Mastering Data: 10 questions to sharpen your skills
Whether large or small, niche or general, no awarding body can succeed without paying proper attention to its data – what it collects, how it analyses it and what it does in response. Beyond being a key improvement engine, it is a primary means by which opportunities and issues can be identified and timely plans made. Data is key to business success and the reputation of every awarding organisation – and where it is neglected or proves elusive, it increases the risk of regulatory failure; quality data is a critical component of the relationship awarding organisations fashion with their regulators.
Moreover, insufficient or inaccurate data compromises the ability of businesses to leverage more advanced digital tools, such as AI and big data analytics. With the huge and encouraging focus on this technology, it’s important that we do not overlook the significance of good, reliable data.
‘Working hard on your data practices is essential for all awarding organisations whether smaller or larger. Data underpins informed decision making, innovation and efficiency. It opens the door to significantly enhanced operational performance and is critical to achieving success in regulatory compliance for all of us’
Emma Leary, Acting Responsible Officer, City and Guilds.
Data was a focus of discussions amongst the more than 100 experts who attended the Succeeding in Regulatory Compliance event, organised by the Federation of Awarding Bodies, and sponsored by City and Guilds, in Birmingham on 13 March 2025. Convened from across the qualifications and awarding industry, they represent a unique cross-section of expertise and experience.
TEN DATA QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF:
- Do you genuinely embrace data?
Create structured time for data analysis in your schedule to ensure it occurs at the most opportune time to take stock and plan impactful improvements. What about the data-culture of your organisation? - Are you clear about purpose?
Understand what assurance or outcomes you’re looking for prior to collecting data – are you able to put these in writing – if not, why not? - Have you thought about the data-aptitudes of all those you employ?
Involve those who love data – they may not be working in your data-facing team now. - Have you maximised your productivity?
Automate as much as possible so that your people focus on interpreting your data rather than collating it. - Is your data-collection operation resilient?
Do you understand the accuracy of your data? Is sufficient resource dedicated to understanding where the limitations are, as well as the gaps in coverage? Do you have an effective means of pursuing those who are not responsive to your data requests? - Are you corroborating your data with on-the-ground experience?
Think about what qualitative data might help your understanding or support your data analysis. Is it a means of filling gaps in coverage? Do you focus your qualitative effort to deliver on this? - Does a purpose-perspective pervade your analytics?
Don’t just look at the data and ask questions – ask questions and then look at the data. - Do you get the most from those working on data-analysis?
Get a group of people to look at your data who will come at it from different perspectives and meet in person to avoid group-think. - Do you get the most from your data?
Challenge yourself to identify how your data can help you beyond meeting the needs of regulators. Use the post-assessment data published by regulators as benchmarks. Don’t assume there is a correlation… - Is your data organised?
It’s easier to manage data access requests, avoid single-person dependency and cleanse and track if all your data is in a single, accessible repository. Date-stamps are critical and it will never be easier than it is now to sort your data out; it grows every day!
Get it right and data can assist with the identification of anomalies and trends. It can help to change perceptions and build confidence, including with regulators in all situations and scenarios. This can include getting ahead of malpractice and maladministration, understanding qualification and centre performance, and confirming assessment suitability and performance.
The data also needs to be right. Consistent, well-thought through data capture is essential, as well as thorough data cleansing. There are many examples of instances in which organisations have been able to improve and convince both customers and regulators of their performance through the provision of accurate, timely, organised and relevant data.
A positive underlying data-culture is essential and highly valued by those that see it in their own organisations. Getting to a position where data is everyone’s business is a well proven component of data-success, whatever the size of your organisation or role.
By Rob Nitsch, Chief Executive of the Federation of Awarding Bodies
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