More than 500 employees from across McMaster University gathered at the second annual Operational Excellence Forum to share ideas, learn from one another and explore how collaboration can drive transformational change across the institution.
Bringing together staff and faculty from nearly every area of the university, the forum focused on building a more connected institution where knowledge, expertise and improvements can be shared and scaled across campus.
Through hands-on workshops, panel discussions, and interactive presentations, participants explored practical ways to improve processes, strengthen service delivery and build on work that is already happening across the university.
Operational Excellence, a key pillar of McMaster’s 2020 – 2025 strategic plan, focuses on continuously improving how the university works and delivers service to its community.
The forum is designed to help make that work more visible, encourage collaboration across units, and reduce duplication by creating opportunities for employees to learn from one another’s experiences and successes.
“We may all sit in different roles, faculties, departments and units, but many of us are working through similar challenges and unknowingly doing work that others may have already started,” said Saher Fazilat, vice-president, Operations and Finance, who founded the forum.
“Today is about creating connections, learning from each other, and building on each other’s work.”
As universities navigate rapid technological change, increasing operational complexity and ongoing sector-wide financial pressures, this year’s forum also emphasized the importance of collaboration, continuous improvement and building internal capacity to support long-term sustainability.
Sessions covered a broad range of topics, including project management, process improvement, artificial intelligence, and strategies for using Microsoft 365 tools to support collaboration, decision-making, and strategic impact.
In a keynote address focused on artificial intelligence, Information Systems assistant professor Shane Saunderson from the DeGroote School of Business explored how emerging technologies are reshaping the workplace, while cautioning against overreliance on AI tools.
Saunderson encouraged participants to engage with AI thoughtfully and critically, viewing it as a tool to support human work rather than replace expertise, collaboration, and judgment.
A recurring theme throughout the day was that meaningful institutional change often begins with small, practical actions like sharing an idea, building a new connection, or learning from a colleague who has already solved a similar challenge.
“Don’t doubt that small improvements create transformational change,” Provost Maureen MacDonald said in her remarks.
“Academic excellence is operational excellence. Improving processes, reducing duplication and aligning efforts strengthens our ability to support students and research across McMaster.”
The Operational Excellence Forum is part of McMaster’s broader Operational Excellence Program, which aims to support continuous improvement across the university by sharing projects, tools, lessons learned, and success stories.
Presentation materials and resources from this year’s Forum are available through the Operational Excellence SharePoint site so employees can continue learning and building on each other’s work long after the event.
Next year’s forum will be held on Feb. 17, 2027.