For a study abroad center at a large, private, institution, decentralization had taken root in the office. Their team members were beginning to operate independently and inconsistently, leading to the following:

• Unclear separation of duties. Multiple people doing the same thing, but in their own way.
• No advising strategy.
• No student pathway for going abroad.
• No office-wide approach in managing student interest.
• No central location to house information.

Depending on who a student spoke to first, they would receive a completely different response about the overall process for studying abroad.

By ensuring all systems and procedures were outlined and aligned with job descriptions, the office would be able to use the time saved from operating inefficiently to focus on strategic planning, goal achievement and future projects. 

The following goals were outlined and implemented by the project’s completion:

• Review and overhaul of the lead generation system and student pathway to study abroad.  Current methods and ways in which a student can study abroad were identified, which streamlined the processes for the office.
• Assessment and modification of existing student application process. 
• Creation of Student Management System that assigned communication to the correct advisor, as opposed to funneling all inquiries to all team members.
• Update job descriptions to align with the actual duties of each team member and eliminate redundant tasks.

Within the next term, staff could feel a new sense of order.  For students walking into the space, there was now a clear process and they knew who to speak to. Team members were no longer inundated with messages throughout the day that everyone had to either answer, or ensure someone else was on top of responding. Leadership was able to begin strategizing again and the turnover rate of employees slowed down. Team members knew their place on the team and appreciated the accountability metrics that had been put into place.

“IEP has been an incredible help to our team, to help us ramp up for growth in programming and student participation. It’s been hard work, but well worth the investment. We don’t want our consultant to leave!” – Julie