Pilot Outputs- The role of Key Performance Indicators
The institutional experience - University of Sheffield
Monitoring will primarily be in the hands of an existing departmental (senior manager) strategy group which will meet five times a year. A strategy website has also been developed, to include project progress reports. A balanced set of KPIs is in development, including quantitative metrics and qualitative measures such as successful project delivery. A summary traffic light 'dashboard' will be used to capture this, mapped onto each of the six strategic themes. We will also ensure that other monitoring and evaluation activity (which takes place as a matter of routine within the department) is mutually supportive of the monitoring arrangements which will specifically surround the strategy. An example of this approach is our plan to ensure that a forthcoming 'Investors in People' internal review will explicitly use the strategy as part of its review context.
The following success factors were identified at the outset of the process, to be used in assessing success. A short commentary is included against each, albeit in some cases more time will be required to make a full assessment.
| Success Factor | Comment |
| a. Senior management buy-in at institutional executive level (eg the relevant pro-vice-chancellors). | Feedback during the consultation and testing stage described above was very positive. |
| b. Active use of the strategy by the key senior managers (service heads) within the department, as 'champions'. | Early evidence suggests good take-up. Colleagues have already begun using the strategic themes to frame service developments in their own areas. Largely this has been unprompted. |
| c. Appropriate engagement by staff at all levels in the department. | A 'post-it' exercise conducted with c100 staff at all levels during July 2010 elicited a very wide range of practical examples of the ways in which the strategic themes might be relevant to current and planned work. |
| d. Change and development projects arising from the strategic direction. | An emergent list of projects has already been prepared. |
| e. Progress in effecting change and delivering project objectives. | To be evaluated in due course by the departmental strategy group. We also have plans to conduct a more holistic review of the strategy implementation process, possibly involving input from an external 'critical friend'. This would take place towards the end of 2011. At the start of 2011 we will be reviewed against the new Investors in People standard, and it is our intention to have that review focus on a subset of the strategic themes. |
| f. Continued fitness for purpose of the strategy in what is likely to be a turbulent context in the HE sector. | To be reviewed periodically by the departmental strategy group. We consider that the strategic themes are sufficiently flexible to enable adaptation as necessary. |
A Student Services strategy website has been created to support communications relating to the strategy within the department. From this site, colleagues can view the strategy map; click through to look at summary information on supporting projects and progress; and view the overall monitoring 'dashboard'.
