If you think about it, historically the "killer" apps have been products that improve operations. The spreadsheet was successful not because it introduced a new business metric, rather it made it substantially easier to do what previously took a lot of time. The same thing with word processing. The issue was to improve accuracy and spend less time on production issues. What ultimately drove Intuit's success was not financial advice for the masses, but the ability to enter data and print checks easily.
Holding software up as being responsible for increasing enrollment or raising funds fails the believability test. I was a Director of Admissions and it was always about the people and the mission. It was never about the software.
Better yet, best practices and operational efficiency once delivered is sustainable. Reducing a process from 22 to 4 steps once done is done forever. The value of focusing on reducing IT complexity is that we free people to pursue their individual brand of excellence.
What if I could deliver for you an additional 1 hour every day so you can focus on what only you can do to make your college or university great. Would this be of interest to you?
