A short guide to why DMAs are a tool you should be considering, and some best practice tips on how to deploy and use them.

Data Governance-we are blaming the wrong things for failure!

One of the less fun parts of this job is reviewing failed data strategies mostly representing thinly disguised investment cases for big technology purchases. You know the ones — glossy decks filled with supplier logos, architecture diagrams that look like train maps, and a budget spreadsheet that reads like a supermarket sweep at a todays cloud provider of choice flagship store. These strategies don’t fail because the technology is bad. They fail because they start with techn

Data Decoded is an event taking place in Manchester in October 2025.

I think we can agree, in an increasingly data dependant landscape, universities do recognise the importance of improving the quality, availability and use of their data. Less certain is that the solution is a robust and sustainable data governance framework. There are many reasons for this, and some of those are the subject of a future post. Today though, I want to talk about the problem of onboarding and engaging one of the fundamental roles of when implementing data governa

ADG Webinar series - why did we do it and what did we learn

The higher education sector has been navigating a period of immense disruption over the past five years, driven by multiple external and internal pressures. We see this both through the work we’re engaged in with universities and our long experience of working in the sector.     This has shifted the focus of what we offer to best support these challenging times for the sector.  There are already lots of articles on ‘ how we got here’  so instead we’re discussing what this mea

Learn how to overcome one of the challenges of data management in higher education: swivel chair integration. Improve accuracy & efficiency.

Learn how to empower your higher education institution with effective data governance training. Ensure data quality and good decision making

Learn why a robust data governance strategy is crucial for higher education institutions. Enhance data quality and support compliance.

Consistent higher education data management is key. See how maximising data quality year-round can help you get the most value from HESA.

Before we start, its important to be clear that this article is a collection of our thoughts and opinions and not based on inside information! Although what we think may turn into a valid prediction(!) what happens next is very much an unknown. Alex and I have been thinking through some of the potential scenarios though given the scope and scale of influence these giants have on how we collect, store, and manage Higher Education data. The cynic in us says Ellucian has spent £

There’s an axiom that we, as the self certified data experts, must ‘sell’ some of the more ethereal concepts through the power of stories (Data Governance, I’m looking at you here). Especially when attempting to engage senior leaders. I’m coming to the conclusion it’s more of a myth. So many times I’ve been involved with tagging specific benefits against some improved ‘data capability’, In #highereducation - you’ll see ‘as a student I’ll be able to’ or ‘as a researcher, thes

Reducing the burden. A statement we’ve all become all too familiar with over the last decade. How much burden has been lifted though? In our experience not much - in fact - in some (most!) instances there’s more for us to do. So many subtleties around how institutions operate, the way our data is structured, the complexities of our hierarchies (and the list goes on) aren’t considered or understood. And so, the circle continues with the latest news on HESES. The OfS published

Not the snappiest title ever, but any reference to the Princess Bride has to be cut a certain amount of slack! As must I, based on the previous blog post being published some eighteen months ago. In my defence, the last couple of years have been crazy busy which has also generated a whole load of content I’m keen to share. Starting with a oldie but a goodie, chosen only because I finally fixed the Business Glossary template linked to in this article (on my TLP website). I

A question often asked and rarely answered the same way twice! There are many reasons for this, and most of those can be seen on that quick sketch we did at a recent workshop. Essentially there are two issues to address: 1) What question are you trying to answer. If we define a student as, for example “a person engaged on a learning experience at our university’ (and yes this is not all encompassing, I’m looking at you PGR/T but just bear with me) , then already our questi