Towards a Business Intelligence Framework for Unisa Presented to SPCC 7 May 2009

1. Towards a Business Intelligence Framework for Unisa Presented to SPCC 7 May 2009 Professor George Subotzky Executive Director: Information and Strategic Analysis

2. Overview of presentation • Background & Context • Integrated Strategic Planning Framework • DISA role and mandate within this • What is BI? Key concepts: • IM MI & BI • OPM • Outputs, outcomes and performance measures/indicators • The Information Hierarchy: The BI Pyramid • Analytic Maturity Curve • Technological Maturity Curve • Elements of the BI Framework • Special focus on External environmental scanning/ scenario building

3. Acknowledgements • Suzette van Zyl • Conceptual Genesis of BI Unisa • Research/PhD • Project leader • George Subotzky • Eager novice, quick learner • Prof Baijnath: Convinced supportive champion • Gartner: mixed value report • Business Intelligence 2008 Conference

4. STRATEGY FORMULATION • Mission, Vision, Business Model (ODL) • Strategic Plan • Strategic Outcomes, Objectives & Performance Measures (all shaped by Social Mandate) • CHANGE MANAGEMENT • Strategic Change Initiatives • Continuous Improvement Initiatives • These are identified through ongoing review process, and then find expression, as the case may be, in: • New or revised Strategy or Strategic Projects • Objectives and Actions in the IOP • Changes to Operations, the Business and Enterprise Architectures and Enabling Conditions • IOP & STRATEGIC PROJECTS • Strategically-aligned Outcomes, Objectives, Outputs & Performance Measures change plan • FUNCTIONAL PLANS (PROJECT-BASED) • egAcademic, Research, HR, Estates, ICT • Functional Outcomes, Objectives, Outputs & Performance Measures, Integrated Scheduling Integrated Strategic Management Framework • RESOURCE ALLOCATION (SRAM) • Budget • ACHRAM & PADRAM • OPERATIONS • Functional/Operational Units • Inputs, Processes, Outputs, Outcomes & Performance Measures Strategic Projects • INSTITUTIONAL PERFORMANCE & STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT • Monitoring and Evaluation • (BI/Institutional Research) • Quality Assurance/Service • IPMS • Risk Management • Ongoing: • Strategic Reflection/Review • Environmental Scanning act review • Business & Enterprise Architectures • Shaped by strategy - the optimal configurations of: • People/capacity • Processes/Systems • Resources/Infrastructure • Technology • Enabling Conditions • (in addition to appropriate Business & Enterprise Architectures) • Effective Leadership & Management • Conducive Climate & Culture

5. DISA Mandate External environment UNISA Make Unisa intelligible to itself Business Units Single I&A and IR Ref Pt 33 Business Units/ Convergence Business Units DISA ODL Pol. Ec. Business Units Business Units HE Dev. HE Policy Contextualisation Business Units

6. Vision, Mission, SP & Business Model (ODL) Integrated Strategic Management Framework DATA TO INFORMATION + ANALYSIS = STRATEGIC INTELLIGENCE change plan • INFORMATION & ANALYSIS/IR OUTPUTS • Calendarised • Periodic • Ad hoc Requests • Strategic Discussion Forum • STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND ANALYTICAL SUPPORT SERVICES • Formal & informal • BI support • INSTITUTIONAL INFORMATION & ANALYSIS PORTAL • Institution-wide Web-based BI Analytic Tool • Downloadable I & A outputs • STATUTORY REPORTING • HEMIS • Other External Stakeholder Requirements Integrated Strategic Management Framework 4 types of Outputs/Services BI/IR ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE act review DATA External ICT + IR DISA DATA

7. DISA 2-fold Initiative • Institutional information and analysis portal • Automated, web-based, easily accessible single, authoritative information source • Vast enhancements on HEDA • Now includes pilot Student Tracking System • First step towards BI framework • Software clunky • Remains management information

8. Portal: Institution-wide Dissemination of Information & Analysis (BI & IR) Ops Domain 1 Ops Domain 2 Ops Domain 3 Ops Domain 4 Ops Domain 5 Ops Domain 6 BI ‘Enterprise’ Architecture ICT Enterprise Architecture Business Architecture (Process Maps)

9. DISA 2-fold Initiative • BI framework • Cutting edge, long-term solution to supporting organisational performance management, integrated planning • In this way, contributes towards the achievement of strategic and operational goals

10. The BI Process Thus Far • Genesis of concept • Presentation to Mancom: August 2006 • Enriching our conceptual understanding of BI • Framework & Strategy document: Engagement with consultant: Gartner • BI 2008 conference: confirmed this direction and approach • Workshopping & finalisation of document: Working Group & SPCC • Mancom approval: 10 March 2009 • Approach from HR, CAES ED, Budget • Microsoft Performance Point proof of concept

11. What is BI? BI is actionable information which has been structured analytically and contextually in order to measure and manage organisational performance against strategic and operational targets and thereby to effective support management, decision-making and planning and, in particular, the attainment of organisational goals and effectiveness

12. What is a BI framework? • A BI framework comprises a number of elements (see below) to govern the entire process of automatically collecting, integrating, analysing, presenting and utilising up-to-date, reliable, relevant institution-wide information from multiple sources to support OPM. • The BI framework utilises sophisticated web-based portal technology to disseminate customised information to each manager in the form of highly visible aggregated dashboards and scorecards, with the ability to drill down into detail. It systematically provides relevant information across the entire enterprise, covering and integrating all processes. It represents the single, authoritative source for institutional information.

13. MI vs BI MI provides summarised operational information, usually only in one functional business area such as students, HR, research etc. It is designed to deal with simple data configurations. It thus lacks integration across functional areas. To take a simple example: • Management information merely provides an HR profile. • Business intelligence is structured to analyse and explain the changing gap between the current and historical HR profile and targets with a view to reaching the targets.

14. IM vs MI • Information management refers to the process of organising, preserving, ensuring integrity and disseminating information • It involves defining and applying meta-data elements, in particular business rules which are consistent with operational processes (e.g. personnel categories, definition of part-time contracts), and ensuring that systems are structured accordingly and aligned to business needs • Responsibility for this lies with the owner – functional areas

15. Key Features of BI • Uses sophisticated web-based IT to automatically collect, integrate, analyse and present up to date, reliable, relevant institution-wide information from multiple sources • Action oriented • Cross functional, integrated strategic perspective • Analytically and contextually structured (according to the information hierarchy)

16. OganisationalPerformance Management (OPM) • Aims the narrowing gap between strategy and execution • An integrated, evidence-based management practice • Involves planning, forecasting, scenario-building and budgeting • Utilises BI systematically to monitor, analyse and measure strategic and operational activities against targets in performance indicators

17. OPM, PIs & BA • OPM ensures that operational objectives are systematically integrated across functional areas and aligned to organisational strategic objectives. To achieve this, performance indicators and exception thresholds or triggers are derived from detailed process maps within and across organisational units which form part of the business architecture. • Performance indicators are customised in relation to the processes, objectives and targets across organisational units. They are presented on dashboards and performance scorecards for organisational units and for the organisation as a whole. • The aim of the OPM dashboard is to empower managers to make evidence-based decisions by presenting summarised overviews of performance metrics. Sophisticated software applications allow managers to drill down into detailed operational information where required.

18. Dashboards & Scorecards • A dashboard is a single-screen, summarised and highly graphical display that enables managers and knowledge-workers to monitor and analyse an organization’s activities and processes. It presents up-to-date actionable BI at a glance on the status of key operational activities, processes and forecasts. This is sometimes referred to as Business Activity Monitoring (BAM). • A scorecard is a performance-oriented type of dashboard. It presents up-to-date actionable BI at a glance on the status of organisational performance against strategic and operational objectives and targets, by means of relevant performance indicators. This is referred to as Organisational Performance Management (OPM).

28. Progress Monitoring vs OPM It is important to distinguish between: • Progress monitoring (monitoring of progress in relation to planned actions, activities, outputs and milestones by means of project management software and methods) and • Organisational/departmental performance management (analysis and explanation of performance and evaluation of impacts in relation to planned targets and outcomes by means of appropriate PIs)

29. The Information Hierarchy: The BI Pyramid

30. Management information Business intelligence Actionable intelligence How can we make things happen/improve? The analytic maturity curve Prediction What will happen and why? What is the likely outcome and impact? Evaluation What was the impact of an initiative? Was the intended outcome achieved? Explanation Why did it happen/not happen? What factors contribute to outcomes? BI Analytic Maturity Progress monitoring Was the goal/target reached? Were any critical levels reached? Analysis/ interpretation What does the change signify? What trends are apparent? Real-time reporting What is happening? What is changing? Historical reporting What happened? What changed? Time/technology

31. The Technology Maturity Curve BI framework Future DISA Automated, web based information portal BI Analytic Maturity Current DISA (still MI, not BI) Manual data digging & dissemination BMI, Planning Office, DPA, early DISA Time/technology

32. Manual data digging … Automated, web based information portal BI framework … And dissemination

34. BI Strategy Management Implementation • Rationale • Elements & Definitions • Roadmap • Management & Operational Structures, including the BICC • Roles & Responsibilities • Advocacy • Change management strategy • Workplan BI Framework BI Architecture Operational Standards • Why? • For whom? • What? • When? • Where? • How? • By whom? • Quality assurance • Business rules • Metadata • Data models • Data integrity • Security & access control Infrastructure BA/ Process maps • Technology • Data storage, Server & PC architecture, software • HR resources & capacity

35. Domains of BI at Unisa

36. Students Research Data warehousing Reporting & Analysis Users ICT DISA/BICC DISA/BICC Outputs Source databases Portal Data marts Extraction Extraction Data-warehouse HR Finance Estates • Analyses/ • Research Reports/ Briefings • Statutory Reports • Ad Hoc Queries Data marts Data Information Intelligence

37. The BI Strategy Roadmap

39. DISA BI Engagement Process • Engagement with functional areas to determine optimal BI requirements (truth test: why before what) • Scrutiny of College/departmental strategic & operational plans to determine consistency between objectives, actions, performance measures/indicators and different kind of targets (output, quantitative, outcomes, planned) – strategy map, identifying main contributing actions to desired outcomes • Determine appropriate/measurable PIs, information sources, formats and custodians • Arrange gathering, processing, formatting and dissemination of dashboards and scorecards (incremental approach) • Involve appropriate strategic and operational staff members, including identified ‘Super Users’