Strategic review incorporating the operational review
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University of Winchester
Integrated Annual Report 2019-20
Business excellence and growth – COVID-19 preparedness Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Winchester has been undertaking a cross-institutional project to prepare for the 2020/2021 academic year. Overseen by the Senior Management Team (SMT), its aim was to provide a safe, friendly and positive experience for students and staff as Winchester opened for its first semester of the 2020/2021 academic year. This project was designed to ensure Winchester could rapidly respond to the changing circumstances of a pandemic, even after implementation. The outbreak of COVID-19 in the UK led to extraordinary challenges for Winchester, as it has done for society as a whole. We responded rapidly to the lockdown in March, moving our teaching online and supporting staff and students to work and study remotely with a new IT infrastructure in place. In a very short amount of time, students and staff had to learn how to work in a completely new way. The months that followed were dedicated to a cross-institutional project to prepare for the 2020/21 Academic Year. This wide-ranging project sought to identify what adaptations would be needed to enable Winchester to continue to attract students and deliver high-quality higher education. The project’s scope included adapting, altering and augmenting:
• Pedagogical practice • Programme curricula • Student assessment • IT infrastructure • Estates infrastructure • Enrolment
• Campus life (accommodation and catering)
• Student welfare • Learning support • Library service • Graduation procedures PROJECT METHOD We broadly based the project’s structure on HM Government’s Functional Standard for Project Delivery, produced by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority as best practice for UK Government projects. The project structure was founded upon a process of linear stages, with each stage subject to a gateway sign-off process, adapted to suit the type and scope of the project. The five stages are: 1. Business justification 2. Appraise and select teams 3. Define 4. Deliver 5. Operate, review and adjust The gateway includes a review against project objectives at the end of each stage, as well as a review of project risks. The project board then decides whether to approve its move into the next stage.
Workstreams made up the second major element of the project. In this project, there were 20 workstreams, including Accommodation and Learning Experience. Workstream leads were identified and all workstreams reported weekly into the project. A traffic light red, amber and green (RAG) rating system was implemented so that each workstream could report on key issues and RAG ratings. RAG ratings and required decisions were tabled to the project board’s weekly meetings to ensure timely decision making and continued momentum to meet programme scheduling objectives. The project has been a success and highlights the collaborative and integrated approach now embedded at Winchester. It has overseen a considerable amount of preparatory work across the institution, has run on time and within budget.
