A Framework for Strategic Intelligence Systems Applied to Education Management: A Pilot Study in the Community of Madrid

Abstract

The management of educational policies is a complex issue. There are complexities related to the country’s organizational system (competencies delegated by different areas in some cases), and to the limited resources in the educational system. In addition, there are many variables that need to be managed: ICT resources, special educational needs, human resources available, the socioeconomic characteristics of each district, etc. These types of issues are similar to those dealt with by strategic intelligence management. In this field, commonly included within innovation management, methodological frameworks are established that enable collection and consolidation of data from various sources and their subsequent exploitation to enhance decision-making based on previously identified needs. This article presents the details of a pilot plan aimed at implementing a framework for strategic intelligence management in the educational management system of the Community of Madrid (Spain). These intelligence systems are difficult to deploy in educational organizations that have highly fragmented management as in the case described in our pilot plan, although their implementation leads to more correct and agile decision-makings. This paper describes the steps carried out to define the new management platform requirements, its technical implementation issues, and the validation results that demonstrate its functional validity and acceptance by end-users participating in the described pilot project.

Keywords

• Education management
• strategic intelligence management
• data warehouse
• OLAP cubes