Implementing the new wave of client-centered student systems is a new world for most of higher education, but a world in which many of us are now fully immersed. The scope and complexity of these systems makes the effort far different from previous implementations. This session includes a discussion of the implementation process, project risks, and lessons learned in order to have a successful implementation. Other key early decisions include project staffing, project leadership, implementation phasing, and project communications. Client-server systems will not save money.
Implementation is just the tip of the iceberg.
The post-implementation phase is probably more demanding that the implementation itself. Therefore, plan as far ahead as possible for future resource needs. People who have been through systems implementations before assume they know what it takes, but this is different because it is client server and involves fully integrated systems. The bottom line on implementation efforts of this nature is that there is no one way to do this. Each campus must take these basic concepts, and create a plan that will work for them.