Methodology for Developing a Strategy for Implementing Digital Technologies

Benchmarking analysis enables higher education institutions to identify best practices in digital transformation by comparing key performance indicators with comparable institutions, thereby facilitating the timing and direction of their own strategic initiatives.

Steps:

1. Selection of institutions.
2. Definition of performance indicators.
3. Data collection.
4. Gap analysis.
5. Adoption and adaptation [9].

Illustrative example of the application of benchmarking analysis:

The university team selected three leading European universities known for their digital innovations. Indicators were defined, such as the number of e-courses, time required to implement new platforms, and user satisfaction (survey n=250). Data were collected from publicly available reports and academic publications. The analysis revealed that the benchmarked universities, on average, implemented new digital tools within six months of approval, while the home institution averaged twelve months. Based on these findings, the recommendation was to establish a rapid implementation team and to adopt pilot projects for testing new digital platforms.