staff • Some initial staff assignments have been changed based on workload • Original process maps and SOPs needed enhancement • Budget and human resources work assignments were modified based on customer organization • Continuous monitoring is needed of workload, staff training needs, and customer interaction • Portal works well as tool to receive work requests and provide performance metrics

13. Where We Are Going

14. ISS Updates • New bi-weekly team meetings to discuss new and existing work, balance workload and assign responsibilities • Team calendars to be kept showing staff availability and recurring tasks and deadlines ISS Portal Management Changes • Christiane Brown to head day-to-day operations for the ISS ISS Portal • Version 2.0 is coming- look and feel will be updated, more interactive services • Service requests will be integrated with ticket tracking software instead of manual Excel sheet • Training will be provided to staff to take advantage of new features

15. Team Meeting Agenda Purpose: To ensure that all team tasks are prioritized and completed on time and that workload is distributed equitably.

16. Office of Research & DevelopmentORD Goal 1 Meeting July 18, 2006 Office of Research & DevelopmentAdministrative Efficiencies Project (AEP)Information Briefing and Status UpdateFebruary 12, 2007

17. “Why Change?” To Preserve Our Mission... “Perform research and development to identify, understand, and solve current and future environmental problems” • The rising costs of human capital, along with a flat year-out budget, will erode funding available for research and science. • ORD’s administrative support function is highly decentralized with each organizational unit having its own independent, unique administrative support structure. • The lack of standardization, specialization, and process automation across ORD indicates a significant opportunity to decrease costs associated with administrative support. • Making administrative support more efficient will enable ORD to meet its budget challenges and create opportunities to shift resources to its core mission, research and science.

18. “Why Now?” Given the enormity and timing of budget challenges, ORD must begin to prepare now to minimize the future impact on research and science. • Examining ORD's budget forecast from a macro-level reveals that projected savings from planned decreases to staff count alone will not be sufficient to counter the cost of rising wages. • Acting now will ensure processes and technologies are in place to offset diminishing workload capacity resulting from future staff reductions.

19. Note that CBPP represents cuts in real (not nominal) terms. Source: CBPP, 2006 http://www.cbpp.org/2-9-06bud.htm

20. EPA’s S&T Appropriation * Source: CBPP, 2006 http://www.cbpp.org/2-9-06bud-computerrun.pdf

24. “What happened before this?” The Goal 1 workgroups identified significant opportunities for administrative improvement and savings across various administrative support areas. • Goal 1 study identified 92 service delivery improvement recommendations highlighting systemic, cross-cutting issues relating to administrative support. • As of Nov. 2006, 47 of the 92 recommendations either have been implemented or are in the process of being implemented. • The Administrative Efficiencies Project (AEP) is a continuation of the Goal 1 workgroups’ efforts to identify opportunities to “Provide exceptional administrative services”. • AEP analyses and final recommendations are based on the data collected during the Goal 1 effort*. *NOTE: The AEP report and related information can be found at the ORD@Work homepage http://intranet.epa.gov/ordintra/

25. “What is the AEP?” An initiative launched in May of 2006 to analyze administrative service delivery at ORD and develop an improved ORD-wide service delivery approach. • Identify ORD-wide organizational alignment options and implementation approaches to achieve a 25% to 35% reduction in annual administrative support costs over a 5 year timeframe. • Identify and leverage ORD-wide approaches for the delivery and support of administrative services, including common business practices, standard operating procedures, and existing technology. • Maximize the use of ORD personnel’s knowledge, skills, and abilities. • Design an organization that takes advantage of industry and government best practices for administrative support service delivery management. • Create approaches that allow for ongoing performance monitoring based on agreed upon service level agreements and continuous improvement of administrative services.

26. “Where else is this happening?” The President’s Management Agenda (PMA) and budget challenges are forcing all Federal Agencies to focus on their core missions, and consolidate, centralize, and/or outsource non-core operational support activities. • NIH Administrative Consolidation - Initiative to reduce administrative cost through service consolidation in Acquisition, Budget, EEO, Facilities, Finance, Grants, Human Resources, and Information Technology. • NASA Shared Service Center (NSSC) - Consolidation of Financial Management, Human Resources, Information Technology, and Procurement. Projected annual labor cost savings of $8.7 million. • USDA Forest Service HR Consolidation - Centralization of HR functions to a single location in Albuquerque for an anticipated savings of $20 million a year. • EPA Centers of Excellence - Consolidate and streamline the Agency’s functions related to contracts, grants, and human resource by creating Centers of Excellence. • E-Gov Travel - GSA-managed E-Government initiative aimed to realize cost savings and increase service through common, automated, and integrated approaches to managing the travel function.

27. “How will this really benefit ORD?” Changing the way ORD provides administrative support services will enable us to focus our resources on research and science. • Achieve significant savings over the 5-year implementation period while minimizing disruption to staff • Counter the budget shortfall and allow funds to be redirected to research and science efforts • Increase customer satisfaction and service delivery through service level agreements and performance monitoring • Broaden capability for continuous improvement through process standardization and automation • Increase visibility into ORD-wide operations and reduce management burden through the implementation of a common administrative architecture • Specialize work environment for administrative staff enabling service ownership with transparent performance recognition and accountability

28. “Where are we now?” The AEP report was issued in October of 2006 and recommended ORD alignment into five business lines. • Business lines include: budget, human resources, facilities, extramural, and information technology/information management • Team leads identified for budget and human resources and charged by the management council to develop detailed implement plans by September 30, 2007 • Designs and implementation plans will be based on the requirements of the AEP charge and the vision of the high-level recommendations in the October report • Implementation planning for other lines of business will be initiated at a later date

29. “What is the potential impact to administrative staff?” ORD is committed to its workforce through the ORD Principles. • Professionalize personal skill-set through training and task specialization • Use expertise to shape more efficient, standardized administrative business processes at ORD and help lead change • Develop in-depth functional skills • Enhance knowledge sharing with other professionals

30. Next Steps ORD management plans to actively engage the administrative community during this effort. • Conduct briefings at all ORD locations with opportunities for Q&A (schedule TBD) • Design and implement process to involve affected staff in future state administrative support at ORD (schedule TBD) • Conduct routine communications with ORD communities via web, newsletters, and face-to-face meetings