--- title: "Manual vs Software-Based SPMI: A Full Comparison | Sikoola" description: "Manual internal quality assurance (Word, spreadsheets, shared folders) compared with SPMI software: three years of PPEPP evidence, audit findings, cost, and when manual is enough." url: https://sikoola.com/en/spmi-manual-vs-aplikasi/ lang: en published: 2026-11-14 modified: 2026-11-14 author: Sikoola Indonesia --- Comparison · Internal quality assurance (SPMI) # Manual SPMI or software: which one lasts to year three? Manual SPMI means running the PPEPP cycle with Word documents, spreadsheets and shared folders. SPMI software records every step of that cycle in one system, with the date, the person responsible and the evidence. The manual way is enough to get started. The trouble shows in the second and third years, when assessors ask for proof that the cycle ran consistently for at least three years. Request a quotation letter See the comparison Written by the Sikoola Indonesia team · Based on Permendiktisaintek 39/2025 and the BAN-PT accreditation instrument The short answer ### The rules require SPMI, not software. Assessors grade the trail the cycle leaves. Choose the way that keeps that trail from getting lost. - Manual is still enough The campus is writing its first quality standards, has only one or two study programs, and internal quality audits do not run routinely yet. - Software starts to be needed The campus has more than three study programs, runs an internal quality audit every year, and aims for an Unggul (Excellent) rating or international accreditation. - What software cannot replace Leadership commitment, standards written with care, and people willing to follow up on findings. Comparison ### Eight things that differ when the PPEPP cycle runs. The last two rows favour the manual way. We say so plainly. Comparison of manual SPMI and SPMI software Aspect Manual SPMI Word, spreadsheets, shared folders SPMI software Such as Sikoola SPMI Where evidence lives Manual Spread across shared folders, email, and staff laptops. Software Attached to the standard and year it proves. Change history Manual File names like “final-revision-3”. Who changed what is hard to trace. Software Every entry is recorded with the name of the person who made it and the date. Internal quality audit findings Manual Written in meeting minutes. Follow-up is chased by message. Software Every finding has an owner, a deadline, and a status until it is closed. Summary per standard Manual Rebuilt every year from many files. Software Charts per standard and across years are available at any time. When quality office staff change Manual Knowing where the files are leaves with the person. Software The cycle history stays in the system. Before the site visit Manual Weeks spent collecting and tidying evidence. Software Evidence is organised by cycle from the first day it is recorded. Upfront cost Manual Close to zero, since it uses tools you already have. Software There is a licence or subscription fee, plus implementation. Time to start Manual You can start today. Software Standards must be mapped and users trained first. Work it out yourself ### How much evidence must you be able to find during the site visit? Use your own campus numbers. Three years is the length of PPEPP cycle evidence asked for the Unggul rating. Study programs 10 Standards evaluated each year 12 Evidence files per standard 4 10 × 12 × 3 = 360 · 360 × 4 = 1.440 1.440 evidence files over three years 360 standard evaluations, and each file needs a date, an owner, and a follow-up you can show. A worked example from your inputs, not data from any campus. Each square is one standard evaluation. {n} SPMI evidence files over three years for {a} study programs. evidence files over three years Send this result to the Sikoola team Copy the link for the leadership meeting What the regulation asks ### An SPMI that only lives in a filing cabinet no longer counts. The new rules leave less room to assemble evidence just before a site visit. Here is what changed. - Article 67(1) “Higher education institutions must carry out internal quality assurance by developing an SPMI.” In practice, SPMI is not optional, and quality documents alone are not enough. The cycle has to run. Permendiktisaintek No. 39 of 2025, Article 67(1) - BAN-PT accreditation instrument For an Unggul (excellent) rating, the PPEPP cycle must run “for at least 3 years, consistently, continuously and proven effective.” In practice, evidence you don't record today cannot be gathered three years from now. BAN-PT institutional accreditation instrument, as presented by LLDIKTI Region VI, July 2026 - Permendiktisaintek 10/2026 · Article 77 A program that does not yet meet the standards gets one chance to reapply within six months. If the reapplication also fails, it becomes unaccredited. In practice, six months is too short to build evidence from scratch. Permendiktisaintek No. 10 of 2026, Article 77 Sources: Permendiktisaintek No. 39 of 2025; summary of changes in Permendiktisaintek No. 10 of 2026, LPM Universitas Andalas; presentation of the university accreditation instrument, LLDIKTI Region VI. Sentences outside quotation marks are our summary. When to switch ### Signs that the shared folder is no longer enough. If two or more signs in the right-hand column feel familiar, your cycle has outgrown the folder that holds it. #### Manual still makes sense when - The campus is writing its first quality standards document. - There are only one or two study programs, and internal audits are not routine yet. - One person holds every file, and they will not be reassigned any time soon. #### It is time to switch when - Nobody is sure whether last year's audit findings were followed up. - Every site visit means weeks of overtime. - The campus aims for Unggul, which asks for three years of cycle evidence. - Leadership asks for a quality chart across years, and the answer is “we will put it together later”. Without starting over ### Moving to software does not mean throwing old documents away. - 01 #### Bring the standards you have already set Approved quality standard documents are the starting point. Our team maps them into the system together with your quality office. - 02 #### Start recording from the cycle already running No need to wait for a new academic year. The stage under way is recorded straight away, with its evidence. - 03 #### Attach old evidence to its standard Self-evaluation reports and audit results from previous years are attached to the matching standards, so the history is unbroken. Want to see how it works? [Open the Sikoola SPMI page and run one PPEPP cycle](https://sikoola.com/en/aplikasi-spmi/). FAQ ### Questions about manual SPMI and software Another question? Ask us directly on WhatsApp #### What is manual SPMI? Manual SPMI is internal quality assurance run with Word documents, spreadsheets, email, and shared folders. The PPEPP cycle still runs, but its evidence and follow-up are spread across many files and depend on the memory of the people who manage them. #### Does SPMI have to use software? No. Article 67(1) of Permendiktisaintek No. 39 of 2025 requires universities to develop SPMI, but does not regulate the tools used. What accreditation assesses is evidence that the PPEPP cycle actually runs. #### How many years of PPEPP evidence does an Unggul rating need? BAN-PT's institutional accreditation instrument asks for the PPEPP cycle to run for at least three years, consistently, continuously, and proven effective. The sooner the cycle is recorded, the sooner that requirement can be met. #### Is a spreadsheet enough to manage SPMI? For a small campus just starting out, yes. Spreadsheets start to struggle when study programs grow, internal audits run every year, and findings must be tracked to closure by many people at once. A spreadsheet also does not record who changed what, and when. #### What should be prepared before using SPMI software? Approved quality standard documents, a list of units and study programs with the people responsible, the internal audit schedule, and the previous year's self-evaluation reports and audit results. If the standards are not complete yet, writing them can start alongside the installation. ### The quality cycle you run this year is your year-three evidence. Record it somewhere that does not disappear when staff change. Request a quotation letter Chat on WhatsApp now Sikoola Indonesia · Perdos Unhas Tamalanrea, Makassar 90245, Indonesia WhatsApp +62 811 445 4497 · hello@sikoola.com