Course FAQs
Why should you attend this course?
All of us have data. Many of us do not have a strategy for that data. Data is the fourth foundational asset – after people, money and buildings – but without a strategy we cannot realise the value from that asset. How many times have you heard ‘I can’t find the data‘, ‘I don’t trust the data‘, ‘the data is in the wrong format’, I can’t interpret the data’ and ‘the data is WRONG’? A pragmatic strategy underpinned by a realistic implementation plan will create trusted data free of silo. Then it can be put to work in visible support of the goals and needs of the university.
Those needs might be better data for regulation and external scrutiny, or a trusted data platform to support analytics, data science and AI. Or more likely something in between. This course gives you the foundations, best practice and plans to re-set and align your data journey.
Course description and curriculum (PDF)
Who is it for?
This package of workshops was originally developed for individual universities. Eight of those have benefited from investing in their data strategy. This public version offers all of the content, best practice, templates and plans at a lower cost. Most of the previous engagements have been led by Planning or IT groups which mirrors the traditional HE view of where data is owned. The attendees however were drawn widely from academic and professional services staff. Our new course is focussed on developing a strategy and a plan for a single individual who then has all the tools and content to implement a sustainable data strategy at their university.
“By necessity our communications and workshops were remote and virtual, but Alex’s attention to detail, ability to explain complex concepts simply, and his sheer experience and depth of knowledge of data and governance were invaluable in helping us make progress and plan our implementation. Alex understands how HE works, and can suggest how to overcome roadblocks, and avoid the pitfalls of particular approaches. His experience makes him a respected voice of authority. He is generous with his time and knowledge – and he is fun to work with.” – Martin Howells, Director of Data and Insight (Interim) at UCL.
What are the outputs
A data strategy without an underpinning plan and sustainable data governance framework could better be called a ‘marketing proposal’. We focus on outcomes and outputs. On completing the course you will have a draft Data Strategy aligned to your universities objectives, an outline communications plan, a set of maturity assessments, a detailed implementation plan for the first year, a HE specific data governance framework and over 30 best practice templates to support that framework. In addition you will have understood how other universities have been successful in implementing their data strategies and – crucially – how and where to get started.
A draft data strategy is available: SAMPLE v1.51 (PDF)
A draft implementation plan is available: Generic v1.2 (PDF)
The courses will be delivered 100% virtually. Initially they will be fully interactive with a maximum of eight delegates. In future we intend to offer both on-line and hybrid options. We will use our extensive experience of delivering interactive, engaging and pragmatic content to ensure you get the best virtual experience possible. The course is 18 hours of content split over three workshops. Each course includes a one hour individual follow up session. Further sessions can be added to support implementation.
Our collaboration and engagement approach: Approach and advice v1.1 (PDF)
How much does it cost?
The full course is £2,500 plus VAT. All content, templates, best practice techniques, plans etc. are included in the price. These can be re-used at your university at no cost. The course is split into ‘Day 1-Develop‘, ‘Day 2-Align’ and ‘Day 3- implement’. Each of these days can be purchased individually for £950 excl. VAT. Only those attending all three days get the post workshop session included.
Can I send more than one person?
If the course is not full at the time of your booking, you can bring a second person from your university free of charge.
I can’t make this course, when is the next one?
Courses are held quarterly. You can see all available courses on eventbrite.
How do I book?
On our website, or via the booking platform eventbrite. If you need to issue a Purchase Order then please get in touch.
Where can I find out more?
To find out if this course is for you, or to answer any other questions please get in touch.
If you’d like to see how successful data strategies are created and implemented, I recently ran a webinar recorded here: Nicola Askham and I talk pragmatic data strategies (Video, YouTube)