Fail to plan, plan to fail . . .  The most important and sometimes overlooked step in the implementation of a new system or an additional module is the planning phase. Common sense tells us that successful implementations require a well thought out schedule documenting realistic timetables, resource requirements and accountability for tasks. Most importantly, the plan must consider your institution’s critical business needs.

Closely following the execution of a new Software License Agreement or Addendum to an existing contract, SCT PowerCAMPUS conducts an internal project kickoff meeting. This meeting includes your Regional Sales Manager, the Manager of Implementation Services, the entire Project team, and Contracts Administration. The purpose of this meeting is to share the knowledge gained about your institution during the system selection process with the group of people charged with the responsibility of helping you implement your new system.

The first meeting at your site will ‘officially’ kickoff the project. Members of the Project Team meet with you at your institution to begin the planning process and lay the foundations for the development of the project schedule. We encourage you to include the representatives from your institution’s various departments who will be involved in the system implementation. Together we will address expectations for the implementation, data conversion, user training and go-live time frame targets. SCT PowerCAMPUS will also provide a ‘pre-installation’ checklist to help you prepare for planning and installation processes.

Implementation planning generally requires a few days of concentrated effort and includes on-site meetings, conference calls, resource scheduling (yours and ours) and documentation of our findings. The total planning hours may span a 2-4 week period. The result is a detailed roadmap to guide the implementation. It’s important to remember that this is not a static document and must have the flexibility for expansion to allow for delays and reduction when milestones are met early.

Implementation Teams . . . During the vendor evaluation and selection process, many clients will have formed committees that have been put into action to guide the process. Depending upon the scope of the acquisition, these may be cross-functional teams that have been brought together to ensure the success of the project. Once a contract is signed with a vendor, there is no need to disband these committees. This group may make an excellent cornerstone from which to build the implementation project team.

As part of the implementation process, your institution may choose to employ methodologies that enable your project teams and steering committees with specific levels of decision-making capacity. Pushing this authority out to the Departmental Project Teams may serve to expedite the implementation, saving time waiting for approvals by promoting ownership and accountability for the success of the project to the people most affected by it.

After implementation is complete, we recommend an annual project audit to insure anticipated benefits are being realized and to plan future programs. These audits generally require 1-2 work days to complete. Because of the integrated nature of our solution suite, you may choose to maintain a standing Steering Committee that meets regularly to ensure that the information system continues to be responsive to the users’ business requirements.