Design and Expert Validation of the MIGEAS Model: A Data Analytics-Driven Framework for Strategic Management and Functional Integration in Higher Education

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) face increasing challenges in effectively integrating their core functions of Teaching, Research, and Community Engagement (TRCE) while responding to growing demands for quality, accountability, and data-informed governance. This study aimed to design and refine the Integrated Strategic Management and Functional Integration Model (MIGEAS, from its Spanish acronym: Modelo Integral de Gestión Estratégica y Articulación Sustantiva), a Data Analytics (DA)-driven conceptual framework intended to strengthen strategic management and the articulation of core university functions. The framework was developed through a design-oriented process combining theoretical synthesis with exploratory diagnostic evidence obtained from specialized institutional informants, semi-structured interviews, focus-group discussions, documentary analysis, and Force Field Analysis. The diagnostic evidence was used to identify institutional conditions and design requirements rather than to support population-level statistical inference. These findings informed the dimensions, components, relationships, and six implementation phases of MIGEAS. The resulting framework was subsequently refined and evaluated through a three-round modified Delphi procedure involving five purposively selected experts. Expert judgments showed moderate but statistically significant agreement during the first two rounds and strong convergence in the final round (Kendall’s W = 0.921, p < 0.001), following successive modifications based on expert feedback. The findings support MIGEAS as an expert-refined conceptual framework that integrates strategic management, Data Analytics, functional integration, organizational change, and continuous improvement within a unified institutional architecture. The framework provides a structured basis for future implementation and evaluation in diverse higher education contexts.