2023 Network Awards – Professional Management
Judges’ comments
The panel was impressed that establishing the Transformation Office in the College of Business and Law firmly met the criteria of having a measurable impact within RMIT University. The panel found it innovative to allocate project and change management resources at a local level, acknowledging the consistency and agility this provides and the humanistic aspects it addresses. Scalability has been demonstrated across numerous projects within the College and could be replicated in other areas of the University.The initiative
Establishment of the College of Business and Law Transformation Office (TO).
This inhouse Program Management Office (PMO) instils a culture of transformation across the College through managing strategic and business improvement projects in collaboration with College leaders, establishes best practice project and change management standards and supports the ongoing development of staff capabilities.
The TO focuses on establishing simple, consistent processes to measure strategic value, manage projects, track progress and embed new ways of working. These processes bring pace and rhythm to the planning and execution of CoBL initiatives.
How it works
Impact
The Transformation Office (TO) was established to facilitate a shift in the College’s strategy and direction during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Its initial focus was on enhancing the College’s undergraduate program offerings. To achieve this, the TO worked closely with the Academic Development, Curriculum, and Learning Technologies team and engaged extensively with stakeholders.
The TO undertook a substantial change management effort that spanned professional and academic staff and the broader University community. This effort involved refreshing and rebuilding several courses (subjects) when the institution had already needed to adapt rapidly due to the impact of COVID-19.
The approaches employed by the TO were characterised by respect, cost-effectiveness, and speed in execution, all while operating within a limited budget and addressing a large-scale endeavour.
Over time, the TO has evolved to oversee and manage significant organisational changes, including revitalising the postgraduate program suite, managing the Innovation Fund, ongoing enhancements to the undergraduate program suite on a global scale, and introducing new executive education offerings in Vietnam.
In addition to executing strategic projects, the TO is pivotal in guiding all College project teams to ensure alignment with the University’s project and change management processes.