The ERP of educational institutions has certain special features that differ from the business world, which set their own framework for the activities. In the public sector, external stakeholders play an important role, which is particularly emphasized in the reporting requirements.
As different reports, statistics and analyses are prepared for different stakeholders with varying needs, it is also worthwhile in the education and research community to invest in efficient operation, monitoring of the right indicators, and fluency and timeliness of reporting. Universities have their own key role to play in the full transition to a digital society.
Knowledge belongs to everyone – comprehensible reports tailored to different stakeholders automatically
A report is an important communication tool. When creating reports, the main focus should be on what message you want to convey, what key things you want the reader to remember about the report, and what you want the reader or listener to do once they have read the report. And how knowledgeable is your target group about the topic of the report, i.e. how detailed or visual should the reports be? This is especially important for educational institutions as reports are prepared for a variety of target groups, such as funders, students, employees, and management. The recipient’s preconceived assumptions and attitudes should also be considered when designing the report.
Traditionally, reporting has relied on Excel and PowerPoint presentations. In this case, even regular, monthly reports may require a lot of manual work, which burdens the creator of the report and increases the possibility of errors. Not to mention customized, changing reports for different audiences.
Thanks to automation, a modern reporting solution enables using the time that was earlier wasted on routine data compilation for report development. In addition, it gives curious and enthusiastic people within educational institutions the opportunity to develop reports independently, allowing entirely new perspectives and insights to emerge at the organization level. If necessary, the access rights to information can be fine-tuned, so that the right people have access to the right information.
Advanced analytics creates a deeper understanding of everyday operations
Today, reports can be agilely attached to advanced analytics solutions. They are easy to use and bring significant added value to reporting and knowledge management. Advanced analytics can be used to identify correlations between, for example, student demography, majors and fields of study, and study progress. In practice, the factors that increase the risk of study interruption or delay can be read directly from the graph. This in turn provides valuable information for predictions and facilitates early intervention in potential challenges for students.
A large part of the funding of educational institutions is related to the number of graduates or the progress of studies. An automated report provides information on, for example, the collection of credits in almost real time, so that deviations in the study pace become known quickly. Information also flows faster and more transparently throughout the organization, so that both management and staff have a common understanding of the situation. Automation leaves time to find the right solutions instead of compiling reports.
Similarly, advanced analytics can also be used to monitor forecasts, project portfolios and objectives, as well as personnel reporting. For example, Power BI can be used to create different future scenarios by changing the variables included in the report. This enables an improvement in the prediction of the effects of specific changes.
An experienced partner helps build a reporting solution that serves your organization
Modern reporting solutions bring a lot of understanding, new opportunities and efficiency to the educational institution. However, developing reporting is a long-term process, which is why it is worth choosing a knowledgeable partner to help. The role of the partner is to help identify and prioritize needs, deploy a cost-effective solution, take care of the further development of the system, and train the staff of the educational institution to use the systems and prepare reports themselves.
Have you become interested?
Check out Pinja’s reporting solutions for the University of Jyväskylä in the following Success Story: Knowledge leadership at the University of Jyväskylä took a big leap forward with the help of Pinja. You can read about Pinja’s and Diak’s partnership here: Diak decided to develop their knowledge management
Read more about Pinja’s Business Intelligence solutions here: From searching for information to working with information
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