ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses what higher education organisations are doing to embed process improvement capability and to support those considering undertaking such activity or those already doing so. It presents primary-based research principally shaped by responses to a survey conducted in the spring and summer of 2018. Higher education establishments across the globe have the shared aim of delivering high-quality teaching to undergraduate and graduate students alongside undertaking and delivering research. The data evidences huge variation in the nature of the attempts to implement improvement methodologies: from implementing Total Quality Management, information technology systems projects, Systems Thinking and Project Management approaches. Frequently process improvement functions are founded with a narrow set of service offerings, and as these functions become more established the variety of service offering tends to increase. Respondents cited the placing of functions with reporting lines to senior university staff as leadership recognition of the importance and effectiveness of process improvement capability.
