Implementation Projects: Land Mines and Other Lessons

Abstract

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute totally replaced its administrative computing systems in a series of projects during the 1990s. Along the way many lessons were learned, and recent projects have been consistently successful. This paper looks at the process by which new systems are implemented and highlights the lessons learned. Six phases are identified, covering the entire process from first concept and software selection through ongoing upgrade efforts and thirteen "Land Mines," or common mistakes, are identified. Two large projects that implemented much of the Banner suite from Systems & Computer Technology Corporation (SCT) are used to provide examples.

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