Are all management systems included in the review or only certain areas?

• What is the scope of the review?
• If the overall decision is made to move to a single integrated system, how will systems not included in the review be integrated?

What is driving the need for change?

• Genuine or perceived shortcomings in the existing system(s).
• Change of staff: New staff may be more familiar with a different system and believe that changing to this system will offer real benefits.
• Technological changes: Current system(s) may be becoming obsolete.
• Withdrawal of support for existing system by supplier, as they promote newer technologies.

What is the school’s timescale for this review?

• Don’t rush any review. There will be many more areas that need to be considered which will not come to light until the review has started, with other systems being dependent on data from a core system.
• The majority of schools will not have the luxury of a dedicated project manager who has no other tasks to perform. Consequently the review will have to be ‘fitted in’ amongst other tasks, which will take longer.
• How will any replacement systems fit into the budgetary calendar for the school?

Who will be the Project Manager?

• In many schools an existing member of staff will be allocated the task of Project Manager.
  • How will they be viewed by staff from other departments? Important to be ‘neutral’ in this role.
  • Communication skills are probably the most important attribute required. There will be a need to obtain trust and confidence from a wide range of staff, some of whom may feel threatened by the prospect of change. There will also be a need to communicate at a number of levels with prospective suppliers, who may have widely differing proposals and working practices.
  • Does the Project Manager have enough time to carry out this task? It may be necessary to reallocate some of their existing tasks for the duration of the project.
• It may be that a new appointment is made to manage this project. In this case there will need to be clearly defined roles and responsibilities and these will need to be communicated to all those staff involved in or affected by the project.
• Once the implementation phase is complete, will the Project Manager have a continuing role? In many cases they assume the role of Database Manager once the implementation is completed.

How much ‘common’ data is there?

• Core name and address records plus school records for Pupils, Parents, Staff, Former Pupils, Future Pupils.
• Importance of updating fields such as addresses, emails, telephone numbers so that correct communication details are maintained in all systems.

Many forms of integration between systems.

• Single central database containing all core data (Pupil records, parents, accounts, academic management etc).
• Specialised systems with automatic real time links to the core system, such as BACS payment software, messaging systems etc.
• Other systems with core data supplied from the central system but not updated in real time; updates must be performed manually.
• Reporting systems drawing data from the central MIS and other sources either in real time or manually updated.
• Manual updating of separate systems using agreed working practices within the school. This should not be ruled out in every case especially if the areas of integration are very small or there is a small number of records involved.

Managing integration between systems.

• Any form of integration between systems supplied by different suppliers (and sometimes apparently from the same supplier if they are a reseller for another company) will require careful relationship management to ensure that changes in one supplier’s product do not cause problems in the other supplier’s product.
• If some systems have been developed in-house, are any alterations or additions to the central MIS agreed with the MIS supplier, and are there likely to be maintenance issues in future if changes are made to the MIS?
• In the case of integrating systems from different suppliers, what track record do they have of working together? Are there other schools who have managed this integration previously.
• Important that the school’s Project Manager has full understanding of the requirements and practices in use and maintains records of these so that there are no surprises when changes occur.

There are potential advantages and disadvantages to both of these approaches, which must be considered carefully prior to starting the evaluation process and reviewed regularly as the process evolves. It is not uncommon for a school to start with one idea firmly in mind but to change direction entirely as the various options are explored in more detail.

Integrated systems – advantages:

• One supplier to deal with, who will have experience of managing projects of this nature.
• Database structure should support a single core record for personal details and addresses, to ensure that changes are handled as efficiently as possible.
• All users will be looking at the same core database, so updates to pupil records are accessible by all users to ensure that information reaches users as it should.
• SMT will have access to all relevant information about pupils whether the source is Administration, Finance or Academic.
• Common ‘look and feel’ to the system and the same terminology used throughout. Possibilities for users in one area to support others as the key functionality will be shared.
• One database, so security and backup can be managed centrally with minimal intervention by the school’s IT staff.

Integrated systems – disadvantages:

• There may be no agreement between departments as to which system fulfils their needs most completely.
• Compromise may be necessary in some areas.
• May not be the best solution if there is a history of “independent” working which some users may be determined to maintain. This is less of a system issue than a people issue, but it has been known to be a cause of difficulty in managing an integrated project of this nature.
• All data is in one place, so if one system fails all fail. In practice this is unlikely to occur and many schools will now have backup servers in place and redundancy planning which will mean this is not an issue.

‘Best of Breed’ – advantages:

• Each area of the school can choose the system which fits their needs best without compromise.
• Project timings can suit individual departments, with integration coming when the individual systems have bedded in.
• Chosen suppliers will have necessary expertise in their specialist area.
• No dependency on other departments of the school when working.

‘Best of Breed’ – disadvantages:

• Potential for data discrepancies to develop unless systems are fully integrated as described above.
• Possible hardware implications: more servers, or possible issues when installing different products on the same server (SQL Collation issues for example).
• More suppliers to deal with will mean a greater load on the Project Manager.
• Systems for integration may need to be designed. Do the suppliers have a track record in this area or will it be new to them?
• Timescales may be harder to co-ordinate between suppliers.
• Who is responsible for maintaining any integration software between systems? It is important that this is clearly agreed in advance between the school and its suppliers.
• Increased burden of testing to ensure that any integration software updates the fields required.
• Testing will be required after any supplier updates their software in a manner that may affect the integration software.

Essential whichever option is chosen.

• Most existing systems will have developed over a period of time where data requirements will have changed and the use of data also. A good example of this is in telephone numbers. In the past it was common practice to put some explanatory text after a number such as “Mum – work Tues-Thur”, which may not have caused any issues when originally entered but will cause problems if this data is to be used to link with SMS services for example. Nowadays, the MIS will have a field for Notes associated with the number and the number field itself will have a restriction to prevent characters other than telephone numbers being entered into it.
• Data entered over a period of years will inevitably have inconsistencies. How are names entered for example? A recent experience shows how this can cause issues later that may not be anticipated at the time. In this case all pupil surnames had been entered in block capitals. When the school started to use the database to produce their end of term reports, the names appeared as “Fred SMITH” rather than the required “Fred Smith”. In this case it was not hard to correct but other examples are easy to find. Addresses are particularly troublesome in this respect.
• If data is being taken from a number of existing systems to populate a single MIS, there will inevitably be duplication. The single integrated MIS will want to have one record per individual, but it can sometimes be difficult to determine which record is the most up to date or accurate. Reviewing this prior to data migration will be much easier than trying to sort it out afterwards. There is a limit to how much this process can be automated or farmed out to staff who don’t have the knowledge of the school and its pupils.
• Allow sufficient time and resources to carry out this exercise prior to data migration. This will normally be incorporated as a part of the overall project plan but it is important not to underestimate the time that may be needed to do this.
• Make sure that there is a plan for managing database updates in the period between taking data from existing systems and going live with the new system. This will need to be incorporated into the project plan with clear responsibilities for maintaining the data defined at this stage.

• Senior Management support. It is vital that a school-wide MIS is fully supported by all areas of Senior Management. A system that is seen as being “imposed” on the Academic staff by the needs of the Bursary is not going to find favour and it is all too easy to make a project falter if there isn’t full commitment from the school.
• The Project Manager should be a Senior Appointment in the school reporting directly to the SMT. This will give them the necessary authority to drive the project forward.
• Don’t rush the implementation. On paper or a Gantt chart things can look straightforward and all link up without hitches. This of course doesn’t take into account anything else that may be happening in the school which can and probably will delay things and interfere with the programme. Academic implementations will need to take account of holidays and other staff commitments as well.
• Make sure that all staff involved are kept informed of the implementation plan and timings.
• Hold regular review meetings, some of which should involve the supplier of the MIS.

Ensure that all staff receive the correct training in the use of the new system:

• Timing of training is important – too early and much will have been forgotten when the system goes live, too late and anxiety will result.
• Project Manager should have an overview of all training carried out.
• Use Cascade training to train Champions within the school who can then pass on their learning to others.
• Hold regular refresher sessions and add new learning gradually to avoid overloading staff.

Post Implementation Day to Day running:

• Essential that the workflow for all processes is identified and that all users are working in the same way. This is particularly important for data entry routines, where there is likely to be an interrelationship between Admissions, Bursary and School Office staff as a minimum. This will need to be managed very carefully if the staff concerned have previously been used to running separate systems.
• Make sure that users are aware of all support options available so that they can obtain help when they need it. These will include:
  • First line support from the school’s IT staff.
  • Support from the supplier’s Helpdesk.
  • Documents available from supplier’s website.

Review processes and overall implementation regularly.

• Staff changes.
• Requirements can change.
• Software can change.

• There is no ‘one size fits all’ independent school MIS solution.
• An iterative review process should be carried out before deciding whether to opt for a single MIS or multiple ‘best of breed’ systems.
• Good internal project management is key whichever route is chosen.
• Address any integration issues between systems with all those involved, including suppliers, IT and operations staff. Define responsibilities as clearly as possible.
• Review data held prior to transferring to any new system. Poor quality data will not give the best performance from any system.
• Involve suppliers on an ongoing basis to ensure that your requirements continue to be met and that you can take advantage of developments in technology and systems.
• Communication is the single most important factor in success, whichever route is chosen. This must start from the outset of any project.