Organisational Efficiency Maturity Assessment (OEMA)
Commissioned by Universities UK. Developed with AHUA and SUMS.
Your starting point for smarter, more resilient universities.
Free to access. Built by the sector, for the sector. Designed to drive action.
The Organisational Efficiency Maturity Assessment (OEMA) is the UK higher education sector’s first framework for assessing organisational efficiency and maturity, endorsed by Universities UK. Developed in partnership with the Association of Heads of University Administration and with inputs from the sector, including from UUK, CUC, BUFDG, HESPA, UHR, Advance HE and the DfE.
What makes OEMA different?
Universities continue to face growing pressures to operate more efficiently without compromising quality of teaching, research or student experience. The sector needs structured, evidence-based approaches to identify strengths and improvement opportunities.
Commissioned by Universities UK and co-developed with AHUA, SUMS Consulting, and a reference group of 12 universities, OEMA provides the sector’s first standardised, open access approach to assessing organisational maturity. It combines qualitative and quantitative insights across eight critical themes, giving you a clear baseline – and a roadmap for meaningful improvement.
Endorsed by English Skills Minister Jacqui Smith at the 2025 Advance HE Governance Conference, OEMA is quickly becoming an essential part of strategic planning for forward-thinking institutions.
This isn’t a one-off diagnostic. It’s your starting point for demonstrable, year-on-year progress.
“Universities UK is delighted to see the launch of the OEMA diagnostic tool, which forms an important, sector led commitment by the Association of Heads of University Administration (AHUA) under UUK’s Transformation and Efficiency Programme. We encourage universities to complete an assessment and look forward to the analysis of the results, which will support next steps as institutions continue to rise to the efficiency challenge.”
Miriam Deakin, Director of Strategy, Insight and Member Engagement, Universities UK
Who is OEMA for?
Vice-Chancellors and executive teams seeking strategic clarity
Chief Operating Officers and CFOs managing constrained resources
Registrars and planning directors driving institutional resilience
Governing bodies requiring robust evidence for decision-making
University leaders who need evidence, not guesswork.
OEMA provides a framework to assess organisational maturity and support evidence-based decision-making. It helps universities identify opportunities to strengthen resilience and deliver lasting impact across all areas of operations. If you’re responsible for your institution’s future, OEMA is for you.
Why OEMA matters now
Financial pressures are mounting. Stakeholder expectations are rising. Every institution must demonstrate that it’s operating efficiently – not just claim it.
OEMA gives you:
- a credible baseline to understand where you are today
- peer benchmarking to see how you compare across the sector
- evidence for action that aligns leadership and informs resource decisions
- a repeatable framework to track and demonstrate visible progress over time.
As aggregated sector data grows, you’ll gain increasingly valuable insights into how UK institutions are evolving – and where you stand.
This is your opportunity to lead, not follow.
How OEMA works
Simple. Fast. Actionable.
- One person from your institution completes the online assessment – 86 questions across 8 themes. Your initial assessment can be completed in as little as 30 minutes, with advance preparation recommended for leadership alignment
- Receive your maturity report – tailored insights, light-touch benchmarking, and clear recommendations
- Take action – use your results to inform strategy, prioritise improvements, and align leadership
- Reassess annually – demonstrate progress, refine priorities, and stay ahead.
The OEMA Personalised Report provides detailed analysis explaining your maturity level, forward-looking interpretation, thematic focus areas, sector good practice examples, and tailored SUMS Consulting insights.
Pressed for time? SUMS offers a facilitated route to help busy institutions complete the assessment as effectively as possible.
What you’ll gain
For your institution:
- identify operational strengths and priority improvement areas
- benchmark performance against peers and emerging sector norms
- build institutional resilience and strategic agility
- align leadership around shared, evidence-based priorities
- inform resource allocation and strategic planning with confidence.
For the sector:
As more institutions engage with OEMA, aggregated insights will provide unprecedented sector-wide intelligence – helping us all understand efficiency trends, emerging best practices, and shared challenges across UK higher education.
Ready to start?
OEMA is free, fast, and designed for the realities of university leadership.
- Begin your assessment: https://ahua.vercel.app/
- Contact us: consulting@sums.ac.uk
Want support turning insights into action?
As co-creators of OEMA, SUMS brings unrivalled higher education expertise. We can help you:
- navigate the assessment process with a facilitated half-day guidance session
- explore your results in a 90-minute internal workshop
- develop action plans through a 1-day executive workshop.
Explore OEMA support options
