HIGHER EDUCATION
CRM Transformation Readiness for Universities.
Universities across the UK are investing in CRM platforms to transform the student experience. The ambition is right. The readiness is rarely in place.
The Pattern We See in Higher Education
Universities invest in CRM but move to implementation before governance, service design and internal capability are in place. Most lack in-house experience of requirements writing, service design, or software delivery disciplines like Agile, sprint management, UAT and show-and-tells.
The result is predictable. Discovery absorbs build budget. Requirements are unclear. Decisions stall. Internal teams are not equipped to own the platform. The implementation partner leaves and adoption drops.
Universities are not software delivery organisations. That is the starting point.
Maven Kairos works upstream of implementation to make sure your university is structurally ready to own its CRM platform. We do not build CRM. We make sure you are set up to build it well and to keep it running long after the implementation partner has left.
No Governance Model
Decisions stall because there is no defined authority, escalation route or timeline for decision-making.
Requirements are based on current state processes, not a designed future student experience.
No Service Design
No Internal Capability
The institution relies on external partners. When they leave, adoption drops.
No Delivery Experience
Teams have no familiarity with Agile, sprint cadence, UAT or requirements writing.
How FOUNDATIONS Works for Universities
The Partner Ecosystem
We prepare the ground so that your implementation partner can focus on building, not discovering. We define the roles so that your recruitment partner can place the right people into a structured model. We build the governance so that you, the university, remain in control throughout.
The System Administrator: A Structural Role
The CRM System Administrator is the single most important internal role in a CRM programme. Most universities do not appoint this person until after implementation has started. By then, the implementation partner has made architectural decisions without internal input.
In FOUNDATIONS, the System Administrator is identified at Stage 2 and embedded throughout service design, requirements definition and build. By go-live, this person understands the platform from the inside.
Indicative Timeline
This upfront investment prevents the 12-18 month delays that routinely affect universities that skip the readiness work. Moving fast means moving once.
Preparing for CRM transformation?
If your university is preparing for a CRM investment, or is already in implementation and recognising the gaps, we would welcome a conversation about how FOUNDATIONS could support your programme.