08 May 2025 - An overview of the roundtable discussion hosted by UCISA and AppsAnywhere
Responding to the Efficiency Challenge in 2025 and Beyond
A roundtable discussion hosted by UCISA and AppsAnywhere
The topic of the latest UCISA Roundtable discussion generated a lot of interest, as universities are working to find solutions to the efficiency challenge that is affecting the entire sector.
On the background of the challenge launched by the government to become as efficient and effective as possible, combined with financial challenges and a reduction in international enrolments, it is no wonder that this was a popular topic.
The roundtable discussion, "Responding to the efficiency challenge in 2025 and beyond," held on 25th March 2025, brought together IT leaders and professionals from across the higher education sector. Sponsored by AppsAnywhere and chaired by UCISA Trustee, Iain McCracken, Director of Service Delivery, London School of Economics and Political Science, and Michelle Craig, Marketing Director at AppsAnywhere. The discussion aimed to share experiences, challenges, and potential strategies for improving efficiency and effectiveness within universities.
These are the key themes and insights from the discussion:
- The evolving language of efficiency
A great starting point of the discussion was around the loaded meaning of the term "efficiency", which now often has negative connotations, particularly in light of the recent redundancies across many institutions. Efficiency is now associated with cuts: budget, resources and staff, which has a negative impact on staff morale.
There is a move towards reframing "efficiency" as "effectiveness" or "operational excellence" to foster a more positive perception and focus on value creation and the benefits improving processes rather than solely cost-cutting.
- The opportunity for standardisation and shared services
A strong consensus emerged regarding the potential for greater standardisation of processes and the adoption of shared or centralised services across the higher education sector.
Universities, despite perceiving themselves as unique, often have operationally similar functions where significant efficiencies could be gained by reducing replication. A great example is the common challenge of application packaging: “each university has 300-500 apps, probably with 3 staff packaging the same things in each institutions; the repetition doesn’t make sense.” – one participant noted.
Exploring and expanding the use of shared services, such as out-of-hours IT support (e.g., Norman) and IT service management platforms (e.g., Unidesk), could lead to significant resource savings. Many felt that institution should actively explore opportunities for collaboration and the adoption of shared services, moving away from the tendency to develop bespoke solutions for common challenges.
- Automating low-value, repetitive tasks
A primary focus for achieving efficiency lies in identifying and automating low-value, repetitive tasks, freeing up staff to focus on more strategic and innovative activities. Automating mundane tasks can not only save time and resources but also improve staff satisfaction by reducing the burden of unfulfilling work. The goal is not to reduce headcount, but to be more effective and increase the value of the work performed by limited human resources.
It was noted that for example, several people in each institution are likely packaging and updating the same applications, multiply that across the sector and it creates a lot of repetition. Leveraging the likes of AppsAnywhere to support these activities makes much more sense.
One idea expressed by participants was to conduct a systematic review of processes across departments to identify tasks suitable for automation, with a focus on the benefits for both efficiency and staff morale.
- The importance of a long-term strategic view
The impact of short-term financial pressures on strategic technology planning, particularly regarding the replacement cycles of hardware procured during the COVID-19 pandemic may soon to be felt across many institutions.
Participants appreciated that there is a need to balance the urgency for immediate efficiency gains with the necessity for long-term sustainable technology strategies. Many institutions could be coming to the end of five-year cycles with technology, especially hardware purchased during COVID, institutions must learn from their own (and others’) experience and avoid making the same short-sighted decisions that could lead to the same burdens in the future.
The consensus was that strategic planning needs to extend beyond immediate cost savings and consider the long-term implications of technology investments and replacement cycles. The product lifetime cycle, benefits for students, human and material resources it requires to implement, run and maintain it – these are all factors to consider when calculating the true cost and value of a product or system.
- The critical role of partnerships and robust business cases
Another highlight of the discussion was the increasing importance of strong, transparent relationships with external partners and the need for robust, clearly articulated business cases for efficiency initiatives.
A common theme was how, given the current financial climate, business cases must be "really crystal clear and really targeted" with well-defined outcomes and a realistic assessment of costs. With increased scrutiny on every pound spent, each investment must be justified and mapped against outcomes. And this is where efficiency and effectiveness can contradict, as many universities have incredible challenges in integrating legacy systems with modern technology, but would it be more effective to remove those systems and start from scratch?
The majority agreed that technology providers could be great partners in supporting efficiency and effectiveness, and these partnerships should be based on mutual understanding of goals and a shared definition of success, moving beyond transactional supplier relationships.
However, it was also noted that there is a desire for "true partnerships" formed early in the process with "clearly aligned outcomes, not outputs." Both parties should share the accountability for delivering on the return on investment outlined in business cases.
Institutions are keen to foster collaborative relationships with partners, involving them early in the development of business cases and ensuring a shared understanding of objectives and expected outcomes.
- Enabling efficiency beyond IT
The discussion recognised that while IT plays a crucial enabling role, driving efficiency requires engagement and ownership across all professional services and academic departments.
All agreed that IT's role extends beyond delivering solutions to providing the "skills, the knowledge, the awareness, the tools, the governance, the support to drive those savings" across the wider university. Overcoming departmental silos and fostering a collaborative culture are essential for successful institution-wide efficiency initiatives.
There was recognition that engaging academic colleagues, who may be less focused on operational efficiency, can be challenging likely because Professional Services staff are often more actively involved and therefore, more invested in these initiatives. There may be new and creative ways to help them engage.
Effective change management strategies are needed to engage all stakeholders, highlighting the benefits of efficiency gains for their specific areas and the overall institutional mission.
- The impact of current challenges
Several current challenges were acknowledged as impacting efficiency efforts:
- Severance programmes: Ongoing severance programmes can negatively impact morale and distract remaining staff, as they fear for losing their own jobs.
- Short-term thinking: Financial pressures can lead to a narrowing of the strategic horizon and an increase in short-term decision-making, hindering longer-term efficiency planning.
- Decentralised structures: Universities with highly decentralised structures may face greater challenges in implementing standardised processes and shared services.
- Opportunities for improvement and innovation
Despite the challenges, the roundtable also highlighted significant opportunities:
- Clean up legacy processes and data: Current pressures can provide a catalyst to review and eliminate outdated processes and legacy data, leading to cost savings and improved data quality which will also help to create good foundations for AI.
- Leveraging AI as a catalyst: The desire to adopt AI technologies can drive the necessary foundational work of improving data quality and integration, indirectly supporting broader efficiency goals.
- Mindset and culture change: A shift towards a culture of continuous improvement and a shared "in it together" mentality is crucial for sustained efficiency gains.
- The need for support
Participants discussed the types of support needed, both internally and externally:
- Internal support: Strong leadership and clear strategic direction are essential for driving institution-wide efficiency initiatives. Empowering users with appropriate tools and skills (e.g., through citizen development initiatives) can also reduce reliance on central IT.
- External support: Partners and suppliers need to move beyond simply providing technology and actively collaborate on developing robust business cases, demonstrating clear ROI, and offering solutions that address the sector's common challenges (e.g., application packaging).
- The myth of uniqueness
A recurring theme was the tendency for universities to believe they are fundamentally different, hindering the adoption of standardised processes and shared services. While they all have their competitive advantages and unique characteristics, a lot of the business at the top level is the same.
All agreed that a greater openness to recognising commonalities and learning from best practices across the sector is necessary to unlock the potential for collaborative efficiency gains.
Conclusion:
The UCISA roundtable provided valuable insights into the multifaceted challenges and opportunities surrounding efficiency in higher education. The discussion highlighted the need for a shift in language and mindset, a greater focus on standardisation and shared services, strategic long-term planning, strong partnerships, and a collaborative approach across institutional boundaries. The current financial pressures present both challenges and a potential catalyst for meaningful change and innovation in how universities operate.
How does this resonate with you and your organisation?
What do 'efficiencies' mean to your organisation? Is it the same definition and strategy for everyone?
What's changing as a result of making efficiencies? How does this affect you? What challenges and opportunities does this create?
What support do you need? Internally and from external partners?
