Client Success Stories
A High-Stakes ERP Decision with Million-Dollar Impact
Originally rooted in a primary and secondary school model, a growing Canadian institution* now serves learners across trades, technical, workforce, and continuing education programs—and is actively evolving into a modern post-secondary institution. This transformation brings new expectations around enrollment management, financial stewardship, faculty workload, and student services.
Behind a solid student experience, the institution’s operations were strained and fragmented:
- Multiple, disconnected student systems for the Adult Learning Centres, English Language Centre, and Continuing Education
- Finance systems approaching end of life and operating separately from student and HR systems
- Heavy reliance on manual “sneaker net” processes, where files were passed around and re-keyed into different systems
Despite these inefficiencies, students generally reported satisfaction because staff were going to heroic lengths to make things work. But leaders knew this wasn’t sustainable, especially as Canadian institutions face increased pressure to manage enrollment, diversify revenue, and compete for both domestic and international students.
The institution needed an integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that could:
- Consolidate and modernize student, HR, and finance processes
- Support a move from an annual term to a multi-term (trimester-style) structure
- Enable credit-hour tracking and faculty workload management
- Provide a future-ready platform to support ongoing growth and change
They also wanted confidence they were choosing the right system and negotiating the best possible deal.
Case in Point
Public post-secondary institution in Canada
Student population: ~4,000 students
Challenge
While students were satisfied with their experience, behind the scenes, staff were going to heroic lengths to keep things running. Recognizing that operations had become strained and fragmented, leadership made the strategic decision to overhaul its enterprise systems to support more streamlined, sustainable operations.
Partnership
The institution partnered with CampusWorks to bring a disciplined, collaborative, and future-minded approach to system selection, contract negotiation, and readiness efforts, ensuring a smooth and effective implementation.
Results
► Unanimous ERP selection aligned with the institution’s future-state vision
► 18% reduction in ERP contract costs through strategic negotiation
► A clear, phased roadmap from fragmented systems to integrated operations
► Strong executive sponsorship and broad stakeholder engagement
► Foundational work in process redesign, data governance, and change management to de-risk implementation
Pathway to a Unanimous ERP Selection Decision
Key members of the institutional team had previously partnered with CampusWorks on ERP selection, negotiation, and implementation at another Canadian institution and wanted to bring the same disciplined, collaborative, future-focused approach to this engagement. The partnership progressed through these key stages:
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Understand Today, Design for Tomorrow
CampusWorks began with documentation review and focus groups across Student Services, HR, and Finance. This surfaced the full extent of system disjointedness and manual effort; pain points around student data, HR workflows, and finance structures; and aspirations for a more streamlined, modern way of operating.
Instead of asking, “What do you do now?” CampusWorks asked, “If you could reimagine this, what would you want?” The resulting requirements were future-state oriented, ensuring the RFP would support the institution for the next 20+ years, not just replicating today’s workarounds.
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Phased Guidance, Not Overwhelm
ERP selection is complex. To prevent overload, CampusWorks broke the work into clear and manageable phases to guide the stakeholders through the entire process from requirements gathering to final evaluation and recommendation.
Weekly status reports and check-ins kept leadership informed and the project team focused, with CampusWorks serving as a “guide on the side,” holding the roadmap while the institution made the key decisions.
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Scenario-Based Demos That Change Minds
Shortlisted vendors delivered scenario-based demonstrations tailored to the institution’s future-state requirements.
Initial scoring suggested one direction, but seeing the systems in action expanded their minds about what was possible. CampusWorks’ process allowed stakeholders to weigh both quantitative scoring of functionality and fit and qualitative impressions from live demos.
The result: a unanimous ERP selection that faculty, staff, and leadership could support with confidence.
Strategic Negotiation: 18% Reduction in ERP Costs
With a preferred ERP identified, CampusWorks led contract negotiations. Drawing on market insight and experience, CampusWorks led negotiations and the vendor, committed to being a long-term partner, agreed to an 18% price reduction—representing millions in savings over the life of the agreement. Not only did this create a win–win agreement that preserved the relationship, it significantly improved the institution’s financial position.
The institution’s CEO, a former negotiator, expressed how pleased he was that the team trusted CampusWorks’ guidance and secured significant savings.
Laying the Groundwork for a Successful Implementation
CampusWorks’ value extended beyond selection and negotiation to include:
Process Reimagine & Redesign (PRR)
CampusWorks led a PRR to help the institution shift from an annual term to three terms (two main semesters plus a spring/summer term), move from program-only tracking to credit-hour models, and initiated a conversation regarding faculty workload calculations and more sophisticated scheduling.
These changes are essential for the institution’s evolution from a K–12-style structure into a fully modern post-secondary institution, and they enabled the organization to rethink all their processes—including HR, Finance, and the development of new alumni initiatives.
Data Governance & Migration Readiness
With three major core systems and various shadow databases, data governance was a critical risk area. CampusWorks partnered with the institution to incorporate data governance structures that will improve data accuracy and prepare for a secure and successful migration to the new ERP.
Change Readiness & Student Experience
With CampusWorks’ support, the institution also piloted a change readiness/risk survey—a critical step to understand how staff felt about change, where resistance might occur, and where additional communication or support was needed.
Results showed staff were ready and eager for change, having lived with the pain of fragmented systems for years.
The Power of CampusWorks Partnership
The institution’s ERP transformation is positioned for success not only because the right system was chosen, but because the journey to get there was intentional, inclusive, and future-focused. CampusWorks provided the disciplined structure, expert guidance, and collaborative process the institution needed to align stakeholders, surface hidden challenges, and rethink what was possible for a modern post-secondary institution.
From reimagining processes and strengthening data governance to securing millions in savings and building organization-wide readiness, CampusWorks helped the institution move from a patchwork of manual workarounds to a cohesive, strategic foundation for growth. Through this partnership, the institution is emerging stronger, more agile, and better equipped to deliver an exceptional student experience for years to come.
*To safeguard our clients’ privacy and security, their names have been withheld.
