International Islamic University builds world-class reputation with help from SAS

KUALA LUMPUR, December 15, 2008 - International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) has today announced the successful implementation of SAS® Strategic Performance Management, to automate its balanced scorecard and help execute its strategy to become a world-class teaching and research institute. The solution has been such a success that in September 2008 the Palladium Group inducted IIUM into its Balanced Scorecard Hall of Fame for Executing Strategy for achieving an execution premium.

“The scorecard translates the IIUM strategic plan into day-to-day activities. It shows the cause-and-effect relationships so that a staff member not only knows what to do, but also knows why getting grants or earning a patent is important in achieving the university’s objectives,’’ remarked Professor Dato’ Dr. Mohd Azmi Omar, Chairman of the IIUM BSC Core team and Dean of Office of Corporate Strategy and Quality Assurance.

In fact, with SAS Strategic Performance Management, the university’s balanced scorecard process will allow more than 50 administrators and department heads to monitor and manage performance quarterly.

The easy access to the KPIs has helped IIUM make speedy and accurate decisions. It previously took more than a week to generate the report. Now it can be accessed at anytime. It also takes much less time for the staff to generate the report.

Before this, the manual system was time-consuming, expensive and difficult to quickly get the information to staff members throughout the university. “We had to pay the vendor each time we wanted a new report, and it was very time-consuming,’’ Professor Dato’ Dr. Azmi explained.

“After three years of manual reporting, we believed it was time for us to automate the entire process,’’ enthused. Professor Dato’ Dr. Azmi. “Especially now that we are bringing the information directly to all faculties and support divisions.”

IIUM credits SAS with helping it reach its goal of having more of its faculty members recognized as experts in their fields as well as demonstrating efficiency in allocating budget.

Founded in 1983, IIUM now has four campuses with more than 20,000 students from 90 countries studying management, engineering, technology, medicine and the humanities. In 2001, university administrators adopted a strategic plan to raise the stature of the university. It began using the balanced scorecard approach in 2003 to measure focus areas like teaching efficiency ratings, student employability, patents granted and grants received. The university also measures cost per student.

IIUM chose SAS because of its expertise in data integration and its certification through the Balanced Scorecard Collaborative. University officials also liked the fact that SAS has offices in Malaysia and is known for working collaboratively with its customers. It was also impressed with the work and efficiency of SAS partner Marff Resources Sdn Bhd.

SAS Strategic Performance Management has done exactly what the university expected: deliver information quickly (quarterly vs. every six months) to employees throughout the university.

By being able to communicate the university’s vision staffers are rising to the challenge.

In four years, grants increased more than 400 percent, patents doubled, publications nearly tripled and faculty members recognized as experts in their fields grew from 10 to 40 percent. The university has done all of this while reducing the cost per student and increasing the revenue and profits of the university’s business wings. Those profits are channeled back to the university as additional funds.

“Now that we have benefited from SAS Strategic Performance Management, we wished we had embarked on the project much earlier,’’ Dato’ Ahmad Zailan Shaari, the Chief Finance Officer cum the Deputy Chairman of the IIUM BSC Core team said. “It would have saved our effort and time of producing Reports which was previously prepared and consolidated manually.”

The university’s efforts have been recognized by Prof. Dr. Robert Kaplan, the creator of BSC methodology from Harvard University. “He was impressed with the IIUM’s achievement and considers us a ‘success story’ for transforming ‘just a university’ into a ‘center of education excellence’ to be emulated by other universities in the world, IIUM is the third University in the world and first organization in Malaysia to be inducted into the prestigious BSC Hall of Fame.” Dato” Ahmad Zailan enthused.

“I feel confident that the objectives are sound,’’ exclaimed Professor Dato’ Syed Arabi Idid, IIUM Rector and Vice Chancellor. “The strategies we are adopting will steer the IIUM to a brighter future and enable us to grow in stature, capacity and reputation at the national, regional and international levels.”