Monitored, measured and controlled SRS deployment — it’s a win-win.

Navigating the purchase and implementation of a new Student Record System (SRS) can be a pretty challenging process. Not only does it typically take 3-4 years, it involves a huge amount of resource and planning to match what the technology platform enables and what it actually needs to do. That’s why we’ve introduced a new way of doing things — a templated approach based on defined Higher Education capabilities that is really focused on expediting time to value and accelerating deployment.

I’ve worked in the technology solutions sector for over 20 years and have been with Ellucian in the Global Professional Services since 2016. What I love about my job is getting to work closely with institutions, giving them the foundations to grow and helping them quickly see the value from their new SRS. We do this in the following ways by leveraging a number of accelerators:

• An SRS activated against a pre-configured solution, but supported with a ‘FlexPot’ that enables us to ensure institution-specific requirements and future continual improvement needs are met.
• Alignment sessions where we can demonstrate to you and you can visualise the value of implementing with Ellucian using real-time simulations.
• Leveraging our specifically created delivery artifacts to simplify implementation, all aligned to the UCISA capability model.
• Removing the need for heavy lifting – Ellucian carries out the configuration, validation and simulations all pre-deployment so you get a much more complete package from the get-go.

It’s in the deployment phase, though, that the magic really happens — this is when your new SRS is brought to life. Because we do the heavy lifting, and because we leverage a templated approach, we can get to deployment far quicker than the market is used to.

Taking a templated approach also means that we can very clearly show you what you will receive so that you can be sure of exactly what you get. We provide you with a clear blueprint of the capabilities your new SRS will have, which will streamline deployment and minimise risk of scope slippage.

This method delivers a defined package of capabilities, each consisting of a range of documented proven practice business processes, underpinned by next generation technology all pre-configured and ready to roll out to your stakeholders with streamlined enablement. There are over 140 business processes from defined UCISA capabilities which include: curriculum management, academic administration, student admissions management, student administration, student support and wellbeing management.

When it comes to implementing the agreed package of capabilities, rather than following the traditional “build” style of implementation, we go through a programme of enablement to switch on and train your staff in how the solution’s pre-defined business processes operate. We also carry out ongoing testing and analysis during deployment so our customers can be confident that when the system goes live, it’s fit for purpose and aligned to customer expectation. This approach also allows you to add ‘bells and whistles’ post implementation so that you can continue to enhance the student and institutional experience.

This is a really positive thing for HE institutions, as it allows you to focus on genuine change management activity, rather than focusing on just a technology implementation. It also eliminates the risk of a “build by committee” philosophy emerging, which in our experience typically trends towards very long project lead times as well as the “this is how we always did it” approach holding back on innovation.

Finally, it’s our partnership approach that also drives value when deploying a new SRS, where we provide integrations to commonly used platforms within the sector which are part of our client’s ecosystem. We also offer Ellucian Ethos onboarding and support to ensure integrations are weaved in seamlessly into the SRS solution. This monitored, measured and controlled implementation process leaves you our customers with a new SRS and Ellucian as your trusted partner to pave the way for future growth.