Executive Summary

Unprecedented growth and an increasingly complex regulatory environment demand a new approach to the University's core business processes and structure. This document recommends a New Business Architecture that will enable the University to:

• Manage growth
• Control costs
• Improve the work environment
• Implement best business practices

Six general strategies will allow the University to achieve these objectives:

• Develop campus business portals that will integrate components of the New Business Architecture
• Apply new approaches to how the University recruits, retains, and develops the very best people
• Streamline UC's cumbersome policies and processes
• Leverage new technology to contain costs and improve services to UC's constituents
• Integrate campus financial systems and provide enhanced financial reporting through implementation of emerging technology standards, and
• Embed performance management systems in UC business processes and focus on the most important financial controls

The Planning Group engaged experts both within and outside the University to aid in the design of the New Business Architecture. In addition to contributions from within UC, the Planning Group looked to some of the University's corporate partners for help in designing the key elements of the architecture. Most notable were the contributions from PricewaterhouseCoopers, Cisco Systems, IBM, and Gateway Computers. This report is organized around three focus areas:

• The key business drivers for change to UC's business framework
• The role of the New Business Architecture in UC's future and its guiding principles
• The six components of the architecture with specific strategies to pursue in each area

This report concludes with a summary of recommendations and a timeline for their implementation.

It is the hope of the Planning Group that this report will be viewed as the initial step toward critically evaluating the concepts presented and subsequently launching a series of enabling initiatives on a Universitywide basis.

Many organizations are propelled into strategic thinking when they find themselves on a "burning platform," fighting for their survival. We have the unique opportunity and responsibility to envision the future business and administrative environment of the University from today's vantage point of strong leadership and financial stability. These are the best of times for the University to lay the foundation for the changes that will ensure our continued success in the next decade.

Submitted by the
New Business Architecture Planning Group