Fueled by Feedback

The UC Davis finance, budget and business operations community is engaged in a collaborative effort to transform our current processes and technologies into a modern business environment. 

As expected, this is not a simple undertaking. Aggie Enterprise is complex and multifaceted, requiring input from stakeholders and subject matter experts, oversight from the project governance and extensive coordination from the project management and change management teams.

“Aggie Enterprise really is about strategic transformation, and it is very much a UC Davis-wide effort,” said UC Davis Controller and Assistant Vice Chancellor Matt Okamoto. “If we’re going to get everything out of Aggie Enterprise that this project is capable of delivering, we need to make sure that we’re having healthy dialogue, valuing different perspectives and understanding the different requirements from across UC Davis. Then, when we come together and reach a decision, we need everyone to commit to drive that decision forward.  If we can do that, we can deliver a world-class system and world-class processes.” 

This means that the success of the project rests on coordinated efforts to ensure that the needs of stakeholders across UC Davis are represented throughout the project. This is where the concept of “continuous feedback” comes in to propel the project forward. 

Continuous feedback supports iterative change 

Continuous feedback encourages and supports ongoing communication between stakeholders and the project team. Individuals impacted by the change have an opportunity to express concerns and ask questions, while the project team gains a better understanding of knowledge gaps, potential risks, and training needs. 

In order to provide several pipelines for feedback, Aggie Enterprise has formed the Advisory Board and the Change Network, as well as establishing a designated email address for stakeholders to reach out to the project team: aggieenterprise@ucdavis.edu.   

Closing the loop 

A successful feedback loop includes asking for feedback and then acting on feedback.   

Incoming feedback is monitored by the Change, Communications and Training (CCT) team, working closely with the Project Management Office (PMO) and functional leads to ensure the feedback is heard. The integration of project and change management, supported by Governance oversight and leadership, ensures that project decisions are made with empathy for the impacts to end users. 

As with any large change initiative, questions are often asked before we have all of the answers, but stakeholders can rest assured that Aggie Enterprise has an established process to make sure that questions don’t get lost. Questions that are “pending” answers are captured on the Aggie Enterprise FAQ log, managed by the CCT team. These outstanding questions are reviewed on a bi-weekly basis to ensure that they are answered as quickly as possible. 

Learn more 

Visit the Aggie Enterprise website to learn more about the Advisory Board and Change Network, and explore Frequently Asked Questions. 

If you wish to participate as a member of the Change Network, please contact us. The Change Network requires a commitment of approximately two to five hours per month. Prospective members are advised to check with their supervisors before volunteering to participate.