Why This, Why Now

Operational Transformation is one of DU Forward's major initiatives: the university-wide effort to pursue excellence through DU's operational channels, our processes, technology, data, people, and facilities.

Academic Transformation, DU Forward's academic counterpart, has begun reshaping the university's academic structure, offerings and future strategic growth and differentiation in a competitive higher education landscape, with the changes announced in June 2026 continuing to roll out during the 2026–2027 and 2027–2028 academic years. Operational Transformation complements that work by ensuring DU's administrative operations evolve alongside its academic structure, to simplify complex processes, reduce administrative burden for faculty and staff, modernize technology, and improve decision-making through data and collaboration.

This work is organized around five areas: 

  • Strategic Sourcing

    Building from the previous Operational Excellence (OpEX) work, we will take a university-wide view of how DU obtains goods and services to ensure the best overall value, quality, and outcomes. By analyzing spending patterns (via contracts, p-cards, invoices, etc.), supplier performance, market opportunities, and institutional needs, strategic sourcing projects identify ways to improve efficiency, reduce costs, strengthen supplier relationships, and mitigate risk.  

    The goal of the strategic sourcing project, which should last 3-6 months, will be to put DU on a path toward a more sustainable and strategic purchasing approach long-term.  

  • Process Excellence

    With help from AI and other future emerging technologies, simplifying and modernizing common administrative processes and their associated policies, to reduce complexity, improve service quality, speed, and transparency so employees spend less time on repetitive and unnecessarily complicated administrative work.  

  • People Excellence

    Making job responsibilities clearer and reducing duplicated effort by realigning people to the newly imagined ways of working in ways that promote individual meaning and greater service to the University and its stakeholders. 

  • Data Excellence

    Building one trustworthy source of data for the university across the administrative domains, that enables enhanced decision-making and research and that lays the foundation to support AI and future emerging analytics capabilities.  

  • Facility Excellence

    Taking a clear-eyed look at how DU uses its buildings and land to make the most of campus space, improve efficiency, and reduce operational expenses.

    The goal is to develop a facilities and campus grounds strategy that supports the university DU is becoming. 

 

Roadmap

Operational Transformation is a multi-year effort, and each of the five areas will progress on its own timeline. The initial focus is on establishing governance and setting a clear direction for the work ahead.

This timing is intentional. Planning during the 2026–27 academic year will prepare DU's operations to support the new academic structure as many of the previously-announced Academic Transformation changes take full effect in 2027–28.

The work ahead: 

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    Establish Governance & Vision (underway)

    Confirm the Steering Committee's charter, priorities, and how decisions get made. (Summer 2026) 

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    Analyze

    Review current processes, roles, and spend in each of the five areas to understand what's working and what needs to change. (Fall 2026 and ongoing) 

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    Design

    Develop what the future state could look like in each area, informed by the analysis. (Fall 2026 and ongoing) 

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    Deploy

    Roll out changes, area by area, as they're ready

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    Monitor

    Track results and keep refining

The five areas may advance on different timelines. As the work progresses, DU will share schedules, status updates, and examples of progress for each area to support transparency and a shared understanding of the initiative.