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HESA x Plaid

Data with Purpose.

Smart data. Strategic action.

Why Partner?

Higher Education Strategy Associates (HESA) and Plaid Analytics (Plaid) are joining forces for a timely collaboration, combining deep sector strategy with advanced analytics. Each brings distinct strengths—HESA in strategy, policy and institutional advising, Plaid in data systems, automation and prediction—and together, we offer integrated trusted solutions that neither could deliver alone. We provide services such as data mapping, diagnostics, custom solutions, and strategic enrolment management support. 

This joint venture is deliberately designed to meet the moment: helping postsecondary institutions navigate complexity with smarter tools, clearer insights, and more data informed decision-making.

Value Proposition

Canada’s postsecondary institutions face urgent and complex decisions. Institutions are being asked to do more with less. That is why HESA and Plaid are proud to announce a strategic partnership grounded in shared values, complementary strengths, and a deep commitment to higher education in Canada.

HESA’s strength in academic strategy and alignment complements Plaid’s reputation for fast, reliable, and actionable analytics. Both teams are future-focused, collaborative, and committed to practical solutions that help institutions adapt with confidence and unlock their full potential. Together, HESA and Plaid offer something institutions urgently need: a bridge between insight and action. 

We know institutions are not suffering from a lack of data—they are struggling to transform it into decisions. Whether it is unlocking siloed systems, aligning data with board or leadership-level questions, or ensuring that analytics programs reflect institutional priorities, HESA x Plaid is positioned to help postsecondary leaders move from complexity to clarity.

Together we do this by:

  • Identifying where data flows break down across the institution and who is impacted
  • Understanding what local data stewards need to enable effective sharing and use
  • Designing tailored interfaces and integrations that connect systems and support decision-making
  • Embedding analytics within leadership frameworks to improve strategic enrolment management and student success
  • Supporting executive teams to interpret and apply data and analytics to broader policy and planning contexts

Conducting strategic data reviews and institutional mapping exercises help ensure that leaders have access to the right data, in the right form, at the right time to enable more informed, timely, and confident decision-making.

Arrange an introductory conversation with us.

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HESA x Plaid:
Joint Service Offerings

HESA and Plaid offer a variety of engagement approaches that help institutional leaders identify data challenges, map solutions, and implement custom tools that bridge the gap between insight and action.

Strategic Discovery & Data Mapping

Strategic Discovery & Data Mapping

Designed for institutional leadership, such as Presidents, Provosts, CIOs, Institutional Research Officers, and beyond - seeking immediate clarity on data barriers and actionable next steps.

HESA x Plaid will each send a senior advisor for a two-day campus visit, conducting up to 8-10 qualitative interviews with leaders and key data custodians. Together, we will:

  • Clarify the institution’s most pressing strategic or operational data needs
  • Identify points across the institution where the flow of data is inhibited
  • Understand what local data stewards need to share and use information effectively
  • Create a high-level visual map to graphically outline key data blockages and pathways 
  • Recommend immediate opportunities, as well as high-impact areas for further attention

Deliverables: Strategic map and summary memo with prioritized recommendations
Estimated cost: $9,500 (with options to scale)

Visual Mockup

Tailored Solutions & Implementation

Strategic Discovery & Data Mapping

Institutions often face persistent data challenges that limit their ability to act quickly—fragmented systems, long timelines, inconsistent reporting processes, and limited visibility into real-time performance. HESA x Plaid offers custom-built technical solutions to help institutions overcome these barriers and enable data-informed decision-making at every level. Drawing on Plaid’s expertise in data engineering, system integration, and analytics infrastructure, we work with institutions to design and implement tailored solutions. 

Examples include:

  • Connecting siloed data systems to enable more consistent, automated reporting
  • Building dashboards for predictive analytics or operational forecasting
  • Creating interfaces that better surface real-time insights for leaders and analysts

Scope and pricing vary depending on institutional needs.

How Plaid Supports Institutions to Leverage Automation

Plaid helped Río Hondo College build a modern data stack: an automated data pipeline, data warehouse, and data visualizations to help the College meet their enrolment and student access goals. The College continues to work with Plaid to grow their data program, including integrating data from their Learning Management System, producing accountability reporting for the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, and providing professional development training sessions to their data and analyst teams. 

Learn more about our capabilities and how to similarly support your institution.

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Deep Dive Diagnostics

Strategic Discovery & Data Mapping

Engage HESA x Plaid to offer a focused investigation into one silo, department, or data reporting schema / system within your institution to help unlock potentials. 

This type of project involves a one-day visit, up to 12 qualitative interviews, and a comprehensive technical audit of processes, platforms, and systems. The goal is to understand how data is currently captured, integrated, and used—or not used—to support decision-making, reporting, predictive analytics, and institutional planning.

Deliverables:

  • A detailed process map and diagnostic report
  • Identification of pain points, untapped opportunities, and system inefficiencies, along with best practices and potentials
  • Scaled recommendations to guide improvements to systems, interfaces, and reporting pipelines

The insights and outcomes can support leadership efforts to gain more accurate, timely, and aligned reporting, champion a data or innovation initiative, and mobilize internal action with an independent assessment.

Scope and pricing vary depending on departmental and institutional needs. 

Wish to learn more about how we can support your institution: Talk With our Team

How HESA Identifies System Roadblocks

The Ontario Council for Articulation and Transfer (ONCAT) commissioned HESA to undertake an exercise with 25+ Ontario post-secondary institutions (over several years) to help colleges and universities identify strengths in their transfer credit processes / data platforms, and most especially areas for improvement. HESA engaged in deep dive diagnostics to map the transfer credit processes, flow and data platforms across these institutions. 

The project, which has rolled out in phases as new institutions come aboard, draws on the expertise of administrative staff and clear process maps to visualize pathways, identify pain points, and develop recommendations. The student perspective is also included through both surveys and focus groups. The outcome is an evolving project that is gradually streamlining credit transfer processes for colleges and universities across Ontario, and shares best practices across the post-secondary system.

Image 1 | Image 2

Each institution was provided with a summary report of findings, along with a series of working scenarios and detailed Transfer Credit Process Maps. You can learn more about this work here. Below is a model for the kind of scenario-based process mapping that helps clients identify and fix problems in information flow.

Transfer Credit Process Map Example

Citation: https://oncat.ca/assets/oncat/documents/projects/media-files/mapit_-_final.pdf

How Plaid Supports Institutions to Project Future Enrolment

Plaid built a forecasting system to help the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Medicine to enhance their ability to project the number of medical residents, estimate training and teaching costs, and funding requirements from the provincial government. This project involved building an automated data pipeline and warehouse, a web interface (built by an internal team), and a forecasting tool that would allow users to explore different growth scenarios. UBC can now forecast resident numbers more accurately for each medical program and effectively assess training and payroll full-time equivalents. This improves academic, clinical, and financial planning enabling informed and data-driven decision-making for the future of their medical school. 

Learn more about this project and how HESA x Plaid can similarly support your institution.

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Strategic Enrolment Management (SEM)

Strategic Discovery & Data Mapping

Strategic enrolment management requires more than a strong recruitment strategy. It demands institution-wide coordination, predictive analytics, and data-informed decisions that support student success from first contact to graduation, and beyond. In today’s competitive and resource-constrained environment, effective SEM is essential for building a sustainable, diverse student body; improving student success; and ensuring institutional financial health.

HESA x Plaid’s SEM support brings together the policy, planning and platform gaps that too often isolate recruitment from retention, and data from action. Together, we provide leadership teams with an integrated strategy and smart systems.  

Together, we support institutions in:

  • Guidance on aligning SEM strategy with institutional priorities, objectives and resources realities
  • Moving from siloed recruitment and retention efforts to integrated SEM strategies
  • Designing governance and operational models that align decision-making across academic and administrative units
  • Developing analytics frameworks to understand what drives student success, persistence, and long-term engagement
  • Designing smart dashboards, integrated reporting tools, and predictive models to support data-informed SEM strategy

We would welcome the chance to engage with your leadership team to discuss your needs, to develop a tailored plan to support your strategic SEM needs.  

Contact our Team

Developing a SEM Framework for York University

In 2022, HESA developed a new SEM framework for a major university which moved beyond recruitment to consider factors during retention and alumni engagement. We considered how the university could build a diverse and sustainable student body, recognizing that wraparound support services contribute to student retention. Retaining students both helps individuals to succeed and helps maintain a healthy and diverse community. We worked to put equity, diversity and inclusion front and centre.

The new SEM structures helped streamline SEM administration within a complex university and focus attention on issues on which it is desirable to engage faculty, such as enhancing student experience.

Why HESA x Plaid?

HESA x Plaid engagements help surface actionable insights, advance innovation in practical ways, and increase the return on existing data investments. Leadership teams gain external perspective while maintaining control over priorities, change efforts, and internal capacity building. 

Each engagement is designed to fit the institution’s scope, budget, and timeline, providing a structured pathway from assessment to implementation.

Why We Chose to Partner

We partnered with HESA because Canadian higher education needs bold, coordinated solutions.

“Our shared belief in higher education as a force for transforming lives, communities, and the country brought us together. We’ve long admired the work of Alex Usher and the HESA team, and this partnership powers insights and impact in ways we once only imagined, at a time of immense change. We’re thrilled to team up with Canada’s leader in higher ed strategy, and bring our advanced data processes and predictive models to help more institutions confidently chart their future.”
Andrew Drinkwater & Patrick Lougheed
Founders, Plaid Analytics

Click below to talk more with Alex, Andrew and Patrick

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Let’s Start a Conversation

If your institution is working to improve enrolment  strategy, address data challenges, or strengthen decision-making, we would be pleased to discuss how HESA x Plaid can support your efforts.

Reach out to explore how we can support your goals.

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Learn more about Plaid

Plaid Analytics empowers Strategic Enrolment Management (SEM) with enrolment & tuition forecasting, automated data pipelines, and data governance to ensure your staff can access decision support data accurately and securely. What we do is based on creating data insight, but how we do it begins with first understanding what you want to achieve, how you are currently working with your information, and the people behind the data. We work to bridge the gaps with solutions customized to your needs, providing you with the tools and techniques you need to achieve your goals.

Learn more at Plaid.is

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