Dashboards as a Data Management Tool

1. Dashboards as a Data Management Tool Dr. David C. Oehler Director of Assessment, Information and Analysis Northwest Missouri State University

2. Presentation Overview • Facilitating decision-making and driving improvement • Measurement impact on focus of institutional activities and processes • How we developed our system and integrated it into information systems

3. Building a House of Quality CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT ASSESSMENT & FEEDBACK INVOLVEMENT CUSTOMER FOCUS HIGH EXPECTATIONS MANAGEMENT BY FACT TRUST SHARED VALUES AND VISION

4. Facilitating Decision-making and Driving Improvement • Importance of institutional culture • Importance of internal communication • Alignment with mission and vision • Alignment with strategic planning

5. Institutional Culture CQI Philosophy “All work is process.” “Every process is perfectly designed to create the outcomes it produces.” “If you can’t define it, you can’t measure it; if you don’t measure it, you won’t improve it.”

6. Communication – Northwest’s Planning Model • Since 1993, all units at Northwest use a Seven-Step Planning Process (the Hubbard Cycle) to focus and define their work. • This process is based on five underlying questions:

7. CQI Underlying Questions • Who are your customers/clients? • What are their expectations? • How do you “deliver” quality? • How do you know how well you are doing? • What performance improvement targets are reasonable?

8. Key Quality Indicators • “Key” - identifying a few very important things to watch. • “Quality” - a perception held by students, stakeholders, and each other. • “Indicators” - evaluative tools that indirectly measure aspects of quality; multiple indicators are needed where direct measures are not available.

9. Focusing on Peoples’ Information Needs • What are your key decision areas? (as defined in your job description) • What kinds of decisions do you make? • What information do you need to make gooddecisions? • What data do you need to create good information? • What is the best way to obtain that data?

10. Communication and Systems Alignment • Annual Report Format • Five-year Academic Department Review (Coordinating Board for Higher Education) • Annual departmental visits (Deans’ executive summaries)

11. NORTHWEST QUALITY SYSTEMS MODEL Phase 1: STRATEGIC CONTEXT Phase 2: STRATEGY IDENTIFICATION & REFINEMENT Phase 3: 7-STEP TACTICAL PLAN DEVELOPMENT & DEPLOYMENT Phase 4: BALDRIGE SELF- ASSESSMENT MISSION/ VISION/ VALUES STRATEGIC KQIs TACTICAL KQIs LEADERSHIP STRATEGIC INITIATIVES OBJECTIVES PLANNING SI CHAMPIONS ASSESSMENT STUDENT FOCUS DEPLOYMENT PLAN ENVIRON- MENTAL SCAN DECISION DRIVERS ACTION PLANS INFORMATION & ANALYSIS TRENDS FACULTY/ STAFF FOCUS MEASUREMENT PLAN IMPROVEMENTS PROCESS MANAGEMENT COMMUNI- CATIONS PLAN INTERNAL ANALYSIS STRETCH GOALS RESULTS

13. Presentation Overview • Facilitating decision-making and driving improvement • Measurement impact on focus of institutional activities and processes • How we developed our system and integrated it into information systems

14. This and the following slide were adapted from a Dee W. Hook presentation. What is acted on gets improved What is noticed gets acted on What is measured gets noticed Phenomenon of Measurement

15. What is a Dashboard? • Definition/use: • Both a process and a tool • Looking for unfavorable trends or patterns and focusing energy on improving priority areas • A (diagnostic) means for monitoring performance to ascertain what is working well and where additional attention is needed • A few (4-6) sets of indicators, representing the most central areas related to high performance

16. How Does a Dashboard Focus Activities and Processes? • Requires clear definition of outcomes • Focuses on a manageable (small) set of key outcomes (results) • Encourages cross-functional communication • Requires fact-based decision processes • Data reporting structures • Process improvement orientation • Layering of detail (summative vs. formative)

17. Time is Increasingly a Precious Resource • Dashboards help you know what’s important • Dashboards focus on actions that make a difference • Collect data to create information you can use, then use it

18. Data for Decision-making • Assessment needs to answer questions • Systems to collect, analyze, and report information need to be developed to support the specific information requirements

19. 1. Data Collection Centralized measures Decentralized measures 3. Reporting Systems Summative Information Formative Information 2. Data Processing Disaggregation system Aggregation system No transformation 4. Analysis/Decision-making Cabinet, Deans, Directors, Department Chairs Department Chairs, Faculty Assessment System Design

20. Data Collection Data Processing Reporting Systems Analysis and Decision-making Centralized Summative Information (Dashboards, Profiles) Cabinet, Governing Board, External Audiences No Transformation Disaggregation System Deans, Directors, Department Chairs Much Little Detail Detail Directors, Department Chairs Formative Information (Operational) Decentralized Aggregation System Directors, Department Chairs, Faculty, Staff No Transformation

21. What Metrics are in a Dashboard? • The Dashboard includes a balanced view of an organization • Learning and Growth (student academic progress; faculty and staff development, scholarship and research productivity) • Customer Relations (students, faculty, staff, alumni, parent satisfaction and involvement) • Internal Processes (functional area performance – accuracy, timeliness, friendliness) • Financial Measures (fiscal health and viability)

26. Northwest’s Dashboard Model • Our model includes several types of information/report presentations • Dashboards – single screen current status • Trend charts – key data element trends over time • Data tables –key data detail trends over time • Majors, minors, advisees, degrees, SCH, financials • Special interest charts/tables

27. Features of the Northwest Balanced Scorecard System • Dashboard “lights” to indicate current status • Hyperlinks to navigate through workbooks • Hyperlinks to “drill down” to detail • Comparative data links for setting targets • Real-time data updates • Accommodates various data sources • Modular design to facilitate upgrading • Automated updating of modules

28. President’s Dashboard

29. Provost’s Dashboard

30. VP Student Affairs’ Dashboard

31. Additional Detail

32. Comparative Data • In order to judge how good your performance is, results should be put into some context • Trends over time • Comparisons to other internal units • Comparisons with peer groups • Comparisons outside of the education sector

40. Interpreting Dashboard Indicators • To follow up on indicators of interest, use hyperlinks to access increasing levels of detail • Student satisfaction as an example • President’s dashboard to • Provost’s dashboard to • Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory data trends

41. Provost’s Dashboard Metrics Architecture Department ‘A’ Profile and Dashboard College ‘A’ Profile and Dashboard Provost’s Profile and Dashboard President’s Dashboard Department ‘etc.’ Profile and Dashboard College ‘etc.’ Profile and Dashboard Undergrad majors and minors, Graduate majors, Degrees, Advisees module Academic Profile results module Student opinionnaires of teaching module Placement data module Service unit ‘A’ Profile and Dashboard Service unit ‘B’ Profile and Dashboard Major Field test results module General Education local module Financial data module Service unit ‘C’ Profile and Dashboard Program SCH generation module Praxis and C-BASE results module Major field local/senior capstone module Student satisfaction module Service unit ‘etc.’ Profile and Dashboard EMSAS module (freshman success) Alumni satisfaction module Comparative data for targets July 28, 2002

46. Presentation Overview • Facilitating decision-making and driving improvement • Measurement impact on focus of institutional activities and processes • How we developed our system and integrated it into information systems