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New Business Affairs Organization: Improvement, Analytics, and Innovation Services

I am pleased to announce the formation of a new organization within Business Affairs: “Improvement, Analytics, and Innovation Services.”  Sandip Darji will lead the group as Assistant Vice President reporting to me.

Improvement, Analytics, and Innovation Services’ mission is to identify, prioritize, and launch projects that measurably improve our business processes and services by looking broadly across the institution and through collaboration with university partners.  It will play a major role in staffing initiatives that originate from APEx.  It will also support the “Operational Excellence” initiative within the University’s Long Range Plan as well as two longstanding Business Affairs strategic goals:

  • Transform administrative processes, systems, and infrastructure throughout the University so that people can spend more time on value-added activities
  • Continuously improve faculty, staff, students and other clients' satisfaction with administrative services

Stanford is a complex, highly decentralized enterprise with hundreds of administrative processes and systems.  In support of our research and education missions, we need to make those processes and systems as efficient and seamless as possible, which requires continuous and persistent efforts. 

Sandip has been leading a business process improvement organization within Financial Management Services (FMS) since 2010.  Several existing FMS groups will form the core of the new organization: Process Improvement, Business Analytics, Project Management and Internal Systems.  In addition, a Service Design team that was launched in University IT under Megan Miller in 2015 will become part of the new organization.

Sandip Darji joined Stanford in September 2007 as Director of Information, Analytics and Technology in Purchasing and Contracts where he was responsible for developing improved analytics related to the University's supply and demand channels. He also led the launch of SmartMart in 2008.  He was promoted to Senior Director of Business Process and Metrics Analysis in October 2010 when Susan Calandra formed Financial Management Services.  In that role, he built the team of process improvement and data professionals who have led 77+ improvement projects (primarily in finance, research administration, development, investments, procurement, and including several Business Affairs initiatives) resulting in reduced processing time, cycle time, error rates, and required effort.  Prior to joining Stanford, Sandip worked in healthcare supply chain consulting.  He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology.

Regards,
Randy

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