In recent years, many schools have turned to management software as a means to streamline their operations. Some institutions use this type of system to improve the way they communicate with parents and teachers.
Concurrently, other schools have ended up using some system to enhance operational tasks, such as managing student enrollment or organizing school diaries, for example.
However, despite seeming like a trivial task, software implementation poses challenges and has a higher chance of success when following some tips. Therefore, follow along with the text to see the advantages of this type of software and what the best practices are.
Time Management with Management Software
One of the greatest gains that management tools bring to businesses is time management. Thanks to the computerization of administrative processes, you can track performance indicators in most systems.
In a way, it’s possible to track how long it takes for a student to receive a copy of their school transcript from the moment they requested it, for example. Moreover, some systems allow you to see these indicators broken down by user.
In this context, this systematic view of processes can allow you to optimize operations and deliver more efficient and quality service to students and staff.
Management Software Offers Greater Time Savings
Supporting the previous point, management software generally computerizes many processes, especially when it comes to requests and document generation. They provide a web interface and students and parents make requests in a computerized manner.
Some documents, such as school transcripts and invoices, are generated in real-time for parents, reducing human interaction in the process. Consequently, employees’ time is better spent on tasks that truly require human attention.
Reduced Paper Usage with Management Software
It would already be justifiable to say that thousands of trees can be saved. But, beyond the environmental commitment, management software also better organizes actions in sectors.
Forget about having stacks of paper with requests on the secretary’s desk. With a click, you can see them all in a system table and track the progress of processes on the computer.
Increased Parental Involvement
Some systems offer the possibility to generate monitoring pages for parents, containing the subjects their children are taking, their grades, notes on academic progress, class schedules, among other things.
Moreover, other software also allows the use of certain contact interfaces, such as WhatsApp, so parents can receive monitoring notifications or important messages.
Management Software Offers Higher Quality Work for Teachers
Still regarding management software, it’s not only the administrative sectors that gain advantages, but the academic ones as well. Typically, management systems allow teachers to computerize their processes.
Thus, it’s possible to register classes, materials, assignment reminders, and assessments for students. Additionally, in the case of multiple-choice or true/false tests, the system can do self-correction.
But, as mentioned earlier, there are some tips that will improve the implementation process of these systems. Let’s go through them:
Define Your Needs
The first thing to do is to identify the school’s pain points, which we’ll also call pressure points. These points will guide the choice of the system and the implementation as a whole.
If you notice many complaints from parents about the delay in producing students’ transcripts, consider this as a pressure point. Thus, the team of the chosen system will prioritize implementing and ensuring the transcript request system works perfectly.
With a list of pressure points in hand, let’s move to the next step:
Evaluate Available Management Software Options
At this stage, you already know what the school’s major needs are. Therefore, it’s time to look for a system that solves these problems. It’s recommended that you try to identify at least 10 companies.
After this mapping, you need to forward your list with all pressure points, as well as the names of all software already used by the school and that it would be interesting to integrate.
Some of them are:
Digital Agenda | My School App
Consider Budget and Compatibility
After receiving quotes and considering possible integrations, it’s necessary to do a cost-benefit analysis. Often, the company doesn’t have the integration you would like.
However, on the other hand, the system may have an excellent communication tool for parents and teachers. So, it’s up to the institution to decide which system will bring more value to its users, whether they are parents, teachers, or employees.
Some important points for the school to consider are:
- Support
- Investment possibility for improvements
Establish an Implementation Schedule
By this point, the school has likely chosen a software to use and is negotiating implementation. At this point, the most important thing to do is to create an implementation schedule that includes, in addition to technical issues, training for all involved.
Parents, teachers, students, and staff should understand how the system works. Therefore, it’s also important to set a final implementation date, providing peace of mind for both the school and the company that will implement the system.
It’s important to remember that one of the biggest causes of problems in implementations is tight schedules, as they often turn activities into a snowball effect.
If your educational institution needs management software, Ubistart can help in the development and implementation process of the system. Visit our website to learn more about our services!
