The Division of Finance & Administration enables the university’s mission by being a trusted, innovative and collaborative partner that builds and delivers programs connecting every member of the OSU community to resources, people, environments and systems that are vital to excel and succeed. Integral to DFA's overall impact and support of the university's mission is our Framework for Success.

What is the DFA Framework for Success?

The DFA Framework for Success is a comprehensive approach to supporting informed and transparent decision-making across the Division of Finance and Administration, for the benefit of the university. Built on the foundation of OSU’s core values—accountability, diversity, integrity, respect and social responsibility—the Framework provides the underlying system of concepts, principles, and activity drivers for DFA employees to focus their efforts in support of and aligned with OSU’s vision, mission, and strategic plan. 

The Framework can help every employee within the division understand why their work is important and how it advances the goals of OSU’s Strategic Plan. The DFA Framework for Success promotes the removal of barriers between units and allows people with vastly different jobs to share a common language, a unified direction, and a sense of belonging to a wider community.

 

Development of the F4S Program

DFA leaders started developing the F4S program in 2017, working with Dr. Javier Calvo-Amodio, an OSU assistant professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering, and his team of graduate research assistants to create a program by and for Division of Finance and Administration employees.

DFA units began full implementation of the Framework for Success in 2021, with teams following an 8-step implementation approach to map their metrics to the key performance indicators and DFA performance measures, identify key stakeholders, define metric threshold levels, and identify the ideal cadence and responsibility for updating the data and visualizations over time. A group of “dashboard” experts from DFA IT and other units, including members of Dr. Calvo’s team, came together to assist DFA units in designing useable metrics and management dashboards, incorporating feedback from DFA senior leaders. A major milestone was achieved in FY22, with the completion of 25 dashboards displaying 67 unit-level metrics across the division. Also in 2022, the division made refinements to some of the program elements based on feedback from deans and other university leaders, as detailed here. In FY23, units tracked baseline metrics and made refinements.

In FY24, Vice President Green charged a new DFA Framework for Success Champions Team to bring responsibility for the ongoing development, maintenance and oversight of the Framework for Success program and unit metrics fully within the division. During FY24, Dr. Calvo and his research team will hand off responsibility for administering metrics and dashboards to the Champions Team, while completing development of two assessment tools for use in the maintenance stage of the program. Dr. Calvo and his researchers will continue to have access to data and information to enable ongoing research and academic growth in this field.

Find out more about the DFA Framework for Success Champions and their work. You can also find periodic updates about the F4S program in the division's quarterly news updates. 

What does the DFA Framework for Success do?

The DFA Framework for Success consists of 4 main elements:

 

Download F4S Program Summary (PDF)

DFA Guiding Principles

Principles that Guide DFA Decision-Making and Actions

The DFA Guiding Principles and OSU's Core Values

As people employed in the Division of Finance and Administration collaborate across all domains of the university, they use the guiding principles, individually or in combination, to assess whether judgments, plans and decisions align with OSU’s core values, vision, mission and strategic plan. The work of DFA impacts every person at OSU, every moment, every day.

The following guiding principles are built upon OSU's core values: ACCOUNTABILITY, DIVERSITY, INTEGRITY, RESPECT, AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY.

Generate effective results through structured and inclusive decision-making.

Convey and confirm intent and respect for all OSU community members through communication and engagement that is responsive, clear and transparent.

Improve effectiveness and efficiency through process consistency balanced with flexibility.

Provide for OSU community members’ success through community safety, support for well-being and respect for all.

Ensure the long-term success of the university through proactive stewardship of resources  in alignment with OSU’s Strategic Plan.

Balance innovation and compliance through active assessment and management of risk.

Remove barriers to success and expand access to services through clearly defined and integrated policies, standards and processes.

Improve the satisfaction of OSU community members through empowering employees with appropriately delegated decision-making authority.

DFA Key Performance Indicators

Measurement of Activities and Performance

The DFA Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) reflect broad categories that define the things that are important to DFA units and stakeholders. Key Performance Indicators allow us to speak a common language across the DFA, despite the vastly different work of the division’s distinct units. For example, whether a person works in Facilities, Human Resources or Accounting, everyone in the division cares about the impacts our work has on people, and we all want to contribute to the success of the university.

Division-wide performance measures assess university-wide services and activities, while DFA’s internal outcomes are tracked at the unit level through specific metrics. Division-wide performance measures include both quantifiable and qualitative measurements of specific activities and bundles of activities. Unit-level metrics are under development and will be shared in the near future.

The table below presents revised key activities and updated descriptions for division-wide performance measures.

KPI

Key Activity

Division-Wide Performance Measures

PEOPLE

 

 

Be an employer of choice that attracts, develops and retains excellent and diverse people

 

 
  • Diverse talent acquisition
  • Sense of Belonging
  • Professional Development
  • Career Mobility
  • Retention  

OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

Create responsive systems and procedures that support the success of members of the OSU community, and achieve competitive advantage for the university
  • Business systems and processes that are fit for purpose
  • Stakeholder success

SAFETY

Promote the health, safety, and well-being of every member of the OSU community

 

 
  • Community sense of physical and mental safety and security
  • Community engagement in safety/security
  • Emergency management program is current and comprehensive
  • Workplace and student learning and living environments safety programs are comprehensive and effective

INFRASTRUCTURE

Build and maintain infrastructure that supports the people of the OSU community and their academic, research, and outreach activities.

 

 

  • Facilities are clean and well-maintained
  • Facilities are designed to support today’s pedagogy, research, and outreach needs and are flexible to support the future
  • Infrastructure is efficient and effective
  • Facilities are accessible to all
  • Infrastructure plans are aligned with the strategic plan of the university.

FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

Proactively steward university resources for the maximum benefit of OSU.

 

 
  • Financial and human resources are managed effectively
  • Reserves are adequate
  • Managing within reoccurring budget
  • Transparency of budgets
  • Budgets are aligned with OSU’s strategic plan

RISK

Assess and manage strategic, compliance, operations, financial and reputational risk to protect the university and support the pursuit of innovation and opportunities.
  • Comprehensive insurance program 
  • Total Cost of Risk