Process Improvement

Process Improvement Methodology

The Strategic Operations team is a cross‑functional group with diverse specialties that partners across Emory’s Research Community to address challenges and drive continuous improvement. The team uses the Lean Six Sigma DMAIC methodology—Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control—to guide process improvement, providing a structured yet flexible approach to understanding current state, identifying opportunities, and implementing sustainable solutions. Continuous Improvement (also referred to as Process Improvement) focuses on strengthening services, products, and processes through both incremental improvements over time and targeted, breakthrough changes when needed.

Change Management Methodology

The Strategic Operations team supports organizational change by applying structured change management principles to help people successfully adopt new processes, systems, and ways of working. Our approach is informed by established methodologies such as Prosci’s ADKAR model and John Kotter’s 8 Steps for Change, providing a practical framework to build awareness, encourage engagement, support adoption, and sustain change over time. Change Management focuses on the people side of change, ensuring stakeholders understand why change is needed, feel prepared and supported, and are equipped to adapt as improvements are implemented. By using a structured yet flexible approach, the team helps ORA navigate both incremental and large‑scale changes in a way that promotes clarity, alignment, and long‑term success.

Insight Project

The Strategic Operations team is actively supporting the implementation of INSIGHT, the grants management system, through integrated process improvement and change management efforts. Following the system’s initial launch, the implementation is now in Release 2, which focuses on developing, refining, and rolling out additional modules while continuing to assess and improve supporting processes. Using established improvement frameworks and change management principles, the team partners with stakeholders to identify impacts, streamline workflows, support adoption, and ensure changes are implemented in a structured and sustainable way. This ongoing work helps ensure INSIGHT continues to evolve in alignment with operational needs while supporting a consistent, user‑focused experience across the research community.