Data Futures still far from perfect
David Kernohan is Deputy Editor of Wonkhe
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A spectacularly unimpressed letter from OfS’ David Smy to accountable officers is scathing about the progress of the ill-starred Data Futures (DF) initiative.
Delivered by Jisc at the instigation of the Office for Students, DF was supposed to be a modernised approach to collecting provider data used in regulation, allowing for more rapid (and eventually, in year) updates. Alas, it hasn’t quite turned out that way – we were talking about delays back in 2019 if that gives you any idea, and we covered further changes based on a sector consultation last year.
Now we are told that new submission deadline has been moved from an already extended (a previous deadline was today!) from 3 November to 22 November, with concurrent impact on the deadlines for contact details for Graduate Outcomes (10 November to 24 November) and NSS (24 November to 1 December).
And according to Smy, at least, it is all Jisc’s fault:
We’re disappointed that there continue to be delays in Jisc’s deployment of the new Data Futures platform and data model and we will want to understand from Jisc in due course why firm commitments about delivery have not been met in practice. This is of particular concern to the OfS as the majority funder of the programme (£12.7 million since 2016) and because we continue to devote significant staff time to deal with the consequences of late delivery.
I’ve heard from multiple sources that the current version of the DF data collection system is neither stable nor routinely returning correct outputs. For a data model substantially more complicated than the old HESA Student return, specialist staff at providers have needed to make substantial changes to processes and systems in order to meet these new requirements. It seems that there are still significant issues with quality rules and error reporting – resolution of these is underway, but this means the rules themselves are being updated frequently, much to the chagrin of providers trying to make submissions.
Data and strategy teams at universities and other registered providers have been making representations about institutional struggle to have systems ready in time, though it seems that the systems on the other side are far from ready either. With around five weeks to go (and the promise, once again, of no further extensions) the Jisc team must feel up against it. Which makes it a great time, and a huge confidence boost at a critical moment, to slag them off in public.
The Office for Students has had a representative on the DF programme board since inception, and recently it has been observing the Data Futures Delivery Group. A look at the recent crop of board papers suggests that, until at least July of this year and probably longer, there were no concerns about progress being raised. If there are questions to be raised about delivery, we very much need to start with governance (and for that matter, specification).
Right now my sympathy is with the team at Jisc and staff at providers around the sector.
It’s a pity the OfS letter omitted the fact that providers only have 7 extra days, not the 19 days implied.
It has been an absolute shower, and it is hard to read the forums where colleagues are sharing their despair and how it has affected them. The number of consultancy roles I am receiving is testament to that and I suspect we are losing good people from this area of work. When I look back, another of the saddest aspects of this is the breakdown in trust between providers and HESA / JISC. I’m sure it will be a few years before the sector can recover and in the meantime there is more data burden ‘planned’.
Staff at institutions are currently significantly struggling with stress and mental well-being to deliver a piece of work which you ultimately have to sign-off.
I can only imagine the stress being felt by staff at HESA/JISC who will be feeling the brunt of the frustrations from institutions based on decisions made by their senior managers/leaders.
The decisions and failings of HESA/JISC have eroded the trust we once had in them, expectations have not been met, continued failed delivery from them, continued self-serving decisions being made (dressed up as for the benefit of institutions) and not meeting their own deadlines have compounded issues of a normally difficult and complex piece of work to a point of insanity.
The money spent on this, by them, is an insult to the current financial situation of the sector, not to the mention the money that institutions have had to spend in response. Now rumours are flying about that “JISC have met all their targets, so staff will be receiving a £1000 bonus”.
The farce continues that the Guardian University Guide will not be using the data this year for their league tables as they understand how poor the data is and the problems contained within it.
For us working closely on this we have been raising various issues of concern about the data model, what it does/does not contain, what does not make sense and what tools/functionality were missing, for the past 18 months through HESA/JISC. OfS say no concerns were raised with them until July.
Conversely, OfS have been more lenient and pragmatic this year, whether that is a by-product of the House of Lords review or a recognition of the difficulties this year, it has been highly welcomed. It appears the the role of pantomime villain is shifting from them HESA/JISC.
We now need to make a stand and say enough is enough. I think out of protest (and because a lot of the data is not fit for public consumption), no VCs should sign-off this year, but being realistic that is not going to happen – but we are having our arm twisted to sign something we do not agree with given every point that has to be agreed with in the sign-off document.
If this was a more public facing body, such as the NHS, it would be on the news and a public uproar would ensue. Followed by a very much needed inquiry – which I think should happen regardless. At the very least, it needs to be made known that the failings of Data Futures for this year, rest squarely on the shoulders those making the decisions at HESA/JISC – not the institutions.
Enough is enough.