Delivery Handbook

How we intend to progress to our goals

This Delivery Handbook sets out how we at The University of Manchester intend to lead and deliver improvement across our university.

It starts with our whole university community, how we involve our colleagues, students and wider university community and what difference it makes.

We want to become a better learning organisation, where we are constantly seeking to improve in everything we do and adopt a problem-solving and ‘get things done’ mindset. As we deliver improvement, we are committed to doing so in ways that are fair, inclusive and equitable – ensuring every colleague and student benefit from new ways of working and recognising that people may start from different places.

From Manchester for the world, our strategy to 2035, sets out what we want to achieve. This Delivery Handbook sets out the how – the clear commitments to how we make improvements here at Manchester and give our community confidence about what to expect when they happen. At the same time, it is designed to be practical and usable in day-to-day work.

You will find limited reference to frameworks or methodologies; this is not a technical manual or a step-by-step guide, but a tool which colleagues can take sections from, and adapt to their context. It covers how we:

Lead and land improvements in the right way – not just setting aspirations but defining how we get things done at Manchester. We are always aligned to From Manchester for the world and shaped by the real experiences of our colleagues and students.
Work from shared principles and approaches – giving everyone a common set of approaches, while allowing flexibility where it makes sense.
Connect people to support – signposting to specialist teams, tools and resources that can help us deliver effectively.
Support leaders and colleagues – leaders play a key role in delivery: from listening and encouraging engagement across all levels, to creating the conditions that allow teams to shape and deliver improvements successfully.

What we've learned about successful delivery at our university

We are not starting from scratch. Over the past few years, we’ve learned a great deal through surveys, conversations and feedback from colleagues and students, as well as from past initiatives. We want to build on that progress and set out how we will drive improvement, together. We want to look ahead with confidence, shaping how we approach the next phase for our university and ensure that change is clearer, more inclusive and more sustainable. Our key lessons:

Make the goal clear – We work best when leaders act with shared accountability rather than in silos, when colleagues and students can see a clear link to our wider ambitions as a University, and when people feel they have a meaningful way of shaping what comes next.

Our approach: We will make the why clear from the start. Every initiative will be explicitly tied to From Manchester for the world so colleagues and students understand the purpose and the outcomes we are aiming for.

Work together on design – People are more engaged when they are meaningfully involved in shaping the next steps and can see their voices in the outcome.

Our approach: We will embed meaningful co-creation and consultation into projects, making sure those with lived experience and expertise help to shape solutions.

Pay attention to overall load – Even good ideas can fail if too much happens at once. Too many initiatives in parallel lead to fatigue, resistance and missed priorities.

Our approach: We will strengthen how we monitor and manage the overall load so initiatives are sequenced and paced in a way that maximises positive impact.

Support people through transition – Even well designed improvements will fail if people don’t feel prepared, supported and confident to adopt them. This includes ensuring equitable access to the right information, support and time, recognising that colleagues’ working patterns, digital access and roles can differ significantly.

Our approach: We will invest in resources, training, wellbeing support and time to give colleagues the clarity, confidence and capability to embed and sustain new ways of working, while also being clear about what success looks like from the outset and show when things are or are not working.

Our principles

Recognising these lessons and knowing how much more we want to achieve in the future, we have outlined a clear set of principles to guide how we improve at Manchester.

Principles matter because change is complex and without a shared approach it can feel fragmented, inconsistent, or difficult to navigate. These principles give us a common language and way of working, so colleagues and students know what to expect, and leaders have a framework to guide decisions. They are not abstract aspirations, but practical commitments to how we design, deliver and embed all that we do across the University. They are for all of us – whatever your role – helping us build on what we’ve learned and move with confidence towards the ambitions in our strategy to 2035.

Improvement by design – we plan deliberately, using human-centred design approaches so colleagues and students shape how solutions are created and delivered.

User driven – we put the needs and experiences of colleagues and students at the heart of what we do, designing with them rather than for them.

Engage purposefully – we co-create where lived experience makes the biggest difference. Where activity is not suitable for co-creation, it will still be supported by clear communication and meaningful opportunities to contribute.

Deliver early, learn often – we prototype, test and iterate, so benefits are felt quickly and learning improves outcomes.

High trust, high accountability – we act as one university – a single community with leaders owning outcomes, driving accountability together and governance simplified to add value, not bureaucracy.

Support and inclusion – we make sure our activity is sustainable by embedding equity, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing throughout delivery – considering who is affected, who may face barriers, and how to distribute support fairly so that all colleagues and students can participate and succeed.

What this means in practice

These principles are only useful if they translate into delivery. Principles alone are not enough – colleagues need to see what they mean in action.

These commitments set out what you can expect when we’re undertaking improvement activity at Manchester. They are the practical ways our principles come to life, and each commitment is backed by practical guidance, tools and examples so colleagues and leaders know not just what we aim to do, but how to do it well in their own context.

Design with people at the centre

We design with colleagues, students and our wider community, not for them. That means listening to real experiences, testing ideas early and improving based on feedback. We use co-creation where it adds the most value, focusing on areas where lived experience makes the biggest difference. We are user focused in all that we do.

Manage funding and prioritisation clearly

We will always have more ideas for improvement than we can afford. That means being transparent about where funding comes from, how decisions are made and what value we expect to deliver.

Unite to solve complex challenges

Many issues cut across the whole University and can’t be solved in silos. For these, we create collaborative settings where colleagues from different parts of the University come together to explore challenges, share insights and shape solutions as one community.

See the whole picture

Too much activity at once can dilute impact and stretch capacity. We are committed to a shared view of all significant activity, not to control everything but to give colleagues and leaders the visibility to plan, sequence and deliver in the right places. Not every change needs to land everywhere at the same time and seeing the whole helps us recognise where phasing is better, giving people the space to adapt.

Create spaces for learning, iteration and constructive feedback

We will not get everything right first time, and that’s ok. Our approach is to prototype, test and learn quickly, celebrating progress and adjusting when needed. We are committed to building spaces where teams can share lessons, acknowledge setbacks and avoid a culture of blame.

Measure success and share impact

We will be clear on what success looks like from the start of every initiative. This means defining outcomes that matter for colleagues, students, research and partners, and tracking whether they are achieved in practice. Success is not just about delivering outputs but about making a tangible difference people can feel. We will share evidence of progress openly, celebrate benefits when they are realised and learn when things do not deliver as expected.

Design with people at the centre

Our commitment

The most successful improvements are designed deliberately, not left to chance. At Manchester, this means change by design – a purposeful, evidence-based approach aligned with our ambitions, where the evidence underpinning decisions is accessible, open to scrutiny, and used to guide what we do. Within this, we shape our work with colleagues and students, not for them. We will co-design solutions, embed inclusion, equity and wellbeing from the start, and ensure designs align with University-wide frameworks. Designing equitably means ensuring diverse voices are engaged early, this helps us understand different starting points and create solutions that work for everyone.

How are we going to do this?

Delivering improvement at Manchester is a shared effort. Some of this approach will be supported at University level through frameworks, tools and expertise – but much of it can also be done by colleagues, in their own teams and through projects. The steps below set out both what we will do as a University to create the right conditions and support colleagues, as well as what you can do locally to apply the same approach in your own context, without needing to be a design expert.

Understand the need

Gather insights from those affected (surveys, focus groups, listening sessions, existing feedback).
Use data (student experience, colleague surveys, service stats) to spot pain points and opportunities.
Frame problems in terms of lived experience, not just process gaps.
Feedback what you’ve heard so people see their input is shaping the work.

Set design principles

Design principles are simple statements that guide decisions and help keep solutions focused, realistic and joined up. They act like a touchstone: when faced with options, we test them against our principles.
Be clear about the outcome you want to achieve (for example, simplify access to services).
Share these principles openly to guide co-creation and keep them under review.
Tip – Make sure your design fits within wider University standards and approaches. The Design Authority can help you check if your plans join up with other initiatives and colleagues in IT Services can advise on how technology can best support your design.

Co-create solutions

Engage people early before plans are locked down. Even well-designed solutions can create problems if they don’t join up later, so seek early guidance to avoid siloed fixes.
Involve those with experience and subject specialists, drawing insight from both within and beyond the sector.
Use inclusive workshops, before during and after planning, or design sprints to shape ideas.
Be honest: explain what can and can’t be co-created.
Loop back regularly to show how input has influenced the design.

Prototype and test

Start small – mock-ups, pilots, or trials to test in practice.
Capture feedback from real users and refine iteratively.
Not every activity can be piloted, but most have elements that can be tested.
Use feedback loops to adapt and improve before scaling.

Design inclusively

Complete an Equality Impact Assessment at the start to understand how proposals impact our communities, using 1:1s, anonymous feedback and group sessions to gather lived experience – and reporting back clearly on how this feedback has shaped the outcomes. Actively involve diverse perspectives, especially under-represented voices.
Create psychological safety across teams and hierarchies so people can speak up regardless of role or seniority.
Monitor data (for example, workload or participation) to check no group is disadvantaged.
Check back in during and after delivery to confirm inclusion is real, not assumed.

What good looks like

People affected can see how their feedback shaped the outcome.
Solutions are tested with real users before being scaled.
EDI, wellbeing and accessibility are integral, not afterthoughts.
Designs are aligned with University-wide systems and principles.
Clear feedback loops are in place, so learning and improvements are continuous.
External insight is used regularly, through expert review or independent challenge, to validate our approach and strengthen outcomes, without adding unnecessary processes.
Outcomes work equitably for colleagues and students in different groups and roles, with clear evidence that the final design meets needs across a diverse range of users.

Support and resources

People partner - Your first point of contact for workforce, culture and change support. They will work alongside leaders to connect them with the right expertise.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team – guidance, data, and support for inclusivity.
Disability Advisory and Support Service (DASS) and Wellbeing teams – accessibility and wellbeing expertise.
Templates and toolkits online – problem statements, design principles, Equality and Environmental Impact Assessments.

Unite to solve complex challenges

Our commitment

Some challenges and opportunities at Manchester cut across the whole institution. These are complex, cross-cutting topics where decisions in one part of the University affect many others with no single owner or simple solution. We already have great partnership working and our commitment is to build on this and tackle these collectively bringing colleagues, students, and experts together as one university. Where appropriate, we will create focused settings to explore key ideas, share perspectives openly and agree practical next steps.

How are we going to do this?

Solving complex, University-wide challenges is a shared responsibility. Some of this will be supported at the institutional level, for example, by creating summit-style forums, bringing together expertise and ensuring decisions connect back to our strategy to 2035. But much of it also depends on how colleagues and leaders work within their own areas: recognising when an issue cannot be solved in isolation, reaching out beyond local boundaries and contributing to shared solutions.

The steps below show how we can approach complex challenges together, what we’ll do as a University to create the right conditions and what you can do locally to make sure they’re tackled collectively. Think of them as ideas to try, not rules to follow.

Recognise when an issue is complex

The problem affects multiple areas of the University.
There is no clear single owner or line of accountability.
The issue is high-risk, high-value, or critical to our ambitions as a University.

Create the right collaborative space

Use summits, workshops, or cross-University design sessions and sprints to bring people together.
Bring the relevant teams into workshops that clarify what we're trying to achieve and help them determine how they can contribute to and influence the final outcome. Include:
- Those with lived experience of the issue.
- Those with decision-making authority.
- Subject experts who can advise on risks and constraints from both within the University and, where appropriate, from outside.

Draw on a wide range of expertise

Specialist internal support teams: framing challenges, designing sessions, ensuring alignment with wider University planning.
Internal University expertise: harnessing the deep academic knowledge that sits across our disciplines, drawing on research insight, scholarly evidence and professional experience to inform and strengthen our approach.
People team: insights on leadership, organisational development and colleague experience.
Directorate of EDI: strategic expertise on inclusive participation, psychological safety, and considering the equity implications of proposed solutions.
External experts: we won’t default to external advice but will call on subject matter specialists when they add genuine value, bringing knowledge, challenge, or targeted expertise.

Work as one university

Park local agendas and focus on the wider institutional goal.
Use structured methods (for example, systems mapping or root cause analysis) to explore the challenge.
Create psychological safety with open dialogue, challenge without blame and make transparent decisions.

Move from discussion to action

Capture areas of consensus and clear next steps.
Assign shared ownership for outcomes, not just tasks.
If needed, escalate to the right decision-making body to support your actions.

What good looks like

University-wide challenges are tackled in collaborative, well-designed forums.
Perspectives from both lived experience and expertise shape outcomes.
Ownership and next steps are clear, visible and jointly held.
Colleagues feel safe to raise difficult issues and confident they will be addressed.
Collaborative spaces enable a wide range of colleagues to contribute meaningfully – including those whose voices are often less visible.

Support and resources

Specialist support teams – design and facilitation of collaborative sessions.
People team – insight into leadership, culture and workforce impacts.
Further guidance on embedding equity and inclusive practice in delivery is available through the EDI Directorate.
Governance Office – support to route decisions to the right committees.
Online resources - colleagues in the Directorate of Planning can help with stakeholder mapping templates and action trackers.
Trade Unions and staff networks – valuable partners who bring insight into colleague experience, highlight impacts early, and help shape proposals to ensure they are fair, inclusive and workable in practice.

Manage funding and prioritisation clearly

Our commitment

At Manchester, there will always be more opportunities than we can take forward at once. Managing funding and prioritisation is not just a process; it’s about making choices that respect the time, energy and capacity of our colleagues and students. Our commitment is to be transparent about how funding decisions are made, simplify governance so it adds value rather than bureaucracy and prioritise initiatives that align to From Manchester for the world, our strategy to 2035. We need to focus our efforts on the initiatives that matter most and be strategic in our choices, respecting the time and capacity needed to deliver real results.

What do I need to know?

How funding works

Funding for change comes from four main sources. Understanding which applies to your initiative is the first step:

Local improvement
Infrastructure investment
Externally funded
Strategic leaps

How does decision-making work in practice at the University?

Governance can feel like process for the sake of process, or a hurdle to get past. In practice, good governance is what gives colleagues confidence that our goals are purposeful, joined-up and worth their effort.

Our governance is built on high trust and high accountability. It empowers colleagues to act while ensuring the right oversight is in place.

Thresholds matter – university-wide implications, significant investment or alterations to institutional policies/structures may require Infrastructure Committee or University Executive (UE) oversight.
Tailored approach – project or programme boards should match the scale of the initiative.
Simplified approvals – governance will focus on value-add, not process for its own sake.
Delegated authorities – we want more decisions to be made locally, faster, with clear accountability.

How do we make decisions on priority?

Demand will always outstrip capacity and so governance has an important role in helping the University decide what comes first. Prioritisation will never be a perfect process, but we are committed to making it as transparent as possible. When priority decisions are being made, we will seek colleague input wherever possible and be clear about the criteria used. In practice, we ask three core questions:

Does this initiative align with From Manchester for the world?
What value will it deliver for colleagues, students, researchers or partners?
Is this the right time – can the University absorb it?

Sometimes prioritisation means pausing or stopping an initiative or giving University-wide goals precedence over local priorities. In some cases, the best answer may be to design the solution now but wait for the right moment to implement, protecting capacity and wellbeing while keeping us on track.

Ultimately, the University Executive holds accountability for making these prioritisation decisions, ensuring alignment with our overall strategy.

See the whole picture

Our commitment

Even the best-designed activity can fail if it lands at the wrong time or alongside too many other initiatives. Our commitment is to sequence and pace improvements so the University can absorb as well as deliver them. This means keeping a whole-institution view of impact and load to make sure timing decisions are shaped by how ready people and teams are to take on new developments.

We will use phasing to protect capacity and we will monitor how new developments are experienced so benefits are realised without colleagues and students feeling overwhelmed. Where there is a clear and urgent need, we may need to push forward even when capacity is tight. When this happens, we will be honest about the trade-offs and provide the right support to help colleagues adapt.

Guidance for colleagues and leaders

When you are planning or delivering improvements in your area, there are a few approaches that can help you and your teams feel supported and set up for success:

Check what else is happening and look beyond your immediate team or area. Speak to your Faculty or School leadership and where needed draw on the Professional Services or Faculty Leadership Teams for support. We also have a University overall load view you can review to see whether your timing clashes with other activity, and factor in holiday patterns, annual leave and potentially quieter periods.
Plan for adoption, not just delivery: ask ‘can people take this on now?’ as well as ‘are we ready to implement?’
Phase where possible: consider piloting or rolling out in stages (for example, by Faculty or service) instead of all at once.
Engage your teams early: involve managers in judging whether now is the right time and use feedback loops to spot pressure points.
Be mindful that different groups and roles may experience pressure points differently.
Build in space to understand how timing and load may affect a diverse range of colleagues.
Be flexible: if needed, slow down, pause, or re-sequence. That’s not failure, it’s part of implementing change well.

What good looks like

Initiatives are sequenced and timed to maximise positive impact and ensure improvements are embedded.
Where capacity is limited, activity may be paused, delayed, or not started, because protecting adoption and wellbeing is more important than pushing ahead at all costs.
Teams feel they have time and support to adopt new ways of working properly.
Leaders explain openly why decisions are made, even when projects are slowed or stopped, because they feel they understand the underlying rationale for the projects and are plugged into the processes underway, and have the capacity to engage with them effectively.
Scheduling and deployment are nuanced, for example, rolling out by School or Faculty where that makes adoption easier, rather than all at once.
Information flows smoothly between initiatives, reducing unknowns and helping us improve how we manage load over time.

Support and resources

Directorate of Planning – support with overall load view, as well as sequencing advice and tools.
People team – insights on capacity, wellbeing and organisational readiness.
Governance office – support for escalation and decision-making on timing.
Trade Unions and staff networks – valuable partners who bring insight into colleague experience, highlight impacts early, and help shape proposals.

Create spaces for learning, iteration and constructive feedback

Our commitment

We will make it normal to test, learn and adapt openly. This means designing projects to include pilots and prototypes, building in reflection points, and sharing lessons across the University in simple and accessible ways. We will be clear that not everything will work first time and that learning and adjusting is part of how we deliver successfully.

Embed pilots and prototypes in delivery

Projects will be expected to test new ideas on a small scale before wider rollout.
Prototypes, mock-ups, or trial runs will be used to surface issues early and reduce risk.
Iteration will be built into delivery plans, with time and resource allocated.
All of this is underpinned by clarity of goal and scope, being clear about what you are trying to achieve and the boundaries of the work, so pilots and iterations stay focused and purposeful.

Provide spaces for teams

Teams will use retrospectives, after-action reviews, and ‘stop/start/continue’ exercises. They will also build in real-time pulse checks to give leaders clear insight into what is working and what isn’t, so improvements can be made.
These sessions will focus on improvement, not blame, and will be facilitated to encourage open input.
Feedback will be anonymised where needed to give colleagues confidence to speak freely.

Share lessons across the University

Learning will not sit in end-of-project reports: short summaries will be captured and shared with colleagues and communities of practice.
Successful prototypes and lessons from those that didn’t work will be visible to others.
A central repository of lessons will help avoid repeat mistakes and speed up adoption of proven approaches.

What good looks like

Pilots and prototypes are routinely built into delivery.
Governance and boards ask 'what have we learned?' as well as 'what have we delivered?', based on measures that are clearly defined and agreed with staff and students. Teams have regular opportunities to reflect and improve without fear of blame.
Lessons are shared openly and used by others to shape future work.
Leaders and colleagues see adjustment as success, not failure.

Support and resources

People partner – your first point of contact who will work alongside leaders to connect them with the right expertise.
We have a range of guidance available on building psychological safety and running effective team reflections.
Colleagues in the Directorate of Planning can provide case studies of successful pilots and learning reviews.

Measure success and share impact

Our commitment

We will measure success not just in outputs, but in the outcomes that matter – the tangible improvements felt by colleagues, students, partners and our wider community. Defining success and building in evaluation from the start, tracking progress over time and sharing evidence of impact will be part of how we deliver every improvement. This ensures our investment of time, effort and resources translates into meaningful impact aligned with From Manchester for the world, our strategy to 2035.

How are we going to do this?

Delivering meaningful measurement is a shared responsibility. At University level, we will provide the tools and frameworks to define and track outcomes consistently and build evaluation in from the start of an initiative. Locally, colleagues and leaders make this real, setting clear measures, checking progress regularly and drawing on both data and lived experience to understand impact.

Define success from the start

Begin each initiative with a clear, shared understanding of what success looks like and build evaluation in from the start.
Involve those affected in shaping the definition so it reflects lived experience, not just project milestones.
Ask three key questions: ‘What problem are we solving?’, ‘What will be different once this activity is embedded?’ and ‘How will we know we’ve improved?’.
Success criteria should be realistic, evidence based and directly linked to the ambitions in our strategy to 2035.
Consider whether success may look different for different groups or roles, including whether access, participation and outcomes are experienced fairly.

Track benefits over time

Recognise that some benefits are immediate, while others take time to embed.
Monitor progress at agreed milestones – for example, three, six and twelve months postimplementation.
Use both quantitative data (cost savings, performance metrics, time efficiencies) and qualitative insight (feedback from colleagues and students, case studies, user stories).
Stay alert to unintended consequences and adapt when needed.

Collect feedback and share learning

Acknowledge that cultural and behavioural change may take longer to show in metrics.
Value stories, feedback and sentiment alongside performance data.
Communicate results openly so people can see the difference the activity has made.

What good looks like

Success criteria are clear and understood from the start.
Clear and transparent measures and goals that help colleagues understand if we’re on track, or not.
Progress is tracked consistently after implementation, not just at go-live.
Outcomes are visible, meaningful and linked to our strategy to 2035.
Both data and lived experience shape how success is judged.
Colleagues see real benefits and feel more confident engaging in future improvement.

Support and resources

Benefits tracker – specialist support teams within the Directorate of Planning can help define, baseline and monitor benefits.
Post-Implementation Review (PIR) – templates to capture lessons, celebrate successes and identify improvements.
Impact assessments – revisited after delivery to check predicted versus actual outcomes.

The role of our colleagues and leaders

At Manchester, every colleague has a part to play in improving what we do, but leaders have the greatest influence on how this is experienced.

Colleagues look to leaders for clarity, support and confidence, particularly in times of uncertainty. The way leaders act sets the tone for whether change feels empowering or unsettling. We want all colleagues to stay connected to the University’s goals, approach their work with a one university mindset and be open to contributing to solutions that may reach beyond their immediate remit. For leaders, this means taking accountability for championing the purpose of our work, making sure teams have what they need to succeed and focusing on outcomes as well as activities.

Core expectations of leaders

Champion – own and drive outcomes

Leaders take visible accountability for the success of initiatives. Their role extends beyond approving plans – it is about setting a clear vision, securing resources and actively removing barriers. They must be the most visible advocates, showing colleagues across the University why it matters and what difference it will make.

Communicate – connect the why and how for colleagues

Leaders are accountable for helping colleagues make sense of change. This means explaining not just what is happening, but why it is happening and how it links to wider goals. Communication should be consistent, honest and two-way, even where there is uncertainty. Leaders must also translate institutional messages into language that resonates locally, ensuring their teams clearly understand what is expected of them.

Role-model – lead with accountability and collaboration

We are more likely to succeed when colleagues see their leaders modelling the behaviours they expect of others. This includes openness, adaptability and a willingness to collaborate across boundaries. Leaders should also demonstrate inclusive leadership behaviours – curiosity about different perspectives, fairness in decision-making, and creating conditions where colleagues feel able to contribute openly. Leaders are accountable for creating spaces where colleagues can raise issues, test ideas and share lessons, and for showing that setbacks are part of learning, not reasons for blame. They also need to ensure activity is connected to the wider University context, not delivered in silos, so that local progress contributes to collective success.

Listen and adapt – feedback and constructive challenge make us better

Leaders must actively listen to colleagues, our students and wider community partners. This means creating opportunities for feedback, being open to constructive criticism and responding with action. Listening is not just about gathering views but showing how they shape decisions and outcomes. Leaders should be willing to adapt when things are not working and make course corrections in real time rather than waiting until the end.

What good looks like

Teams feel engaged, supported and confident in adoption.
Leaders are visible in owning both the outcomes of improvement activity and the experience of their teams.
Benefits are felt by colleagues, students and partners, even if not every outcome is the same for everyone.
Teams become more agile and capable of embracing future improvement.
The team culture is about learning, testing and pushing boundaries, not blame.
Teams are open and connected to the wider University, never working as silos or sub-cultures.