The following is a summary of recommendations derived from the Data Management and Analytical Reporting Needs Analysis. The purpose of the recommendations is to enable the WCCS to implement a successful centralized data warehouse that satisfies the needs of the key stakeholders across the
community colleges, Commission and the state. Ultimately, these recommendations when assembled over time will achieve the desired results.
Select a third-party partner to provide ongoing strategic data management, analytical reporting guidance, and assistance to the community colleges and the Commission;
Enhance the WCCS Data Governance Framework by implementing a Strategic Data Governance Council and adding data stewardship responsibilities;
Procure and implement a commercial data warehouse toolkit to plan, design, and build a centralized dimensional data warehouse for collection of community college data;
Implement project management and establish project plans to achieve implementation goals;
Promote data consistency and process alignment across the community colleges;
Implement formal data quality processes;
Institute a business intelligence reporting tool for data analysis including strategic reports, KPIs, and dashboards;
Create data marts of simplified, smaller slices of specific data warehouse data, for sharing with agencies;
Provide professional training programs for data research analysts.
The schedule below shows a proposed sequence for implementing the WCCS centralized data warehouse recommendations.
Strategic Data Governance:
Having the proper data governance structure in place will streamline standardization of data definitions, rules, and processes to ensure data consistency, quality, and reliability. Data governance should also address data ownership, data modeling, maintenance, security, access, metadata, and accountability.
Implement New Data Governance Framework;
Establish Data Management Policy;
Define Cross-College Data Integration Strategy;
Implement Formal Data Quality Processes.
Data Consistency between Colleges:
Data consistency and process alignment is essential to the creation and ongoing operation of an effective data warehouse and consistent, accurate reporting. Each college, if left to operate in an independent manner, may only see as far as its individual interests regarding the centralized data warehouse. It is essential that the community colleges come together to review and align processes of not only their Colleague ERP systems but also other enterprise systems such as Learning Management Systems (LMS) used at the colleges. There are four different LMS’s used by the community colleges: Moodle,
Blackboard, Desire2Learn, and CampusCruiser.
Development of a data dictionary for use by the Commission and the community colleges;
Analysis of processes producing data for use in the data warehouse (Ellucian Colleague, Learning Management System, and other enterprise solutions);
Development of procedures, rules, edits, and processes to enforce data definitions as close to the moment of capture as possible, thereby creating data consistency within the data
warehouse;
Training and documentation of aligned enrollment and business processes to sustain data reliability within the data warehouse;
Process alignment will focus on creating data consistency within the data warehouse and does not constitute business processing reengineering at the individual community colleges.
Train/Develop Data Analysts:
Research and analytical staff must have the ability to convert data into clear and concise management information. In the higher education environment, this is accomplished by collecting and interpreting data for use by the college, as well as, other governmental and accreditation agencies involved in planning, policy formulation, decision-making, assessment, and administration.
Engage third-party expertise, guidance, and assistance during centralized data warehouse deployment;
Provide additional training for current IR staff in CROA and SQL so the colleges can create additional data elements as needed by the data warehouse;
Create and institute an IR mentoring program.
Define Reports, KPIs and Dashboards:
WCCS has common strategic data needs that can be addressed by the centralized development of reports, KPIs, and dashboards that are defined by stakeholders through the Strategic Data Governance Council. There are several resources available to jump-start the definition of metrics such as the Voluntary
Framework of Accountability (VFA) facilitated by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), Complete College Wyoming, Complete College America, and the Data Quality Campaign.
Coach the Strategic Data Governance Council on defining metrics for reports, KPIs, and dashboard development;
Determine questions to be answered through KPIs;
Create logical groupings of metrics for dashboards;
Create data modeling and demonstration of metrics for review.
Procure, Design & Build Data Warehouse:
The implementation of a centralized data warehouse will benefit all stakeholders. Each college can leverage the data warehouse for strategic data resources. Additionally, centralizing the development of strategic reports, KPIs, dashboards, and other resources will decrease work redundancy and ensure consistency among reports. Each college will participate in the design of analytical solutions to ensure the solutions are useful to each institution. The implementation of a centralized data warehouse will position WCCS as a leader in preparedness for the Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS).
Select and procure of data warehouse toolkit solution;
Train on data warehouse tools;
Establish the computing environment and infrastructure for a centralized data warehouse;
Design time and reporting dimensions to support colleges, Commission, and legislators;
Develop and deploy security roles for the data warehouse;
Develop cross-college reports;
Testing and validation of data, reports, metrics and dashboards;
Develop and provide training for the Commission and college staff.
Report, KPI, and Dashboard Development:
The definition and development of reports, KPIs, and dashboards is separated on the above timeline because it is important to delineate between metrics needed by various stakeholder groups and the technical development of reports, KPIs, and dashboards. There is obvious overlap when defining and developing reports, KPIs, and dashboards but it is essential to first satisfy the strategic and functional aspects of strategic reporting.
Work with Strategic Data Governance Council on the definition of metrics for reports, KPIs, and dashboards;
Create data modeling and demonstration of metrics;
Develop detailed algorithms and routines to produce metrics;
Deploy iterative development processes with stakeholders;
Validate developed reports, KPIs, and dashboards with cross-functional teams.
Turning recommendations into reality will require additional funding from the state and/or other funding sources. The following is a budgetary estimate of total price including expenses over a two-year period.
Ongoing support costs can be found in Appendix I.
*Process alignment will focus on data consistency within the data warehouse. This does not include business process reengineering at the individual community colleges.
**For WCCS centralized data warehouse. Assumes the Commission and each community college owns and maintains Ellucian ODS and CROA.
Consulting expertise in the budgetary estimate includes the following:
Project Leadership;
Data Warehouse development including:
o Implementation of new data governance framework;
o Development of data definitions;
o Process alignment creating data consistency within the data warehouse;
o Select and implement data warehouse toolkit;
o Design and build centralized dimensional data warehouse;
o Develop and provide training;
Business Intelligence Technical Services;
Business Intelligence and Colleague Reporting Services;
Comprehensive Functional Area Services.
Budget Consideration Low High
Strategic Data Governance $ 145,000 $ 160,000
Data Consistency* $ 725,000 $ 800,000
Train/Develop Data Analysts $ 145,000 $ 160,000 Procure/Design/Build Data Warehouse $ 1,015,000 $ 1,120,000
Report Development $ 435,000 $ 480,000
KPI/Dashboard Development $ 435,000 $ 480,000 Consulting & Solution Development** $ 2,900,000 $ 3,200,000
Hardware & Software $ 500,000 $ 750,000
Total $ 3,400,000 $ 3,950,000
Conclusion
The postsecondary landscape is increasingly more data-driven. Timely, comprehensive, and accurate data is required by policymakers, educators, and the public. Building on a foundation of data quality provides the key to forming effective policy, measuring program effectiveness, and developing short-term and long-term plans. The Wyoming Community College Commission is making great strides in helping the community colleges develop data standards and build reporting systems to this end, but there is more work to do.
An enhanced data governance structure, as outlined in this report, will ensure that the state, Commission, and colleges have representation, and input into the oversight of the data management solution while retaining ownership of their respective data.
Completion of data coding standardization and process alignment across the colleges allows the
development of strategic, operational, and dashboard reports that will serve all institutions without the need for customization or data transformation to accommodate the unique requirements of each institution.
Development of enriched research and analysis skills will give institutional researchers the ability to deliver high-quality data to meet the research and statistical analysis requirements of the state and colleges.
Recommendations in this report are designed to produce a secure, sustainable data warehouse solution resulting in reliable, linked, education data capable of supporting business intelligence tools to achieve Wyoming’s postsecondary student success goals. Centralizing the data warehouse builds on the substantial work already completed and is also less costly, more easily documented, and easier to sustain.
The future success of Wyoming’s Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) requires the Wyoming community colleges adopt the governance, data quality, and process alignment recommendations of the data management and analytical reporting needs analysis and fully participate in the proposed centralized data warehouse. Implementation of these recommendations will mutually benefit the colleges, protect their data, address scarce resource challenges, and provide the reporting needed to support making the right decisions that will sustain the future success of each institution and their students.
Successful accomplishment of these tasks and the supporting recommendations in this report, requires additional resources as well as data warehousing tools. Forming a partnership with an accountable, and results driven firm will provide the needed assistance to bring the Wyoming Community College System into its desired future state and serve the ultimate goal of providing exceptional education to Wyoming’s students and contributing dynamic, talented, successful, fulfilled, individuals into the Wyoming workforce.