Smart metrics design for indexing ICT integration improvement in Kenyan universities

Abstract

The sustainability of upgrading ICT capacity in organizations depends on how continuous improvement in ICT integration is autonomously governed. This thesis demonstrates the application of smart metrics and indexes design towards autonomous governing of ICT integration. The smart (Self-monitoring and reporting technologies) metrics design utilizes Control objective for information and Related Technologies version% (COBIT 5) framework and agile software development life cycle (SDLC) approach of software engineering. Continuous and rapid change in ICTs necessitates viewing ICT integration indexing as software engineering activity. Smart metrics design is viewed as a governance structure that enables engineering and monitoring of ICT integration in organizations through indexing. The study demonstrates that smart metrics design based on agile SDLC, can be used to enhance governing of ICT integration through autonomous indexing of; the current level of ICT integration, existing ICT integration metrics use and indexing future suitability of existing ICT integration metrics. This study was based month University ICT teaching Professionals (UITTPs). The purpose of the study was to; establish current ICT integration index levels, examine existing metrics use, evaluate future suitability of existing metrics using COBIT5 framework and agile software approach to design smart metrics for indexing ICT integration. The smart metric design process adopted the first four phases of COBIT5 implementation continuous improvement life cycle model from which the four objectives of this study was based; to establish the current ICT integration Index levels of UITTPs, to examine the extent in use of the existing ICT integration metrics, to evaluate the future suitability of the existing ICT integration metrics and to design smart metrics for indexing ICT integration improvement. The study adopted cross-sectional descriptive survey research design. Data on ICT integration metrics were collected from six purposively sampled Kenyan universities’ in which UITTPs, quality assurance officers, human resource officers, and heads of ICT and computer/IT departments of the respective universities were interviewed. The findings were quantitatively analyzed and further subjected to Kendall’s correlation of concordance analysis in which concordance significance levels were tested using chi-square test at 90% significant levels. The major findings wee that, currently UITTPs integrate ICT at level III (courseware integration and the existing integration metrics were largely not used except for their less frequent use in indexing ICT support conditions, implying that the UITTPs are not aware of their integration weaknesses or strength. However, most UITTPs satisfactorily felt that existing ICT integration metrics had future suitability for indexing improvement of ICT integration. Human factors metrics such as attitude toward ICT integration was perceived as the most suitable future metric compared to technological factors metrics. Based on these findings the smart metrics was designed for indexing ICT integration improvement and was validated to be appropriate therefore can be implemented and used to index ICT integration of UITTPS. The smart metric design will be useful in decision making on the nature of ICT integration upgrade skills required for the UITTPs. The smart metrics design is dynamic and therefore can be adopted in indexing ICT capacity training needs for personnel in various organizations other than universities.