Steps for Designing and Implementing an Automated Student Record System

The recommended process for designing or redesigning an automated student record system is described below. These twelve steps detail the sequence to use and the issues that should be resolved when identifying the solution for your education organization. As with most systems, however, these steps and their associated issues are never fully resolved because the whole process is ongoing. The standards and principles upon which the system is designed will have to be continually monitored and revised as needed by an organization.

The support of the organization is critical to successful implementation of a student record system. Data are not free. Organizational resources, including manpower, dollars and time, must be dedicated to the design, collection, processing, analysis, and reporting aspects of the student record system. Ongoing maintenance, operations, and training must be planned and funded from the beginning. Policies and procedures are needed that will provide for sound management of the system and elicit the highest quality, most accurate data from system users. Finally, users - those who will enter, analyze, and otherwise access the data - must be prepared to effectively maintain and utilize the system. Effective management will ensure that their concerns and needs are addressed in decisions made about the system, and will provide for training to ensure effective usage of the system.