Higher education
How an established operating environment provided the foundation for exploring automation and AI-enabled capabilities.
An exploration of how automation and AI could improve service coordination, stakeholder communication, and operational efficiency.
Challenge
Scaling a successful automation pilot across teams with differing communication needs while retaining human judgment and action.
Approach
Piloted workflow automation, then developed a phased rollout plan incorporating an AI-readiness framework.
Outcome
The initial pilot improved stakeholder transparency and communication while establishing a foundation for evaluating AI adoption as part of a broader rollout.
The Context
Following the implementation of a centralized operating model, opportunities were identified to further improve workflows and communication through automation.
The Challenge
While automation improved transparency and communication with stakeholders for the pilot team, scaling across multiple teams with different communication needs required a more selective approach to notifications, prioritizing those requiring human action while reducing administrative burden.
Our Approach
Piloted workflow automation, then developed a phased automation and AI-readiness framework informed by pilot findings, including the proposed design of a more user-centered, AI-enabled notification system.
The Work
Piloted automated communications within the request management system developed as part of the earlier operating model transformation, enabling stakeholders to track the status of their service requests.
The Outcome
The initial pilot improved stakeholder transparency and communication, reducing back-and-forth exchanges while establishing a foundation for evaluating future AI adoption and implementation.
Key Takeaways
Effective operational communication depends on how information moves through an organization and what action it should prompt.
Automation should reduce administrative burden without introducing unnecessary complexity.
Evaluating the existing operating environment and organizational needs helps identify where automation and AI-enabled capabilities can add meaningful value, provided they are supported by a stable operating model.
This project was undertaken by BBD's founder in a previous professional capacity. The experience and insights gained through this work inform BBD's approach to operational architecture and systems design.
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