Research

Engagement events provide a transformation update on Research enabling services

Alongside the weekly design sessions with the Value Stream Working Groups (VSWGs), we held three engagement events in May to update colleagues on what’s happening in Research enabling services and to hear their views as part of Warwick Transformation. If you missed them, here’s what was covered.

The events were attended in person and online, by colleagues from around the university and included representatives from Research and Impact Services, Science, Engineering and Medicine, Social Sciences and Arts plus WMG, WBS and WMS.

Speakers from each of the four Value Stream Working Groups (VSWGs) Link opens in a new window– Research Strategy, Pre-Award, Post-Award and Publication, Post Publication–gave an overview of the Warwick Transformation and design approach, plus what’s happening across each area for Research enabling services, including an update on example pain points and opportunities.

These working groups are progressing through a structured set of activities to develop design options and recommendations, drawing on their expertise and insights.

Colleagues were able to ask questions and give feedback on the updates they’d heard.

Attendees at the sessions were interested to learn more about departmental collaboration: how the design process is considering the differences in ways of working between departments and how we are factoring in best practice and what’s already working well in each area.

Also discussed, was how the research system replacement work is fundamental to the design of Research enabling services.

Sam Cole, VSWG lead for Research Strategy comments:

“Thanks to everyone who has given us their viewpoint so far. Research and research-enabling activity are fundamental to our core purpose at Warwick, but these areas are multifaceted, complex and evolve in ways that are unpredictable. Such a complex picture does not always lend itself well to traditional design approaches focused on improving processes. However, the design process through our Transformation has been much more holistic in its approach and very helpful in highlighting the challenges we face, also recognising the way all of our research-enabling activity is connected.

This builds on a lot of prior work to set the improvement agenda, and the design process has been helpful in setting up the framework to seek out and deliver the solutions.

The strategy value stream has drawn on a lot of voices to inform the enhancement of our research information provision and research planning capabilities (which is closely linked to systems). It is also looking to support a more diverse range of pathways for early career researchers; improve ways we share information through communities of practice, particularly on large and interdisciplinary funding opportunities; and strengthen our relationships with funders and partners.”

Next steps were also shared with the audience. These included:

identifying the root cause of pain points through further analysis to understand the amount of change that’s needed
developing recommendations to enhance capability and adjust the operating model to improve user experience
approval of a prioritised list of recommendations that can be used to create an implementation plan
continuing to scope out early improvement opportunities

Keep up to date with this and all other Warwick Transformation news and events via the Warwick Transformation hub or if you have a specific query, email warwicktransformation@warwick.ac.uk.

Find out more about the Research Functional Design Boards and Working Groups

23 April 2024: Capturing Academic voices for Research enabling services design

Hearing from individuals who support and deliver Research is key to developing a future design for Research enabling services, to make things simpler and more consistent for our academics, Professional Services colleagues and our students. How we keep improving this service is a fundamental part of our Warwick Transformation.

In early April we invited more members of the academic community to attend a series of world café events (insight gathering sessions), so that they had the opportunity (in addition to academics on the Value Stream Working Groups) to input into the future design and have their say. Insight gathered from the world cafés, attended by around 50 academics, will build on the work that has already been completed by the Value Stream Working Groups (VSWGs).Link opens in a new windowThe VSWGs are contributing to the future service design to develop the best experience for those who use and provide Research enabling services.

Professor Yvette Hutchison, Director of Research & Impact for Warwick’s School of Creative Arts Performance and Visual Cultures (SCAPVC) attended the first world café. She offers her thoughts on the experience:

"I was aware of Warwick Transformation but wasn’t aware of how it was translating across each of the service areas for Professional Services and what it actually means for Research enabling services. As the Research area presents a particularly complex working environment, I was keen to get involved.

The colleagues in my group were primarily Directors of Research from a range of different faculties and none of us had ever seen the complexity and diversity of our practice area mapped out in front of us before. It was also good to discuss how we can shift from risk aversion to risk management in the complex fields we are currently working in, given new GDPR and other legal requirements increasingly being set for research activities.

It was fascinating to hear about others’ experiences and to have the chance to be proactive in shaping the future of Research enabling services. Discussing the challenges we currently face and the opportunities to get ahead and address future trends and needs for Research support gave us lots to think about.

“This is such an important opportunity to help design a more joined up professional approach to benefit providers and users of various areas of Research support, and significantly, it will make the journey of future researchers clearer, better structured and supported.”

Dr Navdeep Bains, Director of Research & Impact Services added:

“It is important to us that we hear the academic voice in helping us to shape our Research enabling services of the future and I wanted to thank colleagues for taking the time to attend the world cafés and provide such valuable insights.”

The feedback from all the world cafés gives us a broader and deeper understanding of how people’s experiences of Research enabling services differs by role, faculty and department and will be used to inform the next stages of the design work.

Discussions during the session focused on how academics interacted with and experienced the following areas in their roles:

- Research Strategy

- Pre-Award

- Post Award & Publication

- Post Publication

These four areas are the focus for the Value Stream Working Groups and over 50 representatives from our community across Research and Impact Services, Academic and Professional Services are now meeting weekly to share their expertise.

16 April 2024: How we’re collaborating to design the future of Research enabling services

Capturing viewpoints and working with colleagues from around the University is key to creating a Professional Services for the future as part of our Warwick Transformation journey and to achieve our transformation vision.Link opens in a new window

To make things simpler and more consistent for Professional Services colleagues, academics and our students, the aim is to ensure our services are designed and operate in a way that are future ready. Research enabling services falls under the second wave of the Transformation Programme, and work is now underway to develop a future design for this area.

Individuals from Research Impact Services, Professional Services and academic departments have been collaborating and contributing to the first design stages for Research enabling services, volunteering their time on a weekly basis across four Value Stream Working Groups (VSWGs)Link opens in a new window.

For every one of the four Value Work Streams – Research Strategy, Pre-Award, Post-Award & Publication and Post Publication – the individuals have been offering their expertise to map out how they interact with and experience each area in their roles as a service provider or user. Each group has identified challenges and opportunities, building on and incorporating feedback that has previously been provided through discussions with Departments.

As the working groups are well underway, Emma Roberts, Research Impact Manager (Arts), a member of the Post-Publication Value Stream Working Group, gives her thoughts on how it’s going. Emma explains:

“I was asked to join the working group by my manager and it’s so interesting to be able to contribute to the design process, as I’ve never worked on a project like this before.

Everyone in the group is keen to contribute their ideas and already we’ve seen some key themes coming out, as we’ve identified where improvements can be made for colleagues.

Working with the Warwick Transformation team, we’re progressing through what seems quite a complicated challenge at first, condensing everything into user journeys to provide a clear, useful map of everything that we do and to identify real opportunities for the future design of Research support.”

As the design work progresses, the working groups will be considering what can be done to develop and deliver the best experience for those who use and provide Research enabling services in the future.

As part of the design process, it has been vital to gain a range of opinions from across the organisation. Harnessing the thoughts of the Academic community, World cafés (sessions similar to focus groups) were recently held, with around 50 individuals from all areas of the University sharing their views across three sessions, helping to identify opportunities and priority areas of focus for the future.

Towards the end of April and during early May, a series of engagement events will be open to anyone who’s interested in attending. Your voice matters and we want to hear from you as well as provide the opportunity to understand more about the design progress.

Emma concludes

“I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens with the outcomes of this process, knowing that we’ll have worked together to help bring about some real solutions and benefits for the future.”

Director of Research & Impact Services, Navdeep Bains added

“This is an exciting opportunity to enhance Warwick’s research support so that we can meet our future research growth ambitions. We are really grateful to all colleagues who have been involved in contributing their views and ideas to help us achieve our vision.”

25 March 2024: Working groups for Research get the first design stage off to a great start

As work is now in progress to develop a future design for Research support, the four Value Stream Working Groups (VSWGs) focusing on Research Strategy, Pre-Award, Post-Award & Publication and Post Publication, have started to meet on a weekly basis. Over 50 members are volunteering their time, collaborating and contributing to the future service design. In addition to representatives from Research and Impact Services, working groups include colleagues from Academic departments as well as Professional Services, to ensure we are designing the best user experience for those who use and provide Research support services. The design process begins with design members mapping out the user journey for their value stream and working together to identify challenges and opportunities. This is the first step of the five-stage design process, working towards a future design for Research support services. Feedback previously provided through discussions with Departments will feed into VSWG design work.

As part of the design process, it’s vital to create opportunities for users of Research support services to input into the design work by sharing their ideas and experiences. Members of the academic community will be invited to Research World Cafés on 4th and 8th April to offer their perspectives. The sessions will be similar to focus groups and you can register to attend them here. There will also be opportunities for further contributions and to ask questions through various channels, including user engagement sessions in the near future.