Product Portfolio: Ryazan Region Higher Education System. Is There an Alternative to Academic Program Director? (Case of Perm State University). Development and Testing of an Intra-university Model for Analyzing Master’s Programs

The product is a study of the higher education system of the Ryazan region. The study was commissioned by Ryazan State University to be presented at the Council of Rectors of the Ryazan Region. The aim of the project is to propose approaches and tools to increase the competitiveness of the Ryazan Region's higher education system. A general concept for the development and interaction of universities in the Ryazan region has been developed in the context of the "Strategy for the Socio-economic development of the Ryazan Region until 2030", taking into account the industry specifics of universities and the geographical location of the region. A special feature of the project is the use of marketing analysis methods (analysis of search queries as a tool for analyzing applicants' desires prior to submitting documents). The presented case was developed as an educational product for the Perm State National Research University (PSNIU). The purpose of the problem-oriented case is to immerse the university's management and individual structural units (and the personnel reserve) in the problems of educational program management models. The case has a number of features: a retrospective presentation of a problematic situation within the framework of one university, an artistic form of presentation of the material, visualization tools. The development team piloted and tested the case within the framework of the educational process, and proposed a toolkit for solving the case, which includes mapping the functionality of participants in the educational process in the context of educational product management (based on the responsibility matrix in project management theory) The research is devoted to the development of a master's degree analysis model in the context of project and product approaches in management theory. Modern management theory has sufficient tools for application both in educational institutions as a whole and in relation to individual products, projects or processes. The complexity of using classical tools in relation to the management of the master's program lies in the intersection of project management and product management approaches, as well as the need to take into account the interests of a large number of stakeholders. The purpose of the work is to form an intra–university model for analyzing graduate studies (management process and educational outcome) at a university and to assess the completeness of data for management decision-making purposes. Based on the theory of stakeholders and the responsibility matrix, a model for analyzing data on the management process of the master's degree program and the results of the program development is formulated. Using the example of the Master's degree analysis model for the Faculty of Economics of Perm State National Research University, a toolkit is demonstrated that allows: - assess the completeness of management data (including identifying the "absence" of data on the stages of the educational program implementation), - identify conflict zones (intersection of responsibility zones and/or absence of those responsible), - identify the excessive workload per performer and the need to expand staff/ team/ redistribute functions, - formulate an approach to coordinating the roles and functionality of process participants and stakeholders (internal and external). The proposed model of the master's degree analysis is an effective tool for systematizing the management of educational programs in universities. It allows you to identify key problems and areas for improvement, and also contributes to a more efficient allocation of resources and responsibilities among the participants in the process