If your school is considering a new SIS, you probably already know the task ahead. Getting people on board and excited about a change isn’t always easy, plus finding the time to review the product from multiple angles and comparing features and prices takes a lot of effort. The change itself can make a Tech Director’s head spin!
Before starting though, it’s important to take a step back and look at the larger picture. Consider the major systems you’re already using. This includes Admissions, Enrollment, Tuition Management, Accounting, Development, Learning Management, and smaller but just as important components like mass notification and school website.
The systems above are key pieces of a school’s digital operation and data flow between them must be considered. For instance, if you use a 3rd-party Tuition Management provider, how will you manage that data between the SIS and the Admissions system? Or, how will parent, student and staff data get to the Development system each year?
Changes like this are a great opportunity to think outside the traditional box of how things have always been done and see if there are ways to increase efficiency. With that said, doing this requires a collaborative leadership team that is potentially willing to make sacrifices in order to design the best solution for the overall school’s information flow.
Once you’ve looked at the big data flow picture, then it’s important to identify the pain points of your current design. What’s making you consider a move in the first place? If you’re going to make a move, what other areas are in need of improvement that may not be readily apparent?
Also consider the impact of a change. What’s good for one office may not be good for another. It’s also important to consider how a change will impact parents, students and teachers. If there are negligible benefits or even steps backward for community-facing components, does it really make sense to make a change? Everything must be weighed when it comes to the community-facing components.
Finally, recognize the time commitment. Leading a systems assessment, coordinating software demos and pricing, and doing a cost-benefit analysis is a lot of work when you already have a full load of tasks. Can you (and the school staff) put the effort into leading this process effectively, or will it be limited to best-effort because of time constraints? Don’t hesitate to contract out for this as it’s one of the most critical pieces of the process.
Ultimately you want to make sure you’ve considered all angles to a process like this, as school software databases are often some of the largest single expenditures in a budget and can quickly consume a lot of time in staff member schedules. If you’re doing to do it, doing it right on the front end creates a much better long-term result!
LeadershipOne Technologies is an independent school software systems and database consultant. We have hands-on experience using and implementing many of the solutions on the market today, and we maintain relationships with the major vendors to help you get what you need. We provide systems assessments, focus groups, demo coordination, project management, cost and feature analysis, implementation and configuration, and much more. If you’re considering a move, hire an expert to lead your process. Contact us today!