Why modernising a live institution is uniquely complex

Higher Education institutions have to modernise while continuing to operate. Admissions, enrolment, assessment, teaching, reporting, student support and finance must all continue while systems, data, processes and ways of working change around them. That makes modernisation more than a technical programme: it’s an institutional decision about priorities, risk, people and the capacity to change safely.

Start with institutional priorities, not a replacement decision

A legacy platform may be the most visible problem, but replacing it isn’t automatically the right starting point. Leaders first need to agree what the institution is trying to achieve, which outcomes matter most and where current systems, data or operating models constrain those priorities. This creates a stronger basis for deciding what should be stabilised, replaced or redesigned.

Use evidence to understand where the real risk sits

Evidence helps leadership teams separate urgent symptoms from structural problems. Fragility may appear as a failing interface, a recurring reporting issue, a process that depends on individual knowledge or a student-facing workflow that staff continually rescue by hand. Each can indicate wider questions about ownership, data quality, governance, capability or institutional risk.

Align leadership and governance before delivery begins

Transformation becomes harder when different parts of the institution are working from different assumptions. Leadership alignment doesn’t require everyone to agree on every detail, but it does require a shared view of the intended outcomes, the decisions that must be made and the governance needed to make them. Without that foundation, programmes can move into delivery while fundamental questions remain unresolved.

Shape the business case around institutional outcomes

A credible business case should do more than justify the purchase of a platform, so it connects investment to institutional strategy, student and staff outcomes, risk reduction, operational resilience and the cost of leaving current constraints in place. It also needs to be honest about dependencies, resource requirements and the organisation’s ability to absorb change.

Build a realistic transformation roadmap

Once priorities and evidence are clear, leaders can shape a roadmap that sequences change according to risk, dependencies and capacity. The first step may be stabilisation. The next may be simplification, clearer ownership or targeted redesign. A roadmap creates a shared view of what happens when, why that order matters and how live services will be protected throughout.

Assess organisational capacity and change readiness

The strongest plan can still fail if the institution doesn’t have the time, capability, leadership attention or change capacity to deliver it. Readiness therefore needs to be assessed early and revisited throughout. This includes the availability of key people, the maturity of governance, supplier dependencies, internal capability and the cumulative pressure of other programmes already under way.

A real engagement perspective

PACT’s feasibility work with the University of Sheffield shows why this upstream stage matters. Before a full implementation decision, PACT assessed the proposed approach across system capability, data quality, resources, costs, timelines and risk. Findings were presented to the university’s steering group, giving stakeholders the opportunity to test assumptions, refine priorities and establish a clearer, more informed path forward.

Protect live services while building confidence for future change

Modernisation should improve the institution’s ability to manage both the current programme and the next one. That means protecting continuity, reducing hidden fragility and leaving behind clearer ownership, stronger evidence and more repeatable ways of working. Success becomes more than a go-live date, but rather an institution that’s better equipped to make decisions and absorb future change.

How PACT can help

PACT works with university leaders to understand where legacy systems, data and operating models constrain institutional priorities. We help leadership teams assess the evidence, agree priorities and shape practical transformation roadmaps that protect live services while building confidence for future change.

If your institution is deciding what to stabilise, replace or redesign, speak to PACT about creating an evidence-led route forward.