Process Improvements Groups

In October 2019, the administrative team met to discuss areas that could use process improvement.  It was decided the best areas to focus on were the grant submission and reconciliation process.  Admins were consistently struggling in these two areas.

Grants

“Thank you to everyone who participated in the Grants Process Improvement Meetings. We were able to learn and collaborate about the grants submission process. Although there are various organizations and sponsors with different requirements, the SPA submission remains relatively the same.

As a team, we were able to meet with SPA guests regarding Cost Sharing, SPA Pre-Award and Progress Reports. This was helpful in the learning process because we were able to ask questions and hear about new updates. We also discussed the SPA 14 day and 3 day deadline checklists, budgets for personnel and the conversion chart used for effort.

One major improvement our team created was to establish a folder in the ‘O’ drive for grant submissions as well. This folder contains grant related documents, bio sketches, etc. Access to this folder for grant specialists within our department should be a helpful reference and guide for future submissions. Collectively, we were able to accomplish our goals to streamline the SPA grants submission process as much as possible.” Michelle De Leon – Sr. Administrative Assistant II

Each PI (Principal Investigator) works with their Admin to complete the grant submission process.  They are responsible to work together to identify funding sources, review the program guidelines, enter the proposal in eGrants, identify subrecipient and request administrative materials related to the subrecipient, prepare the proposed budget, identify cost sharing, and assemble the proposal, ensure accuracy and completeness.  Throughout this process admins were consistently receiving pushback and delays from SPA (Sponsored Programs Administration).  Admins decided that the following areas should be examined:

• Top 10 reasons submissions are returned for review
• Checklist for 14 day deadline
• Checklist for 3 day deadline
• Personnel Budget – Helpful Tips
• Cal Mo to % Effort Crosswalk

Each month admins examined items identified in their own work areas, and meetings with various groups in SPA were scheduled to understand different aspects of the process.  Much knowledge was gained and now admins are working to document processes to increase productivity.

Reconciliation

Anyone at UTSW knows that if they; order anything through the Procurement Portal, use a UTSW BuyCard or Travel and Entertainment card, creates an expense report, requests payment for an invoice, or requests a check for business expenses, they will need to take part in the monthly reconciliation process.  In the current process, the approvers review their transactions monthly, then submit to Lori Robinson for her to review it line by line.  Each month Lori noticed that some transactions were being missed in the approver’s reconciliation and the approvers were struggling to meet the deadlines. 

Admins met with Lori to discuss current processes and identify where gaps in the process were occurring.  Admins learned that different methods of filtering the spreadsheet and searching transactions was necessary.  This initially helped admins identify more of their transactions.  However, it wasn’t helping them meet the deadlines.  The time deadline has been increased. 

Since then the group has expanded to add some of the research staff to the process to help identify additional ways to make improvements.

Compliance Olympics

In November, the NL and POB teams participated in the Compliance Olympics.  We combined our knowledge of all things related to UTSW compliance and competed against some steep competition across the campus.  While Dermtopia did not win, we definitely gave it our best.

NL Holiday Events

As you walk through the halls of NL8, you may wonder if everyone has stayed home from work today.  You may sometimes wonder if it is more likely to see a tumbleweed roll down the hall rather than one of your coworkers.  The truth is not that everyone took a sick day (cough cough) but that everyone is tucked away in their corners working very hard.  Prior to March 2020, one could send an email stating that a cake was in the break area and you would begin to see coworkers trickle out of labs and office suites to the sugary treat.  Smiles and laughter would start as the sugar hit our plates.  After a few minutes of chit chat, we all would slowly return to our work areas and begin the next big project.

In this new socially distanced world celebrations have become more of a challenge.  Luckily we said, “Challenge Accepted!”

This fiscal year started with Postdoc Appreciation Week in September.  We all took a few moments to tell our Postdocs “thank you” for their hard work.  We know they spend long hours working in labs, writing papers, and thinking about the next big research projects. 

In October, we hosted trick or treat stations around the department.  Our coworkers dressed in costumes and we had a contest for the best costumes.

For Thanksgiving, we began to miss our friends and family but that didn’t stop us from being thankful and showing our gratitude.  Our coworkers created a gratitude wall, shared favorite holiday recipes, and enjoyed some treats.

As the winter holidays began to approach, the reality of these trying times caught up with us.  Holiday plans and parties went virtual or were cancelled.  Luckily it didn’t stop our holiday spirit.  Coworkers decorated their work areas, wore fun holiday apparel, and enjoyed some sweet and savories treats.  The admins met for a virtual holiday happy hour where we learned that Michelle De Leon is really good a BINGO.

As this calendar year comes to a close, I feel confident that we will continue to take time to celebrate life and each other over the next year, no matter what happens.  2020 has shown us the strength and character that is inside each of us.  It won’t hold us back, it will just make us stronger.

Did we leave out your favorite holiday to celebrate?  You can email TheSkinny@utsouthwestern.edu at any time with an idea for a new holiday celebration.  No one will know how much you love Gumdrop Day on February 15^th or DNA Day on April 25^th unless you let us know.  We can’t wait to celebrate with you soon.

Recycling FAQs

Q: What happens when trash is mixed with the recycling? A: Unfortunately, the whole bag of recycling is downgraded to trash and nothing in the bag can be recycled. For their safety, housekeepers may not remove your trash from recycling bins.

Q: What can be recycled? What can't? A: RECYCLE THESE:

• Paper: non-confidential office paper including white or colored paper, boxboard, copier paper, envelopes, Post-its, junk mail, brochures, newspapers, magazines, and file folders.
• Beverage and Plastic Containers: clean plastic containers numbered 1-5, bottles, aluminum cans and tin cans.

DO NOT RECYCLE THESE:

• Trash
• Styrofoam
• Glass
• Coffee cups
• Food or dirty food containers
• Plastic wrap, bags and wrappers
• Medical waste
• Booties, gloves, or caps

Recycling Rule: If it's wet, sticky, or icky, rinse it and recycle it OR throw it out.

Q: Do I have to take the cap off of my plastic beverage bottle before I recycle it? A: No. You can leave the cap on the bottle. However, please be sure that the bottle is empty and clean.

Q: What do all of those symbols on the plastic containers mean? A: The symbols, #1-7, on plastic containers correspond to the type of plastic that is used to manufacture the container. Some plastics are easily recycled, while others are not. UT Southwestern will accept CLEAN plastic containers numbered 1-7, with the exception of styrofoam (#6).

Q: What kinds of metal are recyclable at UT Southwestern? A: Clean aluminum beverage containers and tin cans such as soup cans are accepted. Metal containers with a hazardous symbol are not accepted.

Q: What happens to our recycling after it's picked up? A: Recycling bags are picked up by a waste management vendor and brought to a facility for sorting and processing. Watch a video about the process here: www.thinkgreen.com/recycling.

Q: How is the recycling separated? A: The recycling is separated at a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). It is sorted using a combination of labor "pickers" and mechanical devices. The recycling goes in the MRF mixed and comes out separated and baled, ready to be recycled into new products.

For more information contact your Green Champions, Misty Dubose and Renee Toscano.