From Data Centralization to Data Utilization for Strategic Decision-Making

Session Abstract: Bringing data from disparate sources together for an enterprise-wide data solution is a tall and noteworthy task on its own, but ensuring these data can and will be consumed in ways that inform strategic decision-making for the institution is the vital next step in this journey. This presentation will discuss how Carnegie Mellon moved from creating an enterprise-wide data solution for graduate admissions data housed in sixteen different systems to working with stakeholders to create iterative data products that provide answers to strategic questions that were previously unanswerable. Attendees will learn how we completed the process of addressing a data risk for the university and created dashboards using stakeholder feedback that improve enterprise-wide data integrity, providing a comprehensive view from application to enrollment, and aiding in strategic decision-making.

Keywords: strategic analytics, data utilization, stakeholder engagement, decision support

Contributing Authors: Josephine Dru, Ph.D. – Senior Data Analyst and Dashboard Developer, Carnegie Mellon University, Carnegie Mellon University