Seconded? Using micro-secondments to enable central and departmental staff to work together on a system improvement project

ABSTRACT This article explains how UCL used micro-secondments to enable central registry and departmental staff to work together in the context of an on-going project to improve the student system, specifically to improve the processing of assessment results and calculation of progression and award outcomes and to improve module selection processes. This also provided development opportunities for both the departmental secondees, who learned about the wider context, and registry staff who gained understanding of how systems operated in practice at departmental level. It concludes that if planned carefully, the use of micro-secondments can be beneficial for both the project, which gains valuable user input and a group of active user advocates and the secondees, who gain new skills and build their networks without leaving their substantive role. A checklist for those considering micro-secondments is included.