This week we were asked to use what we had learned about the current state Business Architecture of our organization and brainstorm possible improvements to the architecture and outline the future state of the organization. Although this week did not require quite as much research, it took a lot of thought. How would I improve our district’s current architecture? This is not an easy question, but it has been something that I’ve been thinking about since starting this master’s program. Taking classes and evaluating different components of my school and district has opened my eyes to the many areas that could be improved. Looking at ways to improve current systems and processes is probably the main reason why I’d like to take on a leadership role in the first place. I always seek to improve routines and ways of teaching in my own classroom. Now, I am looking at improving systems and processes within the district as a whole. It’s a challenge, but it is preparing me for what it would be like as a future administrator.
Evaluating the current state of our district’s Business Architecture was an extremely helpful step towards brainstorming improvements. I had little to no knowledge on the systems or processes in place in the different departments within my district. Now that I have a general understanding, it allows me to begin to brainstorm possible improvements. No district is perfect and education is always changing, so it is important that leaders within the organization are constantly looking ahead and figuring out ways to improve the systems they already have in place. One person that helped me the most this week was our office manager. She is the go-between for many teachers and the different departments, so I asked her what she thought needed improving. She said she’d like to have a faster turnaround for damaged devices and maintenance/operation work orders and she would like to have direct access to student information about transportation and child nutrition. I agreed with her on the faster turnaround for technology and maintenance, but I had never thought about having access to more student information. I always thought we didn’t have access because we weren’t supposed to have that information. Wouldn’t it be so much more efficient if office managers and teachers had access to student bus information and student balances due to the child nutrition department? I really enjoy problem solving so this week I was really able to put this to the test. Leaders within the district have a lot of power when making decisions because it really affects everyone at school sites. The Child Nutrition Department’s decision to restrict access to staff on student balances makes it more difficult for teachers and office staff to support the department’s collection of funds. Therefore, providing that information to staff would improve the current system that the department already has in place.
In all, I’ve learned that developing a future state for an organization is what will keep it moving forward. It promotes change and improvement, which is how all organizations should operate. Although my ideas may not be the best or work out for my organization, I like the idea of problem-solving to attempt to create change in my district. That is my ultimate goal as a teacher and an administrator. This class is allowing me one avenue to do this.
Evaluating the current state of our district’s Business Architecture was an extremely helpful step towards brainstorming improvements. I had little to no knowledge on the systems or processes in place in the different departments within my district. Now that I have a general understanding, it allows me to begin to brainstorm possible improvements. No district is perfect and education is always changing, so it is important that leaders within the organization are constantly looking ahead and figuring out ways to improve the systems they already have in place. One person that helped me the most this week was our office manager. She is the go-between for many teachers and the different departments, so I asked her what she thought needed improving. She said she’d like to have a faster turnaround for damaged devices and maintenance/operation work orders and she would like to have direct access to student information about transportation and child nutrition. I agreed with her on the faster turnaround for technology and maintenance, but I had never thought about having access to more student information. I always thought we didn’t have access because we weren’t supposed to have that information. Wouldn’t it be so much more efficient if office managers and teachers had access to student bus information and student balances due to the child nutrition department? I really enjoy problem solving so this week I was really able to put this to the test. Leaders within the district have a lot of power when making decisions because it really affects everyone at school sites. The Child Nutrition Department’s decision to restrict access to staff on student balances makes it more difficult for teachers and office staff to support the department’s collection of funds. Therefore, providing that information to staff would improve the current system that the department already has in place.
In all, I’ve learned that developing a future state for an organization is what will keep it moving forward. It promotes change and improvement, which is how all organizations should operate. Although my ideas may not be the best or work out for my organization, I like the idea of problem-solving to attempt to create change in my district. That is my ultimate goal as a teacher and an administrator. This class is allowing me one avenue to do this.