Universities are facing increasing pressure to enhance operational efficiency, improve student experiences and remain competitive in a rapidly evolving education landscape. In this context a service maturity assessment provides critical insights into how well your internal processes and services are functioning. It highlights areas of strength and gaps for you to improve.

SUMS consultants and practitioners have a breadth of experience, drawn from across higher education and other sectors. Our experts will carry out objective assessments and provide you with realistic recommendations and/or opportunities for improvement. These actionable insights will be based on our specialised knowledge, robust tools and methodologies that are tailored to your specific needs and ambitions.

A service maturity review helps you:

align your services with your strategic goals
optimise your resource use
adopt best practices in technology, governance and student engagement

Our approach

Our consultants will work together with you on key elements that include:

– defining clear objectives for the maturity assessment

– designing a framework or, where appropriate, customising an existing framework to ensure consistency and comparability with benchmarks

– engaging your stakeholders and carrying out desk-based research, to gather both qualitative and quantitative data

Working with us

Examples of our work and impact

Right People, Right Place to Deliver the best possible service. Student Administration Service, University of Hertfordshire

We supported the University to introduce an engagement-led approach that involved stakeholders in every aspect of the review, from diagnosing issues to designing solutions. SUMS consultants also undertook an assessment of the approach used for the review and facilitated sessions on student administration best practice.

Making Change Stick – Assessing Change Management maturity, Business Improvement Team University of Surrey

The University had set up a team to deliver efficiency savings and improvements in ways of working. SUMS experts undertook an assessment of current maturity and used the results, plus intelligence from previous experience of organisational change, to develop an appropriate approach and methodology for change management.

Ready to enhance your university’s performance?