Title

Value Stream Mapping the Admissions Process – Prospect to Accepted

Status
Status:
Completed
Start Term
Start Term:
Summer 2022
End Term
End Term:
Fall 2022
Project Leads
Project Leads:
Interim Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness and Technology Solutions; Executive Director of Workforce Development Solutions
Pillars of Success
Pillars of Success:
Student Success
Financial Sustainability
Project Purpose

Project Purpose

  • Map the admissions pipeline process from prospect to accepted, accepted to registered, and registered to sitting in class.
  • Target reduction in key delays during the processes.
  • Target key process updates.
Deliverables

Deliverables

  • Determine key metrics to track process effectiveness.
  • Prioritize hot/warm lead entry into information systems for immediate implementation.
  • Research the feasibility of a digital reader for prospect cards by June 15, 2022.
  • Discuss and formulate recommendation on allocation of resources for prospecting by June 15, 2022.
Project Scope

Project Scope

In Scope

Before a person becomes a prospective student until the student is accepted.

Out of Scope

Accepted through student attending past add/drop week.

Effectiveness Measures

Effectiveness Measures

Prospect to Admission

KPI 1. Conversion of prospect to application by source

Collection: Annual in fall via Salesforce

Goal: Benchmarking to inform future process improvements, reporting annually

Responsible: Dean for Enrollment Management, Marketing and Outreach; Director of Enrollment (after Institutional Effectiveness creates reporting)

KPI 2. Length of time from prospect to application

Collection: September/February

Goal: Annual reduction after benchmarking

Reporting: After term start

Responsible: Dean for Enrollment Management, Marketing and Outreach; Director of Enrollment

KPI 3. Pipeline conversion metrics

Collection: Enrollment report

Goal: Improvement year over year

Reporting: Enrollment report

Responsible: Institutional Effectiveness

OO: Operational Outcome – reporting within functional area only

OO 1: Time to enter cards

Collection TBD

Goal TBD

Reporting: Weekly

OO 2. Number of applications that weren’t prospects

Collection: Weekly

Goal: Benchmarking/inform process

Reporting: Monthly

Responsible: Dean for Enrollment Management, Marketing and Outreach; Director of Enrollment

OO 3. Missing item counts

Collection: Weekly

Goal: monitor for faster conversion from pending to accepted

Responsible: Dean for Enrollment Management, Marketing and Outreach; Director of Enrollment

OO 4. Files cleared of missing items

Collection: Weekly

Goal: Monitor for processing

Responsible: Dean for Enrollment Management, Marketing and Outreach; Director of Enrollment

OO 5. Number of pending apps

Collection: Weekly

Goal: Monitor

Responsible: Dean for Enrollment Management, Marketing and Outreach; Director of Enrollment

Financial Impact

Financial Impact

  • Postage for physical prospect, application and acceptance materials.
  • TBD on resource allocation for prospecting.
Summary of Results

Summary of Results

Value Stream Mapping Results

Prospect to admissions

  • Delay in entry of prospect cards (resource allocation).
  • Delay of sending physical packets to prospects (resource allocation).

Admitted to registered

  • Key clarifications needed in assessment for course placement process prior to completing a process map.

Key Processes Results

Prospect to admissions

  • Prioritize lead entry into the information system
  • Update physical prospect packet and create digital analog
  • Send acceptance communications to students with intent to earn cert/degree but no listed major
  • Communication of missing items both digitally and physically
  • Send acceptance communications both digitally and physically

Key Performance Indicator (KPI) and Operational Outcome (OO) Results

Prospect to admissions

OO 1

  • Determine content of physical and digital materials for prospects, applicant and notification of missing application items. Materials to communications and marketing by June 10 (Director of Enrollment; Call Center Resource Specialist)

KPI 1, KPI 2, KPI 3, OO 2, OO 3, OO 4

  • Create physical acceptance packet (letter and swag) by June 15 (Executive Assistant to the President)
  • Review metric lists and communicate with data consumers by June 15 (Interim VP of IE and Technology)
  • Determine capabilities of communication flows based on hot/cold status and bulk uploads of prospects in Salesforce by June 15 (Dean for Enrollment Management, Marketing and Outreach)
  • Lower priority: Determine process for leads older than 45 days (after current Salesforce communication flow) by Aug 1. (Dean for Enrollment Management, Marketing and Outreach)

FY23 Results Update

Several changes have been implemented, including:

  • Physical acceptance packets mailed with a congratulatory letter from the president (approximately over 1,700 packets mailed March - Sept. 2023)
  • Faster turnaround times for mailings (lead time for acceptance mailing packet is one day)
  • Acceptance email sent to students with next steps
  • Post-campus tour surveys conducted to receive feedback from prospective students
  • Improved communication flows, including the creation of four new 45 day flows based on the leads' intended start term or year (open to two years out)
  • Quicker acceptance turnaround
  • Next steps checklists to better prepare students
  • Campus engagement events for students who are waiting to register or for classes to begin
  • Evening registration events for increased access
  • School-of/cohort model registration events
  • Online orientation

These changes have led to increased yield rates by 4% for spring 2023, and the College is currently tracking a 4% increase for fall 2023.