Building Power BI Dashboards to Support Planning at Kalamazoo Valley Community College
Impact at a Glance
Accelerated development of customized Power BI dashboards
Connected dashboards directly to existing institutional data sources
Expanded access to data for student-focused decision-making
Strengthened collaboration across finance and student success teams
Built a foundation for more proactive, data-informed planning
The Challenge
Kalamazoo Valley Community College (KVCC), a two-year institution in Michigan, wanted to make comprehensive institutional data more accessible to employees involved in student engagement, retention, and success.
As the college strengthened its data infrastructure, leaders wanted to:
- Give employees access to relevant, actionable data
- Connect data to areas where employees could influence student outcomes
- Strengthen the use of data in planning and decision-making
- Build institutional capacity to move from analysis to action
- Better align staff time and financial resources with student needs
The goal was to make data easier to access and use so employees could make more informed decisions about student outcomes and institutional resources.
The Action
KVCC used the Power BI templates in NACUBO's Financial Impact Analysis toolkit to accelerate development of dashboards tailored to the college's needs.
The college:
- Customized Power BI templates to reflect its terminology and data needs
- Connected the dashboards directly to existing Access databases and other institutional data sources
- Modified fields and views rather than building dashboards from scratch
- Collaborated across finance and student-focused areas to align dashboards with institutional objectives
- Used the dashboards as a foundation for connecting analysis with decisions and actions
Starting with existing templates allowed KVCC to develop dashboards more quickly while creating a foundation that can evolve as the college's use of data matures.
The Results
Immediate Impact
- Developed customized Power BI dashboards for institutional use
- Connected dashboards directly to existing data sources
- Accelerated dashboard development using adaptable templates
- Established a foundation for future dashboard enhancements and data-informed decisions
Process Improvements
- Strengthened collaboration between finance and leaders focused on student outcomes
- Improved the ability to connect institutional data with planning and resource decisions
- Created a framework for moving from analysis to action
- Advanced a more transparent and collaborative approach to decision-making
Ongoing Momentum
- Continue refining dashboards around institutional objectives
- Expand campus-wide use of dashboards and data
- Provide professional development to strengthen data-informed decision-making
- Use data to shift from reactive to proactive planning
- Focus staff time and institutional resources where they can best benefit students
“I have seen people change their thinking about the role of the CBO as we've had more conversations about what they need to help them make decisions. They no longer just see my role as 'bean counter'. Instead, they understand that, working together, we can make decisions more transparently and collaboratively.”
Brian LuethVice President for Finance and Business
