When the CTO of this large district in southern California signed the contract during the summer of 2008to replace its Schoolmax Student Information System with Aeries, she had sought out ViKiwi to provide the project management; she was fully aware that poor project management was the main reason for the failure of many technology projects and she wanted to ensure a successful implementation. However, she was unable to find sufficient budget to fund outside help, and she found herself struggling to handle her regular responsibilities and keep the project moving in the right direction. As a result, when the CTO abruptly left the district and a ViKiwi consultant arrived to act as Interim CTO in April 2009, the district faced the real possibility that Aeries would not be ready for the 2009-10 year.
With the help of Schoolmeasures to organize and prioritize work, the Interim CTO was able to quickly build a project plan, document the issues, and assign tasks. Each member of the project team, including the vendor, was able to use Schoolmeasures to view the project plan, see his/her assignments, and report when tasks were completed. Even the Superintendent could log in at any time to view status. By using the collaborative power of Schoolmeasures to align everyone's efforts in the same direction, the Interim CTO was able to lead the project team to make up lost ground and successfully launch Aeries in time for the new academic year, even while managing his other responsibilities.
