Academic workload management system

Our client

Curtin University

The requirement

The proposed outcomes of this project were to:

• support the development of a university-wide, comprehensive system for managing academic workloads
• design, build and apply several models of high-level unit-costing applications, and assess individual-level and school-level workload allocation
• assist in scoping and developing an integrated information system to support task allocations and expectations and provide a wide range of reporting options
• design and conduct a major program to support change management.

Our approach

To meet Curtin’s requirements, PwC:

• generated agreement across schools on categories and parameters for the new system
• created alignment at all levels of management
• coordinated disparate activities of the university, including IT support services, organisational development, senior leadership and academic staff
• adopted a highly consultative and transparent approach, which focused consistently on gains to the university and to individual staff members.

The benefits

Benefits to the client included:

• an agreed system for managing academic workloads across the university
• identification of significant potential performance improvements and cost savings
• clear understanding of the steps required for implementation and realisation of benefits
• a high-level unit-viability modelling framework and Microsoft Excel application tool.