ADOPTIONOF ERP FOR SCHOOLS, A EASY GUIDE
Educationalinstitutions have been catering to the upliftment of society with theirservices and as the educational ecosystem has been growing today with many newtechnological courses' institutes coming into the spotlight,the ERPs or Enterprise Resources Planning software is being designed to caterto the market.
Dealing withmany technical terms that are floating around in the educational ecosystem, theERP software for schools and there need is recognised by many organisations.But what exactly is ERP software for schools? We, at Startupcity India, aregoing to break down the term for you:
ERP stands forEnterprise Resource Planning, the business management software is essentiallyequipped to help the institutions manage internal processes. While it hasalready created a lot of buzz and solutions in increasing the efficiency of thebusinesses and organisations, it is progressively viewed as an application thatthe educational institutions like schools and colleges can use.
HOW WILL THEERPS FOR SCHOOLS HELP SCHOOLS?
As mentioned, itis a tool to increase productivity, the ERP software for schools is a planningor management software being used to manage school processes and functions thatallows the institution of schools manage everything ranging from admissions toonboarding to fee receipt generation and student tracking. Now, with eachorganisation, the requirements may change and the ERP software holds thepotential to meet the same.
When it comes toschools, it involves a lot of elements including the data of children, parents,teachers, non-teaching staff, top management, etc, and to ensure that each ofthe processes is done on time from exams to management of the teachers, ERPbecomes a vital part of the school's functioning. To increase the efficiency ofthe processes, one cannot leave the tasks to manage as there were traditional,from manual recoding of teacher's attendance to tracking of student's fees.
It is time totransition from the slower, old-fashioned way of doing things to using asimple, accessible tool that is agile and manage s things faster and with moreefficiency. This is what ERP software for schools promises and offers as it isrevolutionary.
Having mentionedthat, let us look into the transformation ERP for schools brings in terms ofschool management.
HOW DOES ERPSOFTWARE FOR SCHOOL'S WORK?
"ERP is commonlymisperceived as a computer system. Not so. It's a people system made possibleby computer software and hardware." Thomas Wallace and MichealKrenzar's quoteis true. The ERP software for schools takes over the myriad processes andfunctions in a school but it is not representative of the fact that the humaninput is eliminated. What happens is that ERP software for school helps inmaximising this input by eliminating time-consuming and error-prone processesthat were bogging down stakeholders.
WHO IT IS BENEFITTING?
From theadoption of ERP in schools, which are the parties that are getting the helpneeded? Is the school management system software just for management andadministrator hoping to digitize some processes? No, all the parties involvedincluding parents, students, and teachers benefit from the use of the right ERPsoftware for school. They ensure that there is an enhanced parent and teachercommunication thanks to private communication channels between them allowingboth the parties to be accessible around the clock and from anywhere. It isalso a technology that will allow tracking of the student's progress to bemeasured more accurately and continually thanks to all this information beingfed into your ERP software for school.
The best ERPsoftware for school is focused on enhancing teaching, learning andcommunication consistently to create a win situation for the primary stakeholderin any school, the student, who benefits from the efficient functioning oftheir school.
WHAT DO YOUNEED TO START USING ERP SOFTWARE FOR SCHOOLS?
Well, before theadoption of any technology into any organisation., We have answered for you thebenefits that will be there, so the next important question is what'simportant? It is not apt to just start using any old ERP software for yourschool without performing due diligence. Here, schools must make sure that theERP software they are choosing to suits their school's requirements.
It is alsoimportant to ensure that the ERP software for school you have chosen for yourschool addresses your school's needs and puts the major problems to rest. Assaid, we are guiding you to choose the best ERP for your schools and hence,some factors must be considered well before you start using school ERPsoftware:
ASSESSING THEREQUIREMENTS
A priority thathas been focused on is to ensure you choose the right ERP software for schoolby conducting the assessment of the needs of your school. The best school ERPsoftware has to have some of the key features that will address its currentrequirements as well as cover any gaps or areas of improvement that currentlyexist.
After theassessment, various points will come to spotlight that will enable one tochoose the right ERP software for school, based on its features andcapabilities, instead of making an uneducated decision based on popular vote,the decision will be more valuable. Also, when we are at it, this assessment needsto be comprehensive to ensure that the ERP software for school as it willimpact the whole school. This means that the assessment of the needs ofstudents, parents, teachers, non-education staff, administration, andmanagement with equal weightage is done. Following this assessment, one cannarrow down on the key needs that the ERP software for schools will address.
TECHNICALROBUSTNESS OF YOUR SCHOOL
ERP software forschools is a technology-based addition to the business. Hence, the softwarethat is meant to meet certain requirements of the schools and for the same, inaddition to the need's assessment performed in the previous step, that focuseson requirements of parents, students, teachers, non-education staff,administration and management, there is a need for a technical assessment.
Yes, thistechnical assessment will zero in how technologically robust the school is. IfIt will boost the process of choosing the right ERP software for school tobecomes easier. If a school is already a high-tech school, choosing ERPsoftware for a school becomes easier as the school is ready to use the ERPsoftware for school to its full capability. In a less robust technicalenvironment, however, the requirement is of something lightweight butfunctional ERP software for school to ensure optimum functioning.
HOW TO BEEQUIPPED TO HANDLE THE ERP?
Based on theafter careful assessment of your school's needs, as you have now purchased theoptimal ERP software for school, it is now time that both technical and thoseof key stakeholders in your educational ecosystem are equipped to handle thesoftware.
While they arealready responsible for the efficient management of the processes, it is nownecessary to ensure that these stakeholders use the ERP software for school ina way it is meant to be used.
While ERPsoftware for schools is usually designed keeping easy to use interface in mind,not everyone has a natural inclination towards technology. Having mentionedthat, one mustn't ignore the importance of making sure that each of the staffmembers is well aware of their role.
What happens ifthis hump exists? It will comprise the otherwise using of your ERP software forschool to its full capability. But do not worry, this gap in knowledge iseasily addressed through training. The steps to be taken are holding workshopsfor every stakeholder to be conducted to onboard them onto the use of ERPsoftware for schools. These workshops will offer them with the insights ofeverything from explaining why this ERP software for school is being used inthe first place to the nitty-gritty of how to perform each of their currenttasks within the ERP software for school.
GET THESTAKEHOLDERS EQUIPPED AND START USING
The ERP is efficiently placed after the process of acceptance from all stakeholders on the use of ERP software for school which is necessary is done. Once the school adapts the culture that embraces technology with a focus on building both the skills and attitude that celebrates the use of tech in teaching, it will be ensured that your ERP software for school is being used effectively.
