Improving Integration of Databases and Data Sets Supporting Quality Management in a Higher Education Institution: A Project Post Mortem Analysis

Amidst various quality assurance agencies seeking evidence of compliance in different reporting formats, the university in this particular case, finds itself seeking for efficient ways to generate and make use of data and consequently bring the organisation beyond a mere compliance culture to a continuous improvement culture. Aware of the different operational contexts of its units and disciplines, a project was carried out not to centralise or make uniform its operations but to find a common ground to see how these units collectively contribute to the attainment of institutional goals. The project measured its success on the degree of data integration, efficiency of data visualisation and the availability of action plans generated out of the visualised data. From the level of success attained, a retrospection was made to determine the impediments encountered. The analysis revealed causes ranging from the nature of the data requirements, how the integration project was operationalised, and the remaining issues despite the deployed integration procedure, organisational factors, hardware requirements and system compatibility. It concluded with key points necessary to not only celebrate the project success but also for the next improvement cycle or related project initiatives. It also provided insights about the related operational processes and quality management system for the areas being covered.