Who is the driving force behind the Operations Portfolio Management Office?

The Operations Portfolio Management Office (OPMO) requires a dedicated staff to support key Operations strategic initiatives, deliver positive outcomes, and help teams achieve the university’s mission. Under the leadership of Lisa Sawin, the OPMO has expanded to include Directors James Helbling, Jessica Kunstman, and its newest addition, Kendra Frank. Together, these highly committed and accomplished leaders have a combined 52 years of experience!

• James Helbling comes to Yale with 15 years of leading process improvement project management in the healthcare industry and expertise in building and advancing organizational operating models.
• Jessica Kunstman has 16 years of experience developing and implementing change strategies for transformational programs across private, public, and federal organizations, including higher education clients.
• Kendra Frank spent twenty years overseeing multi-million-dollar strategic initiatives for various Fortune 500 companies.

We recently met with all three leaders to discuss their roles, the team’s organizational structure, and the current impact of their work.

How does the current organizational structure of the OPMO- process improvement, organizational change management (OCM), and portfolio and program management (PPM) further the university mission? 

Helbling: Establishing leadership in these three critical areas speaks to the continued commitment to the mission and vision of Yale and Operations senior leadership. These capabilities are an investment in our ability to accelerate, deliver on critical initiatives, and provide agility to meet the needs of our changing landscape. Process improvement offers a framework to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in our processes, allowing faculty and staff to focus on their vital work to advance research and education. Change management enables us to embrace changes ahead, fosters engagement, and freely exchange ideas. Additionally, portfolio and program management provides strategic oversight, thoughtful planning, leadership of the initiatives, and governance to ensure we achieve our desired goals and outcomes. With this team’s commitment to enhancing operations, facilitating positive change, and providing strategic alignment of initiatives, we will support driving our mission and vision forward.

What are the current accomplishments of this team that you would like to share?

Frank: The Portfolio and Program Management (PPM) team leads the three Operations Strategic Initiatives underway at the university: OneFinance, Learning, and Recruiting. Our program and project managers work diligently to help ensure the success of these programs. They are partnered closely with their respective teams, sponsors, and stakeholders in conjunction with the OCM and Process Improvement teams. At the same time, we are focusing throughout the OPMO on establishing repeatable tools and methodologies that can be leveraged widely. Supporting alignment and facilitating best practices in our areas of expertise is an important focus. We’ve taken steps towards this with a unified project change control process and are close to publishing additional materials for the community to leverage in their departments.

Kunstman: We’ve begun to shift perspectives on how people view Organizational Change Management. Preparing for system implementation or a basic need for communications and training is no longer sufficient. We utilize an overarching strategy and mindset that enables leadership and program teams to consider a human-centered approach to change. We visually promote how projects support advancing the mission of the university by incorporating storytelling and journeys to describe future state experiences. Focusing on the benefits, outlining “what’s in it for me,” and personifying impacted groups has made an enormous difference. Organizational Change Management is how we prepare and enable Yale University and its staff throughout transformational journeys.

What can you tell us about the impact of your work?

Helbling: The heart of our work lies in providing foundational best practices for our teams and experts to excel. By organizing, supporting, and establishing efficient methods and tools, we streamline and give clarity to deliver on our commitments. This ensures that our initiatives progress smoothly and allows our talented teams and subject matter experts to shine and do what they do best. Our work magnifies their potential and expertise, leading to outcomes aligning with Yale’s goals and objectives.

Who are some of the teams and IT partners you currently work with? 

Kunstman: Our team has a longstanding relationship with various IT partners, and we continue to support where help is needed. For example, we have team members on IT projects such as the IT Job Family Redesign, Yale Ventures, Campus Health Systems, and the YaleSites Upgrade.

Frank: As part of my role as the PPM Lead within the OPMO, I’m responsible for leading the IT Portfolio Management Office (IT PMO).  We currently have 38 in-flight programs and projects for FY24 with a budget of over $35M and are reviewing business cases for FY25 proposed projects.  The IT PMO works closely with all IT teams and our partners across Yale to manage these impactful technology projects. We facilitate the IT Governance Committee, which convenes chairs for all IT Pillars to provide oversight and guidance on IT investment. Additionally, we provide monthly reporting to senior IT leadership and the budget office. Gating, the Strategic Portfolio Plan, and the IT Governance Dashboard are some of the other activities we are responsible for which support IT teams. You can read more about all of these areas on the IT PMO Sharepoint site (login required).

Are there any upcoming activities to support this initiative that we should be aware of? 

Helbling: Absolutely. As we continue to advance the implementation of our strategic initiatives, we must ensure our goals are clear and measurable. In the coming months, we will focus on identifying ways to measure success, understand the feasibility of the metrics, and establish meaningful targets. This work will allow us to monitor progress effectively, know where we need additional focus and support, and help ensure our ability to sustain the improvements we aim to achieve.

Tell us a little bit about you. Why were you excited to join Yale?

Kunstman: I was very excited to be offered the Director of OCM position because it allows me to continue delivering relatable work. I am also inspired to contribute to our thought leadership as we at the OPMO build something new for the university.

Helbling: It’s been an honor to begin my next chapter here at Yale, leveraging my background and skills to build our new department and capabilities while learning so much from my peers and the community.

Frank: I am thrilled to continue my journey here at Yale and use my experience and background to contribute to the successful delivery of the many highly impactful projects, programs, and portfolios currently underway and to continue the buildout of the PPM functionality as part of the OPMO.  I am also enjoying the journey of meeting, collaborating, and learning from all of my colleagues here at the university.

If you are interested in learning more about the work of the OPMO team and getting a better understanding of the strategic initiatives, please read the launch announcement and hear directly from the Operation’s unit leadership.