SHIFT Project Status - October, 2021

The SHIFT project will purchase and implement a system that supports all Facilities Management operations on campus including the Division of Student Affairs (Department of Residential Facilities, Dining Services, RecWell and Stamp). SHIFT represents a unique and innovative project that involved the collaboration of facilities groups across campus for the first time.

 

In late September and early October, more than 150 unique individuals attended 26 hours of demonstrations across five days with the four down-selected vendors. You participated in virtual and in-person sessions offered in three languages. Wow! Thank you to everyone for completing the demo feedback forms and for submitting your feedback through shift@umd.edu. The Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) reviewed all contributions and used it as part of the formal criteria for the decision making process. 

 

Our time with each vendor was limited and we know that not everyone got to see their work represented in the demonstrations. Please know that our TEC had many additional documents, references, feedback and demonstrations to support their decision making. Thank you to the TEC for your many hours of preparation, documentation, interviews, discussion and decision making. 

 

Thanks to your participation, we will soon have a new work management system and a new partner that will help us implement, test and train us for success. In the meantime, our work continues and we will turn our focus to our people and our work.  Evan Hochberg and his team of analysts from the SHIFT project team have conducted 100+ interviews to date with you and your units to document our work processes. They have been incredibly grateful for and impressed by your support and enthusiasm for the SHIFT project. Our goal is to identify areas of opportunity where we can look to improve processes or create consistency across units. This work will allow us to hit the ground running in the new year with our new vendor. 

 

While 1:1 and small group interviews will continue, the SHIFT project team will also begin holding workshops and demonstrations. These sessions will be across multiple units and with many of our partner organizations. This work will focus on processes that we all have in common such as ordering a part or completing a work ticket. In the future, the steps we take to complete this work will become a standard process for everyone. 

 

The SHIFT project offers opportunities for anyone to participate in the process. Upcoming opportunities include: 

• 1:1 and small group interviews to document your work process
• Attend workshops, demonstrations, and team meetings 
• Share a problem with us that you need to solve

 

Share your thoughts with us at the SHIFT email address.

 

Thank you for taking the time to contribute to SHIFT.