OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: This presentation will highlight theframework, domains, and approaches of the “Engaging the Voice of theCTS Customer and Collaborator System” created at the University ofMinnesota Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) in response to theneed to improve the stakeholder engagement, quality, efficiency, consistency,and transparency of the clinical and translational work. This system addresses 3important results-based accountability measures/questions:“What should we do?”, “How well did we doit?”, and “Is anyone better off?”. According toWoolf (2008), “translational research means different things todifferent people.” Social networks and systems that supporttranslational processes and outcomes are complex, nonlinear, andmultidisciplinary (Smith et al., 2017). In this highlyuncertain and fluid context, the input of program stakeholders is paramount tomove translation forward. NCATS Strategic Plan (2016) directs the grantees toengage patients, community members and nonprofit organizations meaningfully intranslational science and all aspects of translational research. Engagement ofstakeholders throughout the lifecycle of a translational research projectensures the project processes and outcomes are relevant to and directly addresstheir needs and will be more readily adopted by the community.“Customer” (among other terms are Beneficiary,Collaborator, Client, Community, Consumer, Service User, etc.) is a person,organization, or entity who directly benefits from service delivery or program(Friedman, 2005). Customers can be: direct and indirect, primary and secondary,internal and external. Our analysis of CTS stakeholders (“Who are ourcustomers/collaborators?”) produced the following list ofcustomers and collaborators: researchers, University departments, translationalscience workforce, patients, community members and entities, nonprofitorganizations, industry collaborators, NCATS/NIH, CTSA hub partners,and CTSI staff. The “Voice of the Customer” (VOC) is theterm used to describe the stated and unstated needs or requirements of theprogram’s customer. The “voice of the customer”is a process used to capture the feedback from the customer (internal orexternal) to provide the customers with the best quality of service, support,and/or product. This process is about being proactive and constantlyinnovative to capture the changing needs of the customers with time. Related tothe VOC is the concept of user innovation that refers to innovations developedby consumers and end users. Experience shows that sometimes the best product ora process concept idea comes from a customer (Yang, 2007: p. 20). Capturing andutilizing such ideas are also relevant to VOC and can be operationalized andimplemented as a valuable strategy. The University of MinnesotaCTSI’s key objectives, goals, and uses of engaging the VOC andcollaborator are as follows: (1) Engage CTSA customers (“relevantstakeholders”) in multiple aspects of translational science and lookfor opportunities to include their perspective (per NCATS strategic principles).(2) Inform continuous improvement, strategic management, and M&Eefforts, the identification of customer needs and wants, comprehensive problemdefinition and ideation, new concept development and optimization. (3) SynergizeNCATS and partner expectations and campus/hub needs. (4) TranslateVOC into functional and measurable service requirements.METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: A case study of the programmatic andmethodological approach/technique development. The VOC at the UMNCTSI has been captured in a variety of ways: regular and ad hoc surveys,interviews, focus groups, Engagement Studios, formal call forpatient/community ideas and proposals, informal conversations,customer/community membership and participation in the AdvisoryBoards and Executive Leadership Team meetings, and observations. Our VOCvariables and metrics assess customer needs, wants, knowledge, and skills;customer satisfaction with processes and outcomes; and customer ideas forimprovement and innovation. The ensuing customer feedback and other data havebeen used to identify and incorporate the important attributes needed in theCTSI processes, products, and dissemination. UMN CTSI partners in engaging andcapturing the VOC include our past, current, and potential customers andcollaborators, communities, program staff and service providers, programadministration, communication staff, M&E team, internal and externaldata collectors. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The proposedcomprehensive approach shows sound promise to enhance customer and collaboratorengagement, critical thinking, learning, strategic management, evaluationcapacity and improvement within clinical and translational scienceorganizations. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: This structuredapproach’s impact is significant in that it fills the current gap inthe practice, literature, and methodology and offers a practical example of a“practice that works” for CTR (and other) organizationsand programs striving to improve their stakeholder engagement and programimpact. Leveraging and synergizing the VOC and community engagement approachescan help CTS organizations advance beyond capturing individualproject/service experiences to drawing a holistic portrait of aninstitution-level (and, potentially, a nation-level) translational scienceprogram.
References
Friedman M. Trying Hard Is Not Good Enough: How to ProduceMeasurable Improvements for Customers and Communities. Trafford,2005.
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. NCATSStrategic Plan [Internet], 2016. NIH(https://ncats.nih.gov/strategicplan)
Smith C,et al. Toward a science of translational science. Journal ofClinical and Translational Science 2017; 1:253–255.
Woolf SH. The meaning of translational research and why it matters.JAMA 2008; 29: 211–213.
Yang, K. Voice of the Customer Capture andAnalysis. US: McGraw-Hill Professional, 2007.