The majority of failed modernization projects can be traced back to a failure to fully understand the state of the institution’s business systems and processes at the project’s inception. Even the best new tools and software are destined to fail if they’re used in the service of business processes and siloed approaches that can’t take full advantage of their capabilities. Relatedly, it is imperative to authentically assess the organizational culture and the willingness to change; these projects are both technology projects and organizational change management projects, dependent upon understanding and responding to both dimensions.

At the start of any business systems modernization process, it is essential to ask the hard questions, such as:

• Is our organization ready to undertake a modernization program?
• Where are the organizational and cultural barriers to success? What is the current state of our business?
• Are business processes and departmental workflows optimized to best support our staff, faculty, and students?
• Is our data house in order? Where does our data live? Do the right people have access to the right data when they need it?
• How can current processes and workflows be improved to add value to the educational enterprise, and position our institution to take advantage of modern business systems?

By answering questions such as these via a rigorous and proven assessment and optimization process, we’ll be able to position your institution for a successful modernization program.

EdgePro Assessment & Process Optimization Partner:

The second phase in your journey to business systems modernization is the configuration of your chosen ERP, SIS, and CRM solution. Modern software systems bring all of these functions together in order to provide data integrity, data-driven insights, workflow management, and improved student service and outcomes, all in one holistic platform – provided all integration points are known and properly implemented.

Business systems replacement programs at this scale are very complex and costly, from both a human and financial resources perspective. As such, they can be intimidating and often run the risk of bloated implementation processes, proliferating change orders, and ballooning budgets as organizational challenges or mismatched data are discovered along the way. Edge’s Managed Risk Method for Business Systems Modernization aims to alleviate these problems by taking a planful approach to the assessment phase, accomplishing the necessary discovery and optimization at the outset of the project, which mitigates for an on time, on budget systems deployment.

EdgeMarket ERP Software Partners:

An often overlooked element of successful systems rollout programs is ensuring end-users are properly supported and served and, thus, completely satisfied as the new solution goes live. With this in mind, the Edge approach includes a dedicated service channel for your staff, faculty, and students to engage for the first 90-120 days after the system or key system components are made available. Resistance to change is a vexing challenge for these high stakes projects, and the first sign of trouble from the user community can undermine a project’s perceived success in short order. This third phase addresses this potential risk by providing an expert customer care center and service desk dedicated to serving end users’ needs during the critical introductory period for newly implemented solutions. By delighting your user community with responsive, professional, and effective problem resolution, the likelihood of acceptance and accelerated ROI from the new systems is assured.

EdgePro Concierge Professional Services Partner: