As part of the ORA’s ongoing efforts in continuous improvement, all offices are actively implementing cross-functional initiatives suggested by external consulting firms. Recent work with McKinsey and Huron produced more than 160 operational recommendations. The scope of these recommendations extends from simple changes to cross-office policy overhauls. Accordingly, the suggestions have been vetted and assigned priority levels for implementation. The ORA is proud to announce that more than 30 of the recommendations have been fulfilled. 

The completed efforts form the foundation of a myriad of operational changes in the ORA. They include, but are not limited to: 

• Forming the Office of Strategic Operations: the ORA’s “tiger team,” known as the Dragon Team, has been in place since July 2019. The team manages cross-functional continuous improvement efforts and supports strategic initiatives. 
• Enhancing award closeout procedures
• Developing and launching a standardized onboarding and training curriculum for RAS
• Reducing study amendments by improving investigator education to include grant information in initial submissions 

Although the majority of ORA staff continues to work remotely and support low density on campus,  Research Administration is efficiently supporting Emory’s world-class enterprise.  

The McKinsey and Huron reports can be found on the ORA’s website.