Timetable policy, procedure and process.
Contents
What is a timetable policy?
First things first, let’s go over the basics. Your timetable policy is basically your big book of everything that sets out all your timetabling goals and how you meet them.
OK, it’s less of a big book and more often than not a word document or PDF, consisting of around 12 pages. And your policy document is usually made up of a number of clearly defined sections, that between them cover your objectives, ways of working, who is responsible for what and some of your basic processes.
We’ll cover what goes into your policy document in more detail in a moment.
Why do I need a timetable policy?
For a variety of reasons. First off, a clear policy leads to consistency and efficiency (two words that make all timetablers jump for joy). This in turn leads to good use of teaching space and resources across your estate.
Your policy also sets out who is responsible for what within the timetabling process. To give an example, your policy might set out which heads of department need to approve a certain part of your timetabling process.
And there’s more. Your policy establishes a structure for the wide variety of tasks and processes involved in timetabling. Which also means that when problems and challenges do arise, you’ve got your ‘rulebook’ to refer back to as a basis for working out a solution.
What should my timetable policy include?
We’ve touched on a few things already, but who doesn’t love a handy checklist? We’ve worked with universities all around the UK to help them create or update their timetable policy documents. Of course every institution will have a document that’s unique to them, but here are the essentials we think every policy document should include:
✔️ Purpose & Scope
Here you want to set out what your policy is (essentially a document to support and enable good timetabling prep) and a broad outline of what it covers.
✔️Principals & Goals
This sets out the goals you’re seeking to achieve. A good way to approach this section is to think about the challenges you want to solve. Is it to reduce the number of last-minute changes to timetables? Have everyone stick more rigorously to deadlines? Improve the overall student experience?
Working out your challenges helps you to hone-in on what you’d like to achieve - and then weave in how you intend to do so throughout your policy document, too.
✔️Your parameters
This should include your nuts and bolts information on things such as when the teaching day starts and ends, how long your teaching slots are, room and activity types, and start and end dates for the academic terms and year.
✔️Roles & Responsibilities
This is your who’s-who of everyone involved in the timetabling process, and what exactly they’re responsible for. It will likely include your academics, estate planners, IT and senior management teams.
As an example, if your heads of school are responsible for approving post-publication changes, here’s where you’ll outline it.
✔️An outline of basic processes
Keep this high level, because your procedure and process documents (which we’ll come onto in a moment) are the place for the detail on these. You’ll want to outline things like your data collection process; the quality checks you carry out and the process for rolling over data. You’ll also want to include your process for stakeholder engagement – any regular meetings or communications plans you have in place. And the processes too for things like resource allocation, making amendments to timetables and how and when they are published.
This is where you can also link off to separate documents that explain your procedures and processes in more detail. We’ll cover a bit more on these in a moment.
✔️Changes, exceptions & deviations
Change is inevitable in timetabling, as we all know, and your policy document is the perfect place to outline how you deal with those changes. Be careful here about dictating consequences – they can be difficult to uphold, and you want your colleagues to buy into your policy, not be put off by what might be perceived as mild threats!
Take stock of any irregularities you already have – for example, if you know you have a batch of programmes with start dates that don’t align with the rest of your undergraduate programme, make sure your policy accommodates how you deal with these.
And try to minimise exceptions where possible. One way to do this is to explore processes for dealing with changes that are already in place at your institution and seeing how you can integrate these into your policy.
You may also want to include information about the process for resolving any conflicts, clashes and cancellations.
✔️KPIs
These will be driven by your institution’s goals (and therefore unique to you), but to give some examples, your KPIs might include:
- Reducing the overall number of timetable changes
- Making sure all departments meet data collection deadlines
- Reducing the number of clashes for joint honours students.
Setting out your KPIs is important because over time, you’ll want to assess whether your policy is helping you to achieve them.
✔️Review procedures
The best way to keep your policy in working order is to review and update it at regular intervals. Not too regularly – you don’t want to be updating it every five minutes – but often enough so that it remains fit for purpose and aligned to your university’s goals.
Outlining your review procedure in the document itself is a good idea – so that there’s clarity around how and when it should happen going forward (and so that it hopefully doesn’t become an arduous task, performed only when it next needs urgent care!)
Outlining your review procedure in the document itself is a good idea – so that there’s clarity around how and when it should happen going forward (and so that it hopefully doesn’t become an arduous task, performed only when it next needs urgent care!)
✔️Document control information
This typically sits at the end of your policy document and outlines any revisions and when they have taken place. It’s a good idea to keep track of these, so that you have a record of the evolution of your policy over time.
How do I make my timetable policy stick?
An important question, and one we get asked a lot! You may already have a policy in place but feel it’s buried away in a dusty corner where no one can find it. Or that you don’t want to go to the effort of creating one, only to find colleagues ignore or don't stick to it.
To avoid either of these scenarios, getting buy-in from the right people from the start is key. No effective policy can be created in isolation – you’ll want to speak to academics, estates, IT and senior management teams so that you can really get to the nub of what your policy needs to do, and how you can all work together to achieve it. The people you involve in developing your policy will also be the same people who’ll be willing to use it, adhere to it, champion and promote it when the time comes.
Some existing timetable policies we think look good
We’ve covered a lot of ground so far.
Let’s pause to look at some existing policies that we think hit the right notes.
Let’s pause to look at some existing policies that we think hit the right notes.
Trinity College Dublin
Their policy is super-specific on the areas of timetabling performance it wants to improve in.
University of Salford
The detailed and thorough Document Control section makes this policy worth checking out.
University College London
We appreciate this policy because it's well laid out and easy to navigate.
What is a timetable procedure?
Ok so we’ve talked a lot about timetable policy, but we also promised to touch on timetable procedure (and process, which we’ll come onto in a moment) too.
Your procedure documents drill down into the detail provided in your policy and include more detailed information on each timetabling task that needs to be carried out. A procedure document for a specific task will include things like who needs to be involved (and when) and which tools and systems will be used to get the job done. It will also include detailed, step-by-step guidance on how to achieve the task in hand.
Think of your procedure documents as handy how-to guides.
Think of your procedure documents as handy how-to guides.
What is a timetable process?
While your procedure document tells you how to do a task, your process document tells you when to do it - laying out all the key milestones, dates they need to happen by, and the interactions that need to happen between colleagues so that the task is completed.
Think of your process documents as your roadmaps, helping you to visualise the lifecycle of a specific task from end-to-end. You might lay your process documents out visually - as a workflow chart, for example.
Think of your process documents as your roadmaps, helping you to visualise the lifecycle of a specific task from end-to-end. You might lay your process documents out visually - as a workflow chart, for example.
How do policy, procedure and process work together?
To answer this, let’s use an example. Let’s say that your policy document outlines the basic process for collecting data across your institution; who is responsible, any approval processes the data needs to go through before it’s used, and how often it’s collected.
Your data collection procedure document takes things a level deeper. It outlines, from start to end, the process for collecting the data and using it to create your timetables. It includes all the detail on who needs to be involved, and which step or steps they are responsible for actioning.
And your process document outlines when each round of data collection is going to happen, and the sequence of events that need to take place in order to keep the process on track.
Remember how we talked about outlining your basic processes in your policy document, and then linking off to separate documents that explain these in more detail? Your procedure and process documents are essentially the things you’ll want to link off to.
Pro tip: Consider setting up a library that houses all of your procedure and process documents together. As well as helping everyone to keep on top of day-to-day actions and workflows, your library can also become a great onboarding and training resource.
How can I power up my policy, procedure and process documents?
We’ve covered lots to get you started here, but getting your policy, procedure and process documents in order takes time – something that we know is precious when you’re a busy timetabler probably fighting a million other fires!
If you subscribe to our mailing list, we’ll send you a free Timetabling Policy & Documentation Health Check template that you can use to give your 3 Ps a full health MOT.
Want some help to lighten the load?
Our documentation service can help you review and refresh your documents, and put any in place you might be missing. We’d love to tell you more about it – and help you take your policy, procedures and processes from chaotic to clear. Arrange a time to chat.
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