On November 28, 2024, at the University of Danang (UD), the workshop “Sharing Experiences and Results from the Pilot KPI-based Staff Evaluation” was successfully organized with the participation of over 70 delegates from member universities of UD, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU), Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City (VNUHCM), and experts from the USAID Partnership for Higher Education Reform project.

The workshop aimed to share experiences in developing and piloting KPI-based staff evaluation systems across the universities, refine the approach, and set directions for scaling the implementation in the future. In his opening remarks, Prof. Dr. Le Quang Son, Vice President of UD, emphasized that establishing and applying a KPI-based system is a testament to UD’s commitment and efforts in innovating human resource management and integrating into international standards.

At the workshop, universities presented reports on their KPI-based staff evaluation pilot results:

• • Representatives from UD-University of Science and Technology – UD shared their results and experiences in implementing the KPI framework from 2023-2024 for lecturers and administrative staff,  including the introduction of an income allocation scheme based on work performance. The preliminary results indicated that the new evaluation method comprehensively assessed staff performance, combining quantitative and qualitative measures to maintain flexibility and specificity.
  • Representatives from the UD-University of Technology and Education (UTE) presented their pilot evaluation results for 19 staff in the Office of Administration and Organization, and 34 lecturers from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. The representative emphasized that the results accurately reflected staff performance and attitudes. In the upcoming periods, UTE will continue to refine and expand the implementation of the pilot evaluation to additional units by 2025.
  • Representatives from the VNU-University of Science shared their pilot experiences in evaluating 84 lecturers and 25 administrative staff over two years (2023-2024). Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Manh Cuong, Head of the Office Organization, Personnel and Administration stated that the evaluation criteria accurately reflected staff performance and attitudes, particularly for lecturers and researchers. However, he emphasized the need to upgrade the information systems and ensure financial resources for broader implementation in the future.
  • Dr. Pham Nguyen Minh Nhut, representative from UD-Vietnam-Korea University of Information Technology and Communication shared pilot results for 31 lecturers in the Faculty of Digital Economy and E-Commerce and 10 staff from the Office of Organization and Administration. Dr. Pham Nguyen Minh Nhut highlighted initial successes due to the small scale and close guidance from leadership. He also recommended standardizing KPI frameworks across UD to ensure consistency throughout the system.
  • Through the pilot results from the Office of Organization, Faculty of Physics and Faculty of History, representatives from UD-University of Science and Education confirmed that the results accurately reflected staff capacities. The evaluation criteria were deemed comprehensive and highly quantifiable. The university plans to expand pilot evaluations while improving tools to ensure data integration and standardization.

During the workshop, Prof. Dr. Vu Van Yem – PHER project expert, shared insights on piloting and proposed a roadmap for scaling KPI-based evaluation systems in higher education institutions. He suggested a three-phase implementation process:

1. Pilot Phase: Compare and adjust traditional and new methods to refine evaluation criteria.
2. Comprehensive implementation: Implement KPI-based evaluation across the entire institution.
3. Integration Phase: Utilize evaluation results for income allocation, appointments, and staff training.

These expert recommendations provide higher education institutions with a foundation to develop mid- and long-term plans for applying KPI-based evaluations, reaching the goal to foster a transparent and motivating work environment, enhance staff performance, and build a sustainable human resource management system.

Prof. Dr. Le Quang Son concluded the workshop by expressing gratitude for the support from the Project and reaffirmed UD’s commitment to continuously improve and perfect the evaluation model throughout UD’s system, contributing to the sustainable development of higher education in Vietnam