Faculty TOPS: We’re nearing the end of the Self-Assessment phase

The aim of the Faculty TOPS Project is to enable UCL Faculties to contribute to achieving the TOPS Programme overarching objectives of providing more effective services, more fulfilling careers and greater investment in UCL’s academic mission.  

In April 2019, we shared the TOPS Faculty Blueprint with the UCL community. The Faculty Blueprint is a guide to help drive consistency and improve service delivery across Faculties. 

What has happened during the Self-Assessment phase?

Since April, each Faculty’s Director of Operations has been working with their leadership teams and Faculty staff to review the Blueprint against their own operations and consider where changes could be made to better align to the Blueprint. This period is called Self-Assessment and during this phase Faculties have been considering questions such as: 

• Are my processes working optimally to deliver the highest quality services, and if not what changes could help improve this?
• Are responsibilities and accountabilities clear between central professional services, faculty offices and departments?
• Do Faculty professional services staff have access to the Communities of Practice and Career Pathways initiatives, and if not what more could we do to support fulfilling careers at UCL?
• Are there improvements we need to consider for our technology and systems that would enable us to work smarter?

Fiona Ryland (Chief Operating Officer) shared her thoughts on the self-assessment phase:

"The TOPS programme is committed to transforming central professional services, which will positively impact the service that faculties and departments receive and deliver. The Faculty TOPS project is supporting faculties to consider opportunities linked to the impact of TOPS, and I’m looking forward to seeing how these evolve in each faculty. It has been positive during the self-assessment phase to see faculties working with the Blueprint to think about how they can develop their services for staff and students."

What will happen once Self-Assessment is complete?

The Self-Assessment phase is due to complete at the end of September. Once all the Self-Assessments have been submitted, the Faculty Directors of Operations will be working with the TOPS Programme to agree what initiatives we will work on together and when these will be delivered over the next 12-24 months.

We will be sharing more information on what initiatives we will be working on first later this year.

More about the Faculty TOPS Project

• If you have any questions related to the Self-Assessment process please contact your Directors of Operation.
• Read our FAQs for more information on the broader aims and objectives of the Faculty TOPS Project.