The academic management software for schools that failed before it even started

Implementing academic management software for schools is a decision that should not be taken lightly. Since this system will become the vehicle for optimizing the institution’s management, you need to pay close attention to every step of the process: from selection, through implementation and launch, to ongoing monitoring once it is up and running.

According to data from The Standish Group, 83.9% of IT projects fail1. This undoubtedly represents a challenge for any institution that wants to implement a solution that affects how the school operates.

That is why, in this post, we will share some of the most important tips for implementing academic management software for schools so that the project is a complete success.

Table of contents

• Step 1. How do I choose the right academic management software for my school?
• Step 2. What should I keep in mind before implementing academic management software for schools?
• Step 3. What factors should I consider while implementing the solution?
• Step 4. Post-implementation activities
• What makes the implementation process of Phidias academic management software for schools different

Step 1. How do I choose the right academic management software for my school?

When looking for academic management software for schools, it is essential to keep the following points in mind:

The process map

First, you need to be clear about which processes you want the new system to manage. For example, if you expect school software to optimize all of your academic management, you need to know the scope of the system in order to set realistic expectations and focus on what would add value to the institution’s processes.

A centralized database

You also need to make sure that the academic management software for schools manages a single database — in other words, that everything is centralized. The purpose of this is to optimize the administration of information and processes.

Integration with other technologies

Another essential point is that the software can integrate via API with different solutions, as this provides flexibility and allows it to adapt to the changing environments inherent in the institution’s operations — for example, access control, payment, invoicing, accounting and scheduling systems, or an LMS (Learning Management System).

Academic management software for schools that is constantly updated and scalable

Although this point is sometimes overlooked, it is important to confirm with the provider that the system:

• Is constantly updated
• Can cover future needs (scalability)

Regarding the first factor, remember that cloud solutions, by their nature, receive automatic updates on a regular basis. As a result, schools can be confident that cloud-based academic management software will give them a platform that stays up to date.

As for scalability, what needs to be assessed is whether the software makes it possible to add or modify features/modules quickly and flexibly as the school’s requirements evolve. In this sense, it is advisable to be cautious with “custom-built solutions,” since providers often focus only on the institution’s current needs, leaving no room for possible future changes or growth.

It must be secure

This is one of the most critical points. Since every educational institution handles a great deal of confidential information about students, parents and school staff, cybersecurity must be a priority when choosing academic management software for schools.

In this context, you should look for a system that both provides advanced security tools (e.g., role- and permission-based configuration, HTTPS access across the entire platform, secure password storage, encrypted data handling, frequent backups, etc.) and makes it possible to implement good cybersecurity practices at the school.

The latter matters because even if a school has a secure system, that level of security will be of no use unless it is accompanied by good practices on the part of its users.

Remember:

Security is not only the responsibility of the system, but also of its users and the administrator.

Don’t miss: Is your educational software prepared to prevent a system vulnerability? Find out how to assess it!

Step 2. What should I keep in mind before implementing academic management software for schools?

Once you have decided to implement school software, you need to keep the following in mind:

Establish an implementation plan

As with any technology project, the first step is to establish solid planning that meets the school’s needs. In this plan, it is very important to:

• Be clear about the tasks to be carried out
• Assign the right people to be responsible
• Ensure that resources are available
• Choose the project management methodology that best fits the school’s requirements

This makes it possible to carry out an implementation plan that meets the agreed deadlines and expected scope.

Appoint project owners and leads

In addition, both the school and the provider must appoint their respective project owners and leads. There also needs to be a point of contact on each side, who may be one of the project owners.

The aim of all this is to ensure continuous communication in order to build functional work teams, since communication is key to the project’s success and to keeping risks from materializing.

Develop a change management plan

When it comes to technology implementations, resistance to change is often part of the process. In the case of academic management software, this resistance can come from any member of the school community: students, parents, teachers or administrative staff.

For this reason, it is advisable to establish a change management plan within the school before starting the implementation project. This plan should include activities such as:

• Running awareness campaigns about the benefits of the new system.
• Making sure the vision and objective of the implementation are communicated effectively.
• Analyzing future users to identify who is resistant to change, who is indifferent and who is willing to adopt the new technology.
• Providing the necessary training so users can adapt to the new system.

Step 3. What factors should I consider while implementing the solution?

During the implementation stage, the important factors to consider are:

1. Establishing tasks, timelines, owners and milestones.
2. Sharing lessons learned and best practices from previous projects.
3. Maintaining constant and assertive communication between the project leaders. This serves as preventive work to ensure the project’s success.
4. Monitoring and controlling the project using management indicators (including the completion percentage).
5. Adopting an agile methodology for removing blockers. This approach aims to make the delivery of the academic management software for schools faster and more efficient.
6. Creating a schedule that shows activities, timelines and owners.
7. Defining communication channels between the teams.
8. Putting into practice the user training program established in the change management plan.

Step 4. Post-implementation activities

Although launching the academic management software for schools is the ultimate goal of the implementation project, the process does not end there. From that point on, it is necessary to:

• Hold a series of monitoring meetings after go-live in order to stabilize the system’s operation.
• Hold a project closing meeting to validate compliance with the schedule and the level of satisfaction with the deliverable and the launch, and to share the lessons learned throughout the project.
• Verify that the change management plan was carried out correctly during the implementation process and go-live.

What makes the implementation process of Phidias academic management software for schools different

At Phidias, we have designed an implementation process that stands out for the level of support it provides. It is characterized by configuring the system hand in hand with the team appointed by the school.

In addition, our Customer Service team aims to help every school get the most out of the system. To do so, we provide personalized consulting, training and configuration tailored to each institution.

Closeness, support, guidance and security are the values that set the implementation process of Phidias academic management software for schools apart. Get in touch with us and see why the best private schools around the world trust us!

1 The Standish Group. (2020). The CHAOS Report 2020: Beyond Infinity. [*Latest edition published as of the date of this article].