The Secret Life of Student Information Scott Mulholland Saul Quirke - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The Secret Life of Student Information

Scott Mulholland Saul Quirke

AUA Conference, Manchester, April, 2014

Agenda

This session will unfold in three parts: Part 1: The Story So Far Part 2: Group Work Part 3: Demonstration Conclusion and Questions

Part 1: The story so far

• Who are we?
• Getting to know you
• The information Dark Ages
• The life blood of organisations
• The Big Challenge in 2007

What is student information?

Student information is derived from student data, which is captured by processes before being stored and presented using systems.

• Demographic: describes who they are
• Academic: links them with courses, results
• Relational: positions them in terms of status

Strategic Tactical Operational Demographic Portfolio Review Programme & module evaluation Class lists Academic ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, Relational ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,,

Salford 2007: constraints

• Lack of capability and capacity
• Fragmented organisation and rivalries
• Broken and inconsistent processes
• No consensus on data definitions
• Transactional databases and manual entry
• Inadequate reporting tools
• Multiple systems and no clear ownership

Systems landscape

What did we do?

Small Steps to Big Leaps: “The secret of getting ahead is getting

• started. The secret of getting started is

breaking complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” Mark Twain

Project management basics

Top tips: Don’t lead with the method, tailor your message to the audience and never underestimate the power of the informal organisation in HE. Concept What it really means Sponsorship Authority and commitment Stakeholders Interest and influence Scope What’s in and what’s not Quality What does success look like Resources People, time, money and tools

Design Principles

Focus on processes not functions Student data is a strategic asset It’s not about technology The importance

• f partnerships

Transform the administrative business processes which support the student journey, collecting, distributing and interpreting data to produce meaningful student information.

Clarity of purpose

SID Vision “Benchmark for Excellence” Deliver lean and intuitive business processes Create a collaborative community Transform student data into a strategic asset

Strategic Aims Success Measures

Financial performance Process performance Student/ customer satisfaction Staff satisfaction Reputation Strategic Aims Success Measures

The Big Opportunity

Student Information Directorate

Lean, intuitive processes

Anticipate the customer’s need, minimise waste and make it easy for them to do the right thing.

• Begin with the concept of value
• Map the value stream and design flow
• Make evidence based decisions
• Drive out waste (DOWNTIME)
• Make it cultural and aim for perfection

Collaborative community

SID was designed as a network organisation based on principles of partnership and collaboration.

• Coherent, Lean structures
• Integrate services and systems
• Bring people together (SIUC)
• Develop skills and share knowledge
• Cross functional project teams and SIGs

Transform student data

Student information becomes a strategic asset when it anticipates and informs decisions before they become urgent.

• Understand data quality drivers (CRAP)
• Develop capability and capacity
• Establish consistent data definitions
• Business partner approach
• Prioritise demands for information

Part 2: Group work

In your groups discuss these points for 10 minutes:

• Myths and assumptions in your HEI
• Burning questions
• Barriers and opportunities

Informal feedback for 10 minutes.

Part 3: Demonstration

Where had we come from?

Sound Familiar?

• Multiple old systems
• Multiple extracts
• Multiple spreadsheets
• Multiple versions of the truth and complaints
• Multiple arguments about the data quality

rather than the decisions needed to be made

Where did we wish to go?

Preference?

• One version of the truth
• Graphical Interface
• Simplicity
• Dynamic and up to date information
• Happy users
• Accessible anywhere
• Developed by users of the data
• Proactive decision making

The Transformation Project for Student Information Reporting

Aimed to develop clear purpose in the Description Contextualisation Exploration Tabulation Visualisation

• f Student Information

Student Information is a Complex World

Or is it ?

“Because not being able to get at something because it’s difficult isn’t acceptable”

(Edward R. Tufte)

Our Aim

Make Student Information meaningful Take Student Information away from us and give to you!

Delivering Analytical Power; a Reporting Reality not an IT Pipedream

Conclusion and Questions

Zendu Consulting Limited Scott Mulholland Director 07530 492514 scott@zendu.co.uk www.zendu.co.uk