Data drives Finance and Operations’ smart space study
The office partnered with Operational Excellence in campus-wide projects to ensure the efficiency of Carolina’s workstations.
The COVID-19 pandemic led to the rise of hybrid workforces, including at Carolina, where more employees now work part time or full time from home. The change prompted Nate Knuffman, vice chancellor for finance and operations, to reexamine how administrative office space is being used at the University. Finance and Operations partnered with Operational Excellence on projects to improve space management.
“When you think about the University, the biggest cost drivers are people and space,” said Knuffman. “We lacked data about how space was being used, a governance structure for making decisions about space and clearly defined expectations to encourage space optimization, especially as we consider the growing needs of campus. We wanted to tackle those areas in a data-driven process that engages the campus.”
In fall 2022, the team launched the Space Governance Project to create:
- A dashboard to better understand space use
- A space governance structure
- A space request process
The first phase resulted in a dashboard in summer 2023, a space governance process later that year and the piloting of a space request process this spring.
While the dashboard of percent on-site worked well when examining one building, it was not as helpful in making better use of space, said Georgia McRae, senior transformation manager with Operational Excellence. “We needed to figure out ways to better understand how space is used on campus so we can identify opportunities for potential colocation with other groups,” she said.
The second phase of project, Space Optimization, began this summer. A cross-campus design team examined metrics related to the number of workstations in a unit, how those workstations are used and how many devices are connected to wireless access points. They also created a space data glossary.
This data will help the project team review and understand available occupancy. By spring 2025, the team will share pilot reports with campus leaders and collaborate on next steps.
Metrics will not be a perfect window into true usage, McRae said, but the data will point staff in the right direction to have productive conversations about the best use of the available space.
Andy Johns, senior associate vice chancellor for research and a member of the design team, also welcomes the opportunity to make better use of space and save money.
“I want to do all that I can to improve the way we operate and improve our overall sustainability,” he said. “Folks who are part of the University community have an obligation to steward our resources as effectively as we can.”
Knuffman notes that Carolina’s process is on the leading edge as higher education begins to grapple with remote and hybrid work competing with new space demands.
“I’m proud of our work to support our strategic priorities in a smart and data-driven way, with Chancellor Lee Roberts prioritizing this approach to growth,” he said. “We’ve made significant progress and are now thinking about policy incentives and other ways to improve our utilization across campus.”
He appreciates the partnership of Operational Excellence, the efforts of the design team and the engagement of campus leaders via the Deans Space Committee.
“A number of people in schools and in units across campus have dedicated a lot of time to this process and deserve a ton of credit for that investment,” he said. “We wouldn’t be as successful without them.”
