Re: Incremental Workload Accretion Mary Watson 14 Apr 2003 09:51 EST
Chuck I don't have hard data - just the infamous 'sense of the truth of your observations" and I would be most interested in obtaining data. In fact, I would love to work with someone on developing a serious research project around this question of incremental additional duties - most of them, it appears coming from external sources but all of them landing in our proverbial laps. Mary H. Watson VALDOSTA STATE UNIVERSITY -----Original Message----- From: Research Administration List [mailto:xxxxxx@HRINET.ORG]On Behalf Of Herbert B. Chermside Sent: Monday, April 14, 2003 8:30 AM To: xxxxxx@HRINET.ORG Subject: [RESADM-L] Incremental Workload Accretion My office has observed in the last couple of years a large increase of little things to do thrust upon us. Just-in-time proposal data. Letters of approval. Reports of compliance measures. Little things that take just 2 - 5 minutes -- of each of three people's time; receptionist, research administrator, signing authority. Just little things -- many times a day. It adds up to a significant increase in the office work load per major transaction. For example, we used to review a proposal, sign everything, and then not see it until the award came. Now we review the proposal; we spend extra time with it because it has to be submitted electronically (by a different method for each sponsor); we receive requests for JIT information; we forward that to the PI to collect the data; we receive it back from the PI; we sign/certify, etc.; we fax it back to the sponsor; and finally an award comes. Are other sponsored program offices experiencing the same increase in required administrative activity required by the sponsors? Has anyone measured it? Do you have anecdotal reports? If you have some data, please respond on the list or privately. Identify "hard" data and "experienced observation" separately, please. Experienced observation is very useful, but we must separate the two. If you can identify a specific cause for some of it, please do. (For example, 106-107 is forcing all these different electronic proposal mechanisms -- it's not electronic that really gets to us, but that they are all different!) I'll compile responses in about a week and share. Chuck Herbert B. Chermside, CRA Director, Sponsored Programs Administration Virginia Commonwealth University PO BOX 980568 Richmond, VA 23298-0568 Express Delivery Only: Biotech One, Suite 113 Virginia Biotechnology Research Park 800 East Leigh Street Richmond, VA 23219 Voice: 804-828-6772 Fax 804-828-2521 OFFICE e-mail xxxxxx@VCU.EDU Personal e-mail xxxxxx@vcu.edu http://www.research.vcu.edu/ospa.htm ====================================================================== Instructions on how to use the RESADM-L Mailing List, including subscription information and a web-searchable archive, are available via our web site at http://www.hrinet.org (click on "Listserv Lists") ====================================================================== ====================================================================== Instructions on how to use the RESADM-L Mailing List, including subscription information and a web-searchable archive, are available via our web site at http://www.hrinet.org (click on "Listserv Lists") ======================================================================