Slate Strategy Sessions: Cycle Prep/Reset

TJ Backofen joins us in this episode for a practical deep dive on making Slate cycle prep/reset more efficient, sustainable, and impactful. The discussion begins by leveraging Technolutions’ resources and then adapting these optimized practices for institutional/local contexts. At a minimum, core operations must routinely focus on auditing all data entry points and integration feeds (e.g., applications, forms across scopes, imports/exports). On the people side, the emphasis is on clear governance, designated project managers, and over-communicating with stakeholders. Above all, documentation and a biannual cadence are the game-changing habits for collaboration and ensure that wins and lessons learned become transparent and repeatable processes.

 

📝 Transcript |  🤖 AI Expanded Summary

 

📺Watch this Episode on YouTube

 

🔗Connect with Jon Linkedin | Slate Community (🔐requires Slate login) | ReWorkflow| ReSource

🔗Connect with TJ Linkedin | Slate Community (🔐requires Slate login) | ReWorkflow | ReSource

 

❓Listener Question:

"How to make Slate's annual cycle prep more efficient?"

Connect with Luo Luo, Director of Enrollment Systems and Operations, Roosevelt University | LinkedIn | Slate Community (🔐requires Slate login)

 

💡Key Takeaways

✅ Cycle prep is an ongoing process, not just a one-time event. Treat it as both a scheduled rest/refresh as well as routine system stewardship.

✅ Understanding the unique needs of your institution is key to effective cycle prep.

✅ Anchor on Technolutions’ Slate Knowledge Base and cycle prep resources. Supplement with internal tools/processes and Slate Community advice.

✅ Audit data entry points and integrations every year.

✅ Invest in documentation to turn wins and lessons learned into repeatable process.

✅ Engaging stakeholders early in the cycle prep process is vital.

✅ Adopt biannual cycle prep to halve the load, increase training opportunities, and keep your Slate instance cleaner.

 

🗣️Sound Bites

• “…cycle prep could be compared to spring cleaning. It's something that is absolutely necessary, but no one ever wants to do it. And then when you get into mature cycle prep, meaning your system's been around for several different cycles, you can do spring cleaning with children around. And anyone who's a parent out there knows how difficult it is to get anything done with those children around.”
• “One tip that I always have is to make sure you check those static mappings…It's kind of like you shove everything behind the closet, you shut the door, it's working…you need to open the door because that's where most of the hidden surprises are stored.”
• “Being over communicative is very important as well, especially with your users. So they're aware of what's going on. Once you start there, then you get the feedback, you get the buy-in, and you can really start understanding their pain points, their weaknesses within the system, on top of just getting the system ready for their next cycle.”
• “I think sometimes the longer you're in the system, the harder it is to see the downstream impact on end users, because you can build something that's just technically robust. But if it doesn't make sense to the end user, did you build anything that's actually usable? And in cycle prep, you can have those conversations.”
• “So, I think that little wins will come out of cycle prep conversations. The important thing is not to do it in a cycle.”
• “I think Slate is one of those really good tools where you never master everything completely. It's always evolving and it's like a shifting landscape. And that keeps me engaged and I hope Slate users who love it, really it keeps them engaged as well.”

 

📚Referenced

• Technolutions