QUALITY MANAGEMENT AND DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN A PORTUGUESE HEI: A PROCESS MANAGEMENT APPROACH

Abstract

Over the years, Higher Education Institutions (HEI) have been changing the way they observe and approach quality and the management of their teaching, research, or knowledge transfer activities. There are several guidelines regarding quality management in higher education. In Portugal, besides the framework proposed by the National Agency (A3ES), HEI use other standards, such as ISO 9001 or the EFQM excellence model. A comparative analysis of these guidelines shows that they share principles, are based on a process management approach, and seek to improving the organization’s performance. Regarding the process management approach, there is a perception that processes add value to the organization and facilitate the achievement of its strategic objectives. Additionally, the incorporation of technology in the processes makes them more agile and increase the organization’s efficiency.

In this context, digital transformation is a reality that proposes a change in the way organizations operate, incorporating digital processes into their processes, thus making them more prepared to face market demands. In this paper we present a use-case of digital transformation in a HEI. Based on the Digital Kaizen methodology, this work focuses on a systematic approach to review quality processes in use at HEIs, modeling, digitalizing, and automating them in the form of business processes. As result, a well-defined method containing the steps for the transformation of processes is proposed, as well as a set of reference tools that support the digital transformation process.