Introduction
This document outlines the key factors to consider when planning for and managing your Bromcom MIS implementation. It is based on best practice in systems implementation and many years’ experience implementing Bromcom in schools.
That said, some of the best people to advise you on how to transition to Bromcom are schools who have already made the change. There are thousands of schools now using Bromcom, many of whom are willing to share their experiences with others. If you want to speak to a reference site, you can:
- Contact enquiries@bromcom.com to receive a list of reference sites in your area.
- Join the Bromcom community (once you’ve purchased with us) by emailing Community@bromcom.com
This guide covers:
- Who this guide is for
- Pre requisites for a successful MIS implementation
- Project planning
- Change management and training
- Data Migration and Go-Live
- Post go-live support
Who this guide is for
This guide is intended for use by:
- Those responsible for managing or leading Bromcom MIS implementations.
- Those involves in migrating to Bromcom from another MIS system.
Pre requisites for a successful MIS implementation
Bromcom has decades of experience implementing Bromcom in schools, Trusts and LAs. Our ”top” pre-requisites are:
- Involve the right people in the purchasing decision – those who are super users of your MIS should have a clear idea of their requirements.
- Spend enough time at the Sales stage to understand whether Bromcom meets those requirements. Make sure you have at least one demonstration, with the right people in attendance, and ideally have a play with our demo system too.
- Speak to other schools – as above
- Read the guidance that Bromcom provides – starting with this guide and this checklist.
Project planning
Project team
Bromcom will appoint a project manager to manage Bromcom’s deliverables – the technical implementation and data migration.
Depending on the package you have purchased, you will also get access to a Customer Success Manager.
Schools should appoint an individual with the requisite skills and authority to handle the day-to-day implementation and also a senior sponsor to ensure the project is successful. Effective senior sponsorship is a critical success factor for any change project like this.
Bromcom implementation framework
Please note: only secondary schools get a test migration. Primary schools get a training system.
Scope of go live
It is best practice to stagger your Bromcom implementation to reduce risk and reduce the amount of training that staff need to do upfront. Bromcom comprises multiple modules and it is likely you don’t need to use all of these from day one.
Create a ”roadmap” for a phased implementation and from that determine a change management plan which includes staff training and communications at the right time (i.e. not too long before they go live with the module) and any other changes such as changes to school policies or procedures. Please see section two, ‘change management and training.’
Planning your go-live date
Bromcom will agree a go-live date with you that fits with your timelines as part of the planning phase. Ensure you read the dates in your Bromcom deployment project plan and communicate the final cut-off date for using your current MIS to relevant stakeholders as early as possible.
You’ll also need to agree what you will do with your current MIS and any redundant applications once Bromcom has been implemented to ensure people do not keep using these applications – for example, removing staff logins. Your IT department can help you with this.
Project reporting, governance and controls
Formulate a plan for how you will keep stakeholders informed about the project, focussing on the key milestones where they need to take action and attend training.
Decide how you will govern the project – bigger projects may need a project board, but single schools may find this enough to cover at their regular SLT meetings.
Getting your contacts registered with Bromcom support and Community
To register for Bromcom’s training, support desk, or Community, you will need to add your school contacts to Bromcom’s online portal help.bromcom.com. Do this as early as possible – don’t want until your school(s) is live.
Please read this guide for instructions on how to register your contacts with Bromcom.
Change management and training
This part is the most important role of the school project lead. Moving MIS is a big change for many roles in a school but with careful planning, this can be managed well.
Understand the change
Plan the change you are introducing by role or by module. You can use a simple impact assessment tool, such as the one provided by your Bromcom project manager, to list the changes by role or by function e.g., timetabling.
Training
A comprehensive and high-quality training programme is the single most effective way to ensure a smooth go live.
Identify who needs training early on in the implementation, using the information on the Bromcom training website and in particular, the individual training agendas to plan this.
Your project plan provided by your Bromcom project manager contains a more bespoke training plan.
Ensure your nominated staff book their training sessions as early as possible and make sure that they inform you that they have booked in.
All training sessions are recorded and sent to attendees after the session, but do not rely on staff watching recordings – ensure that staff have sufficient time to focus on the live training in real time
Use the training (or for secondaries, test) system with your own data to practice running processes in the system – this a great way for staff to get familiar with the product..
Reports
Reporting is one of the most important functions of an MIS. Make a note of any reports that you rely on in your current MIS and want re-created in Bromcom. Make sure you attend the Reporting training course to ensure that these can be replicated in Bromcom. Not all will be needed for go-live so agree which are needed immediately and which can be created later on.
Interfaces
Ensure you understand the current applications and data in use, and how this will change when you move to Bromcom.
Identify the interfaces between your MIS and your other systems and formulate a plan for replacing these (if needed) when you move to Bromcom.
Replicating interfaces is usually straightforward and your supplier will do this for you, but you should make them aware of your go live date well in advance. Usually they will configure the interface on your live system once it has been handed over, but some will configure this on your test system for you to test.
Please refer to the Bromcom website for a list of applications we interface with.
Communication plan
Internal and external communication will be critical to minimise confusion during the project and ensure everyone knows what is happening and why (the benefits!).
Agree who is responsible for this communication within the school and how best to communicate with staff.
Bromcom has a range of helpful videos and guides on our Help Centre for non-core users: teachers, parents and students.
Data migration and Go-Live
Provisioning Bromcom – for your IT department
Bromcom is available via most web browsers.
You may need to make some minor changes to your IT policies to optimise system performance. You’ll also want to ensure you have access to gotowebinar for training, and the Bromcom URL’s. Please read the internet explorer guidance and whitelisting guidance available on the Help Centre.
Users will be migrated from your current system with a default teacher role. You can set up single sign on for these roles, or choose for them to use Bromcom’s assigned login credentials. This is explained further on in this guide.
Data migration (for those who have purchased a data migration)
Scope
Read the relevant Data Migration Scope documents on the Help Centre and ensure you understand which data will be included in the migration and which will not.
Bromcom data migration is for your MIS and does not include any ‘bolt-on’ applications (most of which do not store data). Where additional data, information or documents do need to be migrated into Bromcom, you can often use Bromcom’s import facilities outlined in your training sessions, or purchase additional data migration support. If you decide to import documents into Bromcom you may need third party software to export them from SIMS, so please talk to your Bromcom project manager and read this guide.
Decide what you will do with any data that is not included in the scope of data migration. Generally, archiving should be sufficient as any data you need to operate Bromcom day-to-say will already be included in the scope of the data migration. Create an archive plan that provides secure access to the residual data items for the period required.
Data migration process and checking
Bromcom will provide a secure facility for you to transfer your data, if we are migrating at the database level, or we will provide instructions on how we are retrieving the data via API.
You should not email your data to Bromcom or anyone else.
Agree who will have responsibility for transferring the data and let your Bromcom project manager know.
Once you have a test system it is your responsibility to check the data as part of your UAT process to ensure you’re happy with it. You can report any issues to onboarding@bromcom.com.
User acceptance testing (UAT)
Bromcom provides a training or test system for you to train and conduct UAT on. Although you do not need to conduct UAT as Bromcom is ‘’off the shelf’’, a UAT process can be helpful for familiarising users with the system.
Security, including roles and permissions
Access management
Agree your identity and access management policy – will you be implementing single sign on (SSO)? If so, decide when you will implement this and test it before deploying it to users. Read the Single Sign On Guide.
Remember that if you implement SSO in your test system as this will need to be unlinked and replicated again in your live system.
Roles and permissions
Understand the roles and permissions in the Bromcom MIS and agree who needs which role. Bromcom will provide a single administrator login credentials to a nominated individual, who will then be responsible for provisioning your roles for the wider user base.
As part of the migration all users are provisioned a basic (teacher) role.
Configuration before go-live
Please use the Bromcom go live checklist for a list of the main tasks required after the live system is handed to the school, ahead of your first go live day.
Trusts, Federations or Local Authorities – using Vision to configure your schools
You can use Vision to configure linked MIS systems: for example, user defined flags, roles, and lookup tables.
If you want to use Vision for this, make sure that you attend your Vision Training well before your schools go live.
Post go-live support
This section is for customers who have purchased support from Bromcom rather than a third party.
Helpdesk support
Agree who will be responsible for raising calls with the Bromcom helpdesk and make sure you use the online form to get these added to the system.
Familiarise yourself with the Support Desk contact channels and opening times and communicate these to the relevant stakeholders.
Transition Support
Once live, customers who have purchased support from Bromcom will receive support from a Customer Success Manager. This consists of regular phonecalls, or Teams meetings that start on day one of your go live and continues until you’re happy and confident using the MIS.
Your Bromcom project manager will book the go-live phonecall with your CSM. Make sure that you are happy with the time that the first phonecall is booked for, have arranged for the correct people to attend.
Additional training requirements
If you are implementing Bromcom in phases remember to complete your extra training before you start using the additional modules at bromcom.teachable.com/p/home.
System maintenance and releases
Bromcom releases new enhancements, features and products every few weeks. However, this does require a shift in mindset for customers who are not used to this. To ensure that you maximise the benefits of these new features, agree who will be responsible for keeping abreast of the changes and communicating these to your users, and arranging any follow up training or guidance.
It is also best practice for a senior sponsor to maintain responsibility for the system and ensuring staff continue to realise the benefits of the system.