Goodform Audit-ion for Conservatoire of Dance and Drama

Goodform, the CRM Marketing experts, are working with the highly respected Conservatoire of Dance and Drama, confirming the need for consistent and effective data handling and reporting across sectors.

The Conservatoire comprises eight specialist schools delivering world-leading education and vocational training in the performing arts. The Conservatoire schools train the performing artists and production professionals of the future: actors, circus artists, dancers, stage managers, technical theatre practitioners, choreographers and directors. Across the Conservatoire, students benefit from an unrivalled quality of teaching, to which access is given regardless of background or financial circumstances.

As a publically funded institution, the Conservatoire faces all the same challenges of accountability and reporting to government as much larger universities, but with the challenges of lower staff levels and associated budgets.

The Conservatoire enlisted the assistance of Goodform given the CRM Agency’s specialism in delivering consultancy and services around data and CRM. Goodform are working closely with senior managers at the Conservatoire to ensure good data governance and that the organisation’s unique needs are met throughout the process.

As part of the project, Goodform have undertaken an initial systems evaluation to fully understand the current complexities of reporting activities to the government across all eight schools. Given the demand for the availability of useful management and financial information in order to monitor the effectiveness of the organisation, Goodform are helping to strengthen the efficiency of these processes.

With multiple schools to consider, and the high demand to gain a place at each school, there is a clear need for one consistent, flexible and transparent approach. Following the systems evaluation, Goodform will work with the Conservatoire on the development of an Information Strategy to highlight the extent to which a modern, complex organisation rely on information. Primarily, the strategy will focus on the information flow from the individual schools to the collective Conservatoire overview and then to Government, providing the cornerstone of a process to procure suitable software and systems for administering the schools and aiding the Conservatoire in its reporting obligations.

In essence, Goodform’s approach involves identifying the inputs and outputs required today, making allowance for the fact that some of these will change over time and, only then, commencing the process of identifying the best software/hardware solution to meet those needs.

Mahua Nandi, Director of Finance at CDD, commented, “Goodform have been an invaluable partner in making sense of the complexities inherent in our institution. They have brought a wealth of experience, good humour and a clear head to the process, for which I have been immensely grateful.”

*Image: Central School of Ballet, by Bill Cooper