[km.ases]

Our school is undergoing the project of migrating from Admissions & Registrars to Education Edge, NetClassroom, Faculty Access for Web. We purchased 5 days tailored onsite training. In addition, we purchased onsite support for the migration process.

We would love to get some ideas on how to structure the project to get the most value for our money. Have any of your been through onsite migration and training? If so, did you use the same person for migration and for training? How did you structure your training agenda? What worked and what did not work for you?

Any words of adivse are greatly appreciated!! Thanks in advance.

[CindyLynn]

Who are you using for your onsite training? Usually they should be able to provide you with specific topics to be covered in order to make the most of the time spent. I have heard a lot of great things about Capital Business Solutions. They have consultants that have worked with schools to implement and train on FE, EE, and RE, and they are usually able to offer a specific outline based on your set up to maximize training needs. It would just require some background info on your set up and the way things are done at your school. I believe that they have the same consultant do all of the work as far as configuration, import, and training so they have a full understanding of your database and set up. It probably wouldn't hurt to check with them.
Capital Business Solutions: Offering Fundraising Software & Fund Accounting Software for Nonprofits

[km.ases]

We have contracted directly with Blackbaud.

[Cygnet]

As an independent consultant, and former Blackbaud-employed consultant, I'd like to offer you a few tips:

> Try to speak with your trainer as early as possible -- the more advance knowledge they have the better they can address your specific concerns. For example, if you are a membership-driven organization you may want the trainer to spend proportionately more time on that than on Events, or some other module.

> Ask Blackbaud if your consultant will also be your trainer. The best situation is when you have as few people involved as possible. Every time you get a new consultant and/or trainer you have to re-introduce your organization (goals, challenges, mission, priorities, staff roles and responsabilities, etc.)

> Communicate, communicate, communicate. Share documents and get to know your trainer/consultant. The most successful projects are ones in which you and your consultant/trainer have a personal relationship and can openly talk about how the project is going. If something doesn't feel right, bring it up early on. The worst thing to do is let things simmer until they boil over.

For anyone reading this that has not yet contracted for a trainer/consultant - be sure to check out your options. Check references - not just company references - but organizations that have actually worked directly with that consultant/trainer. Not all trainers are equally qualified, and very few are qualified in all areas of all products. Look for someone with a proven expertise in your specific area of need and look for someone willing to listen to your needs before building a training agenda. You don't want a cookie-cutter solution or training.

[kcoop]

I would agree with the others. However, my experience with my clients (and previous implementation experience) is that the training process and set up process should not be done in the "Big Bang" method. Initial training in canned classes is usually just a good over view. It is not until you actually start working with the software and have to set everything up that you realize you need a lot more information. A good consultant not only can train but can also help you with the processes you currently have. They should be able to help you streamline your process, if they cannot provide concrete options for you, then their experience is limited. I agree that checking references (even the Blackbaud consultant they provide you) and request a resume from Blackbaud of projects the consultant has worked on. Get names and call the other clients. If there is any possibility that the consultant is still pretty green, request a rate reduction. That is a fair request in any software implementation. The other thing I highly recommend is to "document" what your processes are. I have worked with a couple of clients who had their main Blackbaud admin at their school leave. The knowledge they take very much hurts the school, one school I worked with only had two weeks to get a schedule for 800 students working when their Admin moved out of the country! Best of Luck and make sure that you insist that the consultant work for you... do not accept the phrase "Works as Designed" from them.

Karla Coop
KDC Technology Partners, Inc.
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