Critical Success Factors to Consider while Implementing School Management ERP

  • 29 June 2015
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Educational institutes are increasingly adopting technology within their campuses. One of the most common software solutions that have successfully become a part of most schools and colleges across the world is the school/college management ERP. Since the inclusion of this software, many campuses have witnessed drastic improvements across various departments. School/College management ERP not only elevates the institute’s performance but also benefit the students, teachers, administrative staff and parents alike.

While SAP school management solution guarantees to improve the institute’s process, best SAP partners in India insist that there are some critical factors one must consider for the implementation to be a success.

Critical Factors Responsible for Successful Implementation

There are different elements that add up to produce successful results. However, some are more critical than others without which failure would be imminent. Some of them include:

  • Re-engineering of School’s Processes

Every educational institute comprises of numerous processes, such as tracking finances, handling admission procedures, logging the attendance and leaves, designing timetables and study schedules etc. Every institute has its own way of approaching and executing these processes when they are done manually. However, when SAP School management system comes into the picture, most of these processes need to be re-engineered. Changes need to be modified so that they fit into solution’s functionalities. Re-engineering helps in achieving highly effective outputs. On the other hand, if you are already using an ERP system and are interested in making further improvements, SAP B1 partners would advise to opt for customization. It helps in adding value to various processes and produce great results.

  • Handling Change Management

It isn’t usual for staff to harbor resistance against the new technology. It may even be ironic that the very people who teach their students about adapting to change, learning new things and keeping an open mind find themselves acting the opposite way when they resent the inclusion of a new software solution. The implementation does not end with the introduction of new software solution in the organizational system. Instead, change will be observed in different departments such as library management, fees management, managing communication etc. Change will be present in every department which should be handled gently instead of rushing through the process. The initial resistance is quite natural and shouldn’t bog down the institutes. Once they are overcome, the efficiency and performance of the school’s processes will improve significantly.

  • Training

You may be flooded with numerous SAP options which you can implement in your school/college. Different partners may suggest different solutions for you but the best SAP partners in India would agree on one common fact – provide extensive training to all staff members once the solution is incorporated. End-user training should be provided to understand the complexities and functionalities of the solution. Training also helps in maximizing benefits, reducing costs, saving time and minimizing the overall efforts. Effective training has always proved to be the primary factor leading to successful implementations.

  • Involvement of Higher Management   

The decision to incorporate school management system isn’t taken by one person. An entire team is involved and many issues need to be finalized before one can zero in on deciding which solution to purchase and similar decisions. When the higher management is involved, informed decisions can be made much faster and accurately. Accountability for every decision and strategy goes up reflecting in final results. Additionally, their support leads to commitment across all the other departments as well.

Key Takeaways

These four factors play quite a critical role in determining the success of SAP solution’s implementation. Overlooking either would be quite detrimental to the organization, putting great risk on the investment. SAP B1 partners suggest that educational institutes should focus on optimizing the benefits that are a result of automating different processes. A place that is responsible for molding hundreds of students’ lives should not compromise on elevating itself first. Implementing SAP school management system is the first step to achieve that. Rest will follow for the good.

Nidhi Batra

About the author

Nidhi Batra is a marketing and brand communication professional with 10 years of experience working in the dynamic B2B marketing environment. She strategizes, writes, reviews a variety of content for demand generation and sales support activities. Having a Master’s in English from Delhi University, she knows how to navigate her readers on insightful journeys with her SAP published blogs and thought leadership content.