1. Helen Jamieson
Customer Services Manager
helen.jamieson@edgehill.ac.uk
@jamiesonhelena
Rachel Bury
Academic Liaison Manager –
Quality, Communication
and Marketing
rachel.bury@edgehill.ac.uk
@rachelriding
Twitter: @EHULearnService
FB: facebook.com/EHULearnService

2. Presentation aims:
• Brief overview of Edge Hill
University/Learning Services; Customer
Services context
• Overview of project MIDAS (Management
Information and Data Solutions)
• Key performance indicators – our case
study

3. Edge Hill University
• Based in the North West of England
• Established in 1885 (first non denominational
teacher training college for women)
• Currently 13,500 FTE
• University status – 2006
• Large provider of Teacher Education
and Nursing
• 5 departments now CSE holders
• Top in the North West for student satisfaction, NSS
2013

4. Learning Services
• Library
• Student ICT
• Learning Technology
• SpLD Support
• Media Development
• Academic Skills
• Research Support
Services across 4 libraries
Customer Service Excellence (previously Chartermark)
holder since 2005

5. Our journey…..
• Historical: Statistics and monitoring – the ‘if it moves
count it’ approach!
• Chartermark/service standards – more of a focus on volume
(not impact)
• Drivers for change:
Move to CSE with a key focus on customer insight and measuring impact – the
‘so what factor’
Changes in student fees – greater focus on the student experience
Environmental – how do libraries add value?
Need for robust evidence base
• Enter project MIDAS…

6. Objectives of project MIDAS (Management Information and Data Solutions)
•To define and create a shared understanding of what ‘management information data’ is in a
HE context
•To audit current practice for the collection of management information, both qualitative
and quantitative, within Learning Services
•To review stakeholders and their needs internally, both within the Service and University
wide, and externally.
•To investigate good practice in the collection of management information and data
•To review systems and software available to assist in the collection, storage and management
of information and data
•To make recommendations and solutions for the future including the raising of staff
awareness of the value and importance of information/data

7. MIDAS outputs?
• Process review/audit of each team within the service
• Centralised recording and storage location and dynamic data
• Data brought into the mainstream – raising the importance and value of evidence base
• The building blocks for a move to look at key performance indicators
Our goal was to utilise the vast amount of data gathered to inform decision making and
service planning

8. What are Key Performance Indicators (KPI)?
“A set of quantifiable measures used to gauge performance in relation to achieving
strategic and operational goals”
“Performance measures should help your organisation align daily activities to strategic
objectives”
David Parmenter

10. Our approach to KPIs…
Project group formed looking at:
• How do we define a KPI?
• How do we know that the data that we gather is accurate and meaningful?
• Which data sets are true performance measures?
• How can we gather meaningful qualitative information?
• What should our approach be in terms of dissemination to key stakeholders?
• Frequency and timing of data capture to ensure its value?

11. • Research and literature review; lots of literature on KPIs but predominantly business
focussed
• Other academic libraries –what did we find?
• Should be based on the core values of your service/organisation – do you know what
yours are? What are your success factors?
• Our approach – experiential!
• Value statements/KPIs/Metrics

12. Learning Services KPIs:
http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/ls/cse/measuring-our-performance/
(Demo)

13. How do we use and disseminate our data?
• A change in culture and staff engagement
• Road map for embedding statistics and data
• Embedding into service planning
• Marketing and promotion; telling interesting stories
• Using infographics

14. References and wider reading:
• http://www.sconul.ac.uk/page/performance-and-quality-resources
• David Parmenter. Key Performance Indicators for Government and non-profit agencies:
implementing winning KPIs. John Wiley and Sons. 2012
• Transforming Performance Measurement. Spitzer. Amacom. 2007.
• Proceedings from the 10th Northumbria International Conference on Performance
Measurement in Libraries and Information Services. July 2013.