Insight
September 26, 2019
The replacement of a legacy system can result in great excitement and energy in an organization. People enter these projects with intentions of moving the organization forward, saving time and money by becoming more efficient thereby making them more competitive. Not too long after the project is started organizations will begin to experience problems not considered or more likely ignored when implementing ERP systems. Most of these problems have occurred before in other organizations which is the reason, they are called are unforced errors. Unforced errors are only prevented by knowing the cause and making the corrections needed to avoid them. This article discusses some of the unforced errors that I have personally experienced and the methods used to avoid or mitigate their damage.
September 18, 2019
In the last article the funding pipeline for systems were discussed and as mentioned systems are often implemented without the full support of the district and without fully understanding the impact of a new system to the district, Information Technology Department, and the overall budget. Because of budget constraints this practice is not going away. Instead this article discusses the types of ERP systems in the K12 sector, critical systems needed prior to implementing an ERP system, reasons for keeping older systems, and near-term improvements that can be made to existing systems to extend their use while developing a long-term implementation and resource plan for the districts’ systems.
September 9, 2019
Too many times, large projects are initiated without a business case, total cost of the project, and budgets for ongoing maintenance, support, and license costs. This happens for several reasons but usually because funding is made available in the form of grants, bond referendums, loans or an operating budget surplus; all of which are not reoccurring. This article provides an example when districts will use temporary funding to implement new systems and provide implementation strategies that can mitigate some of the unfunded implementation and future costs.
September 4, 2019
For many reasons school districts have been reluctant to adopt biometric and facial recognition to identify students, staff, parent and community members. The reasons are based on student privacy, civil liberties and long-term consequences of a breach. In this discussion biometrics and facial recognition are used for the sole purpose of identification authentication. Without moving forward with this technology school systems will become even more disadvantaged in terms of operational, efficiency and safety. This article discusses three main reason why school districts should adopt and use these technologies.
August 28, 2019
This article will focus on steps that can be taken to help in recruiting and retaining employees. By creating a modern-day work culture where employees can, when appropriate, work from home, have flexible work hours, and job share employees will be treated more like their peers in the private sector. It also suggests that the organization embraces the gig-economy where temporary jobs and contracted employees are common place and people are generally self-employed.
June 14, 2019
In my last article I discussed the argument for uniformity in 1:1 deployment in districts with high mobility rates and discussed the benefits. However, there are many reasons that district have disparate systems. This article discusses methods to maintain the integrity of a 1:1 initiative when implementing devices and curriculum different than the 1:1 model, continuing measuring programs’ successes, and minimizing the support needed.
June 13, 2019
This article discusses why and when high school mobility rates should be the driver for a 1:1 device deployment. It speaks to an implementation where devices and curriculum should be identical for each grade level and the benefits that can be derived from this uniformity. It will demonstrate that uniformity will lead to equity because the devices and curriculum can be provided to all students regardless of the school they attend.
June 6, 2019
Recent natural disasters demonstrate that they are occurring year-round. The West experiences fires and avalanches during the Summer, nor’easters bring the Northeast to a standstill during the Winter, tornadoes rampage the Midwest during the Spring, and hurricanes can strike the South well into the Fall. This article provides five rules to help districts should they have to prepare for or clean-up after a natural disaster. Note, for this article all disasters will be described as an Event.
May 30, 2019
As districts continue to integrate and transfer data to and from multiple systems and decide on interoperability standards this article discusses the need for an Interface Identification and Implementation framework. This article discusses three current influences that drives a data integration framework. They are Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), personalized and differentiated instruction, and the Internet of Things (Iot). There new influences and requirements will need an entirely new set of integration points and data models.
May 30, 2019
This article discusses the resource and expertise deficit that school districts’ Information Technology (IT) organizations face today. It suggests that IT organizations adopt a One-Time Resource Model that uses contracted expertise to fulfill a single need or requirement.
May 23, 2019
The driving force behind truly integrating technology in education Written by Scott Montgomery As a management services company partnering with K-12 districts across the county, Worldgate […]
May 23, 2019
This is an area I am interested in developing and pursuing with districts. Many districts are using student data and some teacher data to provide personalized instructions. The operational systems and the data they can provide to also improve student achievement and realize business efficiencies is often not a district priority.
May 21, 2019
This article is a different slant on cybersecurity and discusses the reasons for having data governance and a continuous improvement flow. I need to create a flow for this demonstrating that government and business influences can change how data is used and the requirements around data resulting in continuous reviews.
May 15, 2019
This provides a way for the chiefs to begin to understand on a very complex issue and allow them to ask the questions to determine the progress the district has made in cybersecurity. It also provides another inventory for districts to use or to demonstrates that Worldgate has the experience to assist in this area.
May 9, 2019
This article describes the different cloud models and demonstrates that districts are already using cloud technology. It suggests that districts should have an inventory of their systems; both on-prem and cloud. It also provides a methodology for capturing their inventory. It discusses what should be included in cloud contracts. These are simple methods, low tech and provide a starting place.
May 2, 2019
5 Things School Districts can do now to prepare for a Modern ERP System Written by Diana Richie Transitioning to a new, integrated ERP system is […]
April 30, 2019
This article articulates Worldgate’s knowledge and concern for student achievement and digital equity. It can also be used for new CIO’s as a checklist. New superintendents should not have to focus on IT but, like transportation, it can lead to problems and headlines. It is the only article that speaks directly to the CEO.