ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software solutions, is the technology that manages, monitors and streamlines all the administrative processes for an educational institution, and fills a vital communication gap between teachers, parents and students.
ERP software solutions use a few applications or modules (like chapters), that all work together harmoniously, bringing data from various departments to connect together into one database.
Whatever task any staff members need to complete, no matter from which department, an ERP system gives all the information with just a click of the mouse.
3 Major challenges ERP software solutions solve
As with all industries, educational institutions also have their challenges.
Let’s take a look at how implementing ERP software solutions solves the most pressing challenges facing higher education institutions today:
#1: Automation of tedious processes
ERP software solutions are built to take all those mundane, time consuming but necessary tasks and do them for you in a fraction of the time it would usually take to complete manually.
Admissions, HR, staff management, and academic deliveries are all tasks that ERP software solutions automate.
Adapt IT’s ITS Integrator technology is an ERP software solution built specifically for education. It offers deep functionality that supports the specific statutory and functional requirements unique to educational institutions.
For example, management is able to monitor student intake numbers, related incoming funding, and provision of books. The system can trigger confirmation of accommodation, make automatic class allocations, and ensure optimal lecturer timetabling.
The integrated nature of ITS Integrator, with a module based on ICAS software, allows for complete management of the student lifecycle, including attendance, examination and graduation. Lecturers are able to digitally enter their marks, and the automation makes for quicker turnaround time.
The solution automates class and examination timetables, interfacing with CELCAT Timetabler products distributed by Adapt IT CELCAT Timetabling.
By automating complex processes, ERP software solutions save your staff time, eliminates human error and removes complexity. All this is reflected in the institution’s financial bottom line.
#2: Integration with other software
The problem many businesses face is a failure of various inter-departmental technology working together harmoniously.
Most ERP software solutions are built to integrate with other software your institution has already implemented, and if your institution has already implemented any of the software included in the services that Adapt IT Education offers, the system integrates them all together seamlessly.
Because all the software components work together, process complexity is made simple and more effective for humans.
When the ERP software solution automatically shares information across departments, the need to duplicate tasks manually is cut out, and so is data-entry errors and wasted time.
Good ERP software solutions like ITS Integrator maintains data in real-time, so that when one person enters information into the system, no matter where in the world they do it from, all connected departments are able to immediately work from the updated data without any interaction with the person entering the data.
#3: Keeping information organised
With so much going on, and so many avenues of communication needed – between students, parents, faculty, and departments, it’s a challenge keeping information organised, although, for educational institutions specifically, the organisation is critical.
At their most basic level, ERP software solutions remove the need for paper, sticky notes or remembering things.
ERPs comprise multiple applications, or “modules” and each of those modules exchanges information with each other. So, for example, if you were to add account information in one of those modules, the ERP solution would automatically add that vendor to all relevant modules, for example, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, General Ledger, and so on.
In addition, good ERP software solutions like ITS Integrator, includes Wisenet software, which is owned by Adapt IT Education, and offers an entire productivity planning resource to bring together records, notes, and tasks for ultimate productivity and with minimal effort.
With these ERP software solutions, staff may create tasks and easily distribute them. They are able to add due dates and checklists and track task progress.
Summary of software to solve complex challenges
ERP software solutions, as Adapt Education offer through their various tools, solve the most complex challenges of educational institutions.
ITS Integrator is the name of the entire solution offered, but within the technology sits other tools that can be used alone. These include:
- CELCAT Timetabler automates class and examination timetables, and interfaces with ITS Integrator.
- Wisenet offers an entire productivity planning resource to bring together records, notes, and tasks for ultimate productivity and minimal effort.
- ICAS allows for complete management of student lifecycle, including attendance, examination and graduation.
