Facilities Services at UCSF is revolutionizing campus enhancement with the Tenant Improvement (TI) Program. Launched in 2021, the program was conceived with the customer at its core and is fueled by passion for collaboration with the university community.
Whether implementing customized alterations, functional upgrades, or aesthetic refinements, the program is committed to shaping a camput environment that resonates with the needs and aspirations of all its customers.
Tenant Improvement Program Manager Janie Pena emphasizes the commitment to transparent communication and collaboration with customers. “We are focused on improving our communication and co-creating solutions,” she said. “Fostering a relationship with our customer is key to our continued success.”
The Tenant Improvement Program is spearheaded by a dedicated team of four, who were recognized at the 2024 Center of Excellence Conference with an Assistant Vice Chancellor’s Award for “Most Improved Program”. This award recognized their efforts in 2023, when the team efficiently minimized a significant backlog of work, implementing innovative approaches to streamline operations and decrease work orders from 400 down to just 100.
Pena highlights their proactive approach of collaboration with other Facilities teams and sharing resources is key in completing projects. “Having that baseline of knowledge that we can pull from is invaluable and allows us to be small but mighty and continue to churn through these projects that help the customer achieve their goal and bring their vision to life,” Pena said.
In additional to their collaboration and resource-sharing, the program’s success is largely attributed to their improvements in customer communications.
“As a project manager, your goal is to keep forward momentum,” Pena said. “Progress is needed every day, and sometimes unforeseen conditions arise. The key is to keep our customers informed on what’s happening, why it's happening, and what we're doing to keep the project on track.”
Pena underscores the importance of setting up a regular cadence of communication with customers to provide updates on progress. “Our customers know exactly what is happening in the project, and we reassure them that we're heading in the right direction and moving forward,” she said.
The Facilities Services Tenant Improvement Program symbolizes a collaborative journey toward reimagining the campus as a space that authentically reflects the needs of the UCSF community.
As the program evolves, it epitomizes UCSF's dedication to nurturing an adaptable and responsive environment that supports research, education, patient care, and community. Interested tenants can explore the services covered under the program and access contact information via the new Tenant Improvement website
