When the administrators at Lane Community College decided to implement Process Redesign in the mid-1990s, they felt that Lane needed to undergo a major change in the way it operated. The College faced increasing demands for its services, at the same time that resources were declining.

The Process Redesign project intended to improve and enhance the teaching/learning environment; to improve the quality, effectiveness, and scope of services to students and other customers of the college; to improve the efficiency of college processes; and to relieve the workload stress on employees. It was an innovative, holistic approach to recreating organizational structures. The project focused on six key process areas: facilities/support, grants/contracts, personnel/payroll, planning/budget/financial transactions, procurement, and services to students.

Through a series of committees and groups, the staff reinvented the way the college operated, making the organization more cost effective, efficient, and student-oriented. The project collected and analyzed student and staff input to devise a way to divide Lane into four groups: Instructional Services Group, College Operations Groups, Executive Services Group and Student/Learner Services Group.

The first phase of Process Redesign focused on administrative services to students, and became known as Students First! The focus of this project was to achieve significant change and improve performance in meeting the service needs of students, such as enrollment services, student records, student financial services, and financial aid. The initial planning timeline was from March 25 to July 26 1996; the project was launched for students' use in 1998. Students First! was renamed Enrollment Services in 2004.