Where Academia meets Operational Excellence
Welcome to our site! Our Continuous Improvement & Data Analytics (CIDA) teams work collaboratively with University partners to enhance the University's operational excellence through data-driven insights and process optimization. We provide process improvement-focused consulting services, partnering with departments to streamline workflows, reduce inefficiencies, and implement best practices. We also focus on data enhancement, transforming raw institutional data into actionable intelligence that informs strategic decision-making across all levels of the organization.
We empower University stakeholders to leverage data effectively, optimize operations, and drive sustainable improvements that align with our institution's strategic goals. To learn more about our team and to see our full list of service offerings (at no additional cost) for University partners, please see our Service Offerings page.
Recently, the CIDA team partnered with a BU department to assess, from a holistic point of view, the effectiveness of that department in meeting the needs of their students and to identify areas for improvement. The methodology employed by the CIDA team was thorough and multifaceted, ensuring a comprehensive evaluation of the department's operations. Engaging […]
Recently, the CIDA team successfully led and coordinated efforts to establish operational processes to support a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) at the University. This initiative required coordination across many departments, including the Provost’s office, Labor Relations, Payroll, Financial Aid, Accounts Payable, Transportation Services, IS&T, and more. We had tight timelines and critical deadlines to meet […]
The DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) framework is a powerful tool that can be immensely useful in the context of higher education administration. At CIDA, we employ DMAIC for the majority of our projects, and the results have been consistently positive. At its core, DMAIC is a structured approach to problem-solving and continuous improvement. […]
As a university community member, you're likely on the lookout for ways to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and provide better service to students, faculty, and staff. One valuable tool to have in your continuous improvement toolkit is process mapping. So, what exactly is process mapping? In simple terms, it's the visual representation of the steps […]
When launching continuous improvement initiatives, programs or projects in higher education, understanding your stakeholders is crucial for success. A stakeholder analysis can help identify who will be affected by changes and how to engage them effectively throughout the process. In a fictitious example, consider a registrar's office implementing a new course registration system. Key stakeholders […]
Throughout our consulting work with clients across the University, we have observed that the foundation of any successful project or initiative lies in a clear and well-defined problem statement. Here is why it matters and how to craft one that drives results. Why Problem Statements Matter A good problem statement: Focuses efforts and resources Aligns […]
Last week we published our first post in the Continuous Improvement & Data Analytics (CIDA) Continuous Insights blog. In that introductory post we provided some background on the CIDA team, its foundation at BU, and its mission. This week we are following up with a brief discussion of the pairing of continuous improvement (CI) with […]
Welcome to the very first Continuous Improvement & Data Analytics (CIDA) blog post! Our vision at CIDA is to create and sustain a culture of data-driven decision making and continuous improvement at Boston University. We also aim to foster continuous improvement culture and collaborate with peer institutions of the same mindset. In pursuit of these […]