Using Data to Inform Your Institution’s Year-in-Review Process
Strategic organizational development, when applied to higher education institutions, demands setting accountability standards across the student journey — from staffing and advising to course planning and graduation. In my previous post, I discussed the importance of performing an annual review to set the strategy for the coming year. Now, let’s take a look at the importance of using data to inform that strategy.
At the start of the annual review process, teams should look at all the available data, starting at the beginning of a prospective student’s journey. Institutions should ask questions such as:
- How are leads coming in?
- How are prospects converting to admitted students who are registering for class?
- Are there peak enrollment seasons to plan for?
- Are students receiving sufficient support during classes?
Institutions need to evaluate their transparency in the reporting on and ownership of every touchpoint. By ensuring that all available metrics are digested to inform their strategy, rather than only using data points that paint a picture that is different from reality, institutions are better able to avoid confirmation bias.
For planning that bears fruit, teams must be truthful about what changes are necessary, and data should always be used to identify issues and inform an institution’s direction.
Tools to Support Institutional Goal Setting
When it comes to considering their goals for the next year, an essential principle that institutions need to remember is that the efforts of the team executing a process and the student experience must go hand in hand. Success and satisfaction must be considered not only for the students but also for the staff, the faculty, and the communities they serve.
Feedback Analysis
Universities should gather feedback on the student experience early and often. Examining feedback loops throughout the student journey — including in lead nurturing, enrollment, and course surveys — offers clues into where to focus an institution’s energy and resources in future plans.
Interviews with team members from all functional areas in the organization help leaders align the institution’s operations with its growth goals. Open communication also can reduce the effects of departments functioning independently, becoming a catalyst for more collaboration across teams and better consistency in the institution’s messaging.
Real-Time Data Dashboards
Executive dashboards need to be used consistently to track progress across marketing, enrollment, and academics. Points to analyze include audits of marketing campaign performance and student enrollment trends. Using this real-time data to inform the decision-making at assessment checkpoints ensures teams stay aligned on the institution’s long-term goals.
Organizational Development Frameworks
Leaders can use postmortem frameworks and planning worksheets to translate data-driven insights into manageable plans and timelines. Tools such as Archer’s Readiness Assessment and Good, Better, Best framework can help institutions gain a better understanding of where they are and where they want to be in the near future.
Applying Learnings to Daily Operations
Conducting an annual review will start an institution on the path toward creating smarter, evidence-based strategies. Once the past year’s operations have been analyzed, leadership teams must compare the institution’s progress against its vision and locate where adjustments are needed — such as in student enrollment support, resource planning, or program design processes — to support the institution’s growth.
Employing effective change management processes can ensure an institution’s plans are actionable instead of theoretical. Establishing effective change management policies can help the institution navigate the operational shifts and cultural adjustments that are needed to maintain and scale its programs while maintaining collaboration and communication among its different departments.
Leadership and teams must be held accountable with targeted checkpoints and milestones throughout the year. With agreed-upon dates for delivery, leaders can identify where additional support is needed and what adjustments to make, if necessary.
The task of analyzing large volumes of institutional data and turning it into actionable strategies can be overwhelming. When an institution decides to engage with a partner to help it conduct a thorough review, it should look for a vendor that offers flexible contracts that allow teams to adapt instead of restrictive long-term agreements. This also applies to any third-party partnerships that an institution enters to fill its capacity gaps, such as with partners that provide course planning, digital systems development, or marketing and enrollment management services.
Key Takeaways
- Institutions should connect lessons from 2025 to their 2026 priorities to create a strategic road map that fosters high-quality growth in the following year and beyond.
- By leveraging data, collaboration, and iterative improvement strategies, institutions use proven organizational development techniques to stay competitive.
- Scheduling routine check-ins across departments helps institutions maintain forward momentum and ensure all contributors and stakeholders are engaged and have what they need to reach their goals.
Let Archer Support Your Data-Informed Strategic Review Process
At Archer Education, we understand that deep discovery, organizational development, sufficient investment, best-in-class technology, and a laser focus on the student experience are essential for institutional growth.
Are you ready to expand your student enrollments, deepen your online program offerings, and future-proof your team? Archer’s team of higher education experts can help your institution establish an annual review process that will set you on the path toward scalable, sustainable growth.
If you’d like to learn more, contact our team and explore our technology-enabled strategy, marketing, enrollment, and retention services today.
