Continuous Quality Improvement Projects

Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) means continuous actions performed in order to enhance work environment, processes and services. The improvements should further the university and department's stated goals and if possible be measurable (see examples of CQI definitions for references). These projects are completely voluntary. People are also free to pick their own project. Each project should only have 1 project leader but can have multiple team members. Small groups of about 10 employees will meet monthly to provide updates, support one another and ensure forward progress. Group 1 meets every Thursday at 10:15 am in the Garden conference room.

Ongoing Projects

1. Increase the number of people in the Department of Biostatistics who actively lead a CQI project and increase the satisfaction with the CQI process.
   • Project Leader
     • Daniel Byrne
2. Recommend Lectures and Seminars in the Department of Biostatistics.
   • Project Leader
     • Hank Domenico
3. Clean out the department refrigerator on a monthly basis and help keep kitchen clean
   • Project Leader
     • Yu Shyr
     • Team members: Dan Byrne, Bryan Shepherd
4. Improve the Departments ranking among statistics departments with the US News & World Report
   • Project Leader
5. Update the staff promotions guidelines on the wiki
   • Project Leader
     • Li Wang
6. Update the Collaboration Plan information on the wiki
   • Project Leader
     • Li Wang
7. Add and update content for the lobby TV monitor
   • Project Leader
8. Fun committee - improve social event, popcorn, etc.
   • Project Leader
9. Improve employee recognition
   • Project Leader
10. Encourage people to watch the Power of Positivity video
    • Project Leader
11. Update the bulletin boards and put up new posters
    • Project Leader
12. Improve the interactions between students, staff, and faculty
    • Project Leader
13. Take the lead on the Department Twitter project (@vandy_biostat)
    • Project Leader
14. Improve wiki and help improve department website
    • Project Leader
    • Team members: Ahra Kim
15. Improve retention in our department, understand reasons for turnover. Conduct exit interview in REDCap. In general at Vanderbilt pay isn’t the primary reason for leaving; management issues are more often selected. Senior leadership and relationship with supervisor also mentioned as reasons for unhappiness
    • Project Leader

New Projects That Address Community Survey Issues and Need a Project Leader

1. State of the Department newsletter - Engagement would be enhanced if there was more frequent communication about the happenings in the department.
   • Examples: summaries of important papers published, promotions, arrivals of new staff/faculty, departures, awards, grants awarded involving department members, marriages, births, birthdays.
   • Format: email and web?
   • Frequency: monthly (all department meetings are too infrequent and too crowded with other information
2. Promotion criteria and process to Biostatistician IV and to faculty. Robert Greevy should present on this. Biostat IV position has been created.

New Projects That Need a Project Leader

1. Promotion guidelines and process improvement. Need to create a plan for obtaining appropriate and structured feedback from collaborators. Problem is that collaborators rarely understand the job positions well enough to effectively recommend for promotion; however, collaborators and supervisors remain the best source to provide input on factors the promotions committee is examining. Robert Greevy/Promotions Committee
2. Remembers and celebrating each person's birthday in our department. A wiki page exists with departmental members' birthdays. Ask for access. The project would also require purchasing birthday cards and developing a way to circulate for signatures the week before the birthday.
   Suggest monthly birthday luncheon. Birthday person's lunch is paid for by dept, all who opt to attend pay their own way. Set a standing day of the month for all to attend (i.e., 3rd Thursday of each month from 12:00-1:00pm). Have a "white board" where those who want their birthday acknowledged, can sign up (maybe in lunchroom?)
3. Demonstrating the return on investment that biostatistics provides to Vanderbilt.
4. Improving the communication within Vanderbilt of the value of Biostatistics by preparing a few slides of key accomplishments for Dr. Balser's State of the Medical Center talk and other similar presentations.
5. Improve percent of papers that are accepted for publication at the first-choice journal. Publication Committee Expanded Area?
6. Improve relationship between the Department of Biostatistics and other key departments. William Wu and Robert Greevy have made a survey to help measure this
7. Improve image of Biostatistics (articles in the Reporter, etc.). . SRMG Job Function but also could use CQI group. Need to track references (when and what) in Vanderbilt/other news articles. see this page
8. Improve Department of Biostatistics ranking - building a world-class department.
9. Develop collaborative relationships with other departments within the School of Medicine. . Target under performing departments that have $
10. Study department financial/administrative systems and offer suggestions for improvement in data collection/streamlining processes. Donna and Seth are working on this
11. Improve use of administrative database to capture relevant data i.e. reporting on work assignments to show SOM how the department has contributed to its Mission in both financial and non-financial ways; examine grant burn rates to do two things: 1) plan for future positions and 2) study impact Department has on award success rate. Business/Admin Function However, point 2 may be CQI under
12. Find VU coaches for staff members.

Older projects

1. Improving the turnaround time for biostatistical collaboration for an analysis, paper or grant. (status: ?)
   • Project Leader
     • HeidiChen
   • Team Members
2. Improve education and self-education of biostatisticians in our department; promote life-long learning for all members of the department. (status: ongoing)
   • Project Leader
     • TebebGebretsadik
   • Team Members
     • Chang Yu
   • Metric = I am satisfied with the ongoing training for my present job.
3. Improve grantsmanship skills and NIH R01 grant success rates. (status: ?)
   • Project Leader
     • DanielByrne and FrankHarrell
   • Team Members
4. Improve recycling access and usage in Biostats. (status: ongoing)
   • Project Leader
     • Team Members: Ahra Kim
5. Improve Biostatistics Clinics. (status: ?)
   • Project Leader
     • Hui Nian
   • Team Members
     • Chang Yu
     • Audrey Carvajal
6. Improve the level of visibility of our accomplishments (publication posters). (status: ongoing)
   • Project Leaders
   • Team member
     • Tatsuki Koyama
7. Improve supervisor training and performance. (status: ?)
   • Project leader
8. Improving our communications regarding how we help bring in grant funding. (status: ?)
   • Project Leader
9. Recognition and Rewards Program (Metric = "I am satisfied with the recognition I receive for doing a good job.") Recognize and Reward Success. (status: ?)
   • Project Leader
     • MarioDavidson
   • Team Members
     • DalePlummer
10. Master's Journal Club (status: inactive)
    • Project Leaders
      • Li Wang
11. Department Softball Team. Organize a department softball team to compete in the VU system. Further develop department relations both internally and with our collaborators through this endeavor. (status: inactive)
    • Project Leaders
      • Cole Beck
12. Serve as ombudsman for the Department of Biostatistics (status: ongoing)
    • Project Leader
      • Bill Dupont
13. Improve the response rate on the community survey. (status: ?)
    • Project Leader
    • Go to Community Survey Biostatistics Department
14. The medical center is a fun place to work. (status: ?)
    • Project Leaders
      • TBA
15. My pay and benefits compares favorably with similar positions in my job market. (status: ?)
    • Project Leader
      • Frank Harrell
16. Seeking opportunities/topics to write multicenter clinical trial grants. (status: ?)
    • Project Leader
      • ChangYu
    • Team Members
      • People with interest/expertise on clinical trials
17. Communicate at All Levels. (Metric = "There is effective communication between different levels within the medical center." (31% favorable in 2007). "There is effective communication within my work group." (status: ?)
    • Project Leaders
      • Yu Shyr
      • Tatsuki Koyama
    • Team Members
      • DanielByrne
      • FrankHarrell
18. Updating photos on Wiki (status: inactive)
    • Project Leader
19. Electronic suggestion box similar to the Vice Chancellor's Department Suggestion Box with a link in the monthly email. (status: inactive)
    • AudreyCarvajal

Completed Projects

1. Promotion criteria and process for the IT group. Dale has agreed to work on this project
   • A promotions committee for the IT staff has been created under the leadership of Lynne Berry. This committee meets about once per quarter. A trello board has been created to track the activities of this committee.
2. Improve orientation process for newly hired people in Biostatistics.
   • completed by Cathy Jenkins
3. Department of Biostatistics Satisfaction Survey: Survey investigators regarding satisfaction with our services and implement a plan to improve.
   • completed by Robert Greevy
4. Improve the information about the 6 month, and annual evaluation process so that biostatisticians are better informed about who evaluates them and how.
   • completed by Theresa Scott
5. Department Community Events Coordinator (Community Giving Campaign, Partners in Health, etc.) These are annual events that need someone to represent our department, coordinate contributions and submit responses to event coordinators.
   • Project Leader
     • Seth Martin (Department)
6. Improve communications regarding teaching provided by our department.
   • Project Leader

Meeting Notes