The University of Aveiro had a Data Analytics solution that was not structured in a way to respond to all needs and only reflected one of the UA’s mission areas. “In addition to this situation, the fact that the data was accessed through reports built through the report builder made the system very static. Thus, the use of data was very limited, and as such, the employees did not take advantage of it”, begins by explaining Loraine Nazaré. In other words, there was a Portal of Indicators webpage containing several reports with pre-defined layouts, which proved too static and unappealing.

With the increasing need to develop true Quality Assurance Systems, there is a need to implement a Data Analytics project. The main challenge was to regain the trust of leaders and employees, have consistent data in a dynamic format and ensure their quality.

Some initial requirements were new functional areas of analysis with new indicators, constructing new attractive reports and dashboards, and including information from external sources or predictive analytics.

In the short term, the institution intended to reduce published data analysis, certification and quality times, automate processes and free up the team for strategic and critical data analysis. Therefore, processes had to be based on correct information. In the long term, the objectives include improving decision-making, optimising internal processes and evolving analytical needs.

According to Loraine Nazaré, “The gains are immense given that the use of data is being carried out by those who need to make timely decisions, freeing technicians to carry out other work. In our case, the customer does not perceive these changes. But the prestige among the partners is invaluable”.

Although not enough time has passed, since the system only came into operation in April 2021, to get a true sense of the impact of this system, “we can assure you that all the satisfaction surveys we carried out on the same show a perception and a curiosity that increases with each passing day about these topics”, says the project manager.
Adding that “it was a very positive experience. It worked extremely well. BI4ALL’s employees are of remarkable professionalism”.

Loraine Nazaré believes that other institutions have a lot to gain from investing in Data Analytics solutions, so she says, “In fact, HEIs share knowledge in their genetic code. If as an institution we can gain from this partnership, it makes perfect sense to share this experience with the rest of the community”. For her, “all HEIs can be much more competitive if they have a better knowledge of their true performance”.