Higher education loves improvement — but often through addition, not subtraction. Discover how applying Lean methodology can help colleges and universities eliminate waste, streamline operations, and prepare for more successful technology transformations.

Most dashboards stop at displaying data — but the best ones tell a story. At Legato Strategic Consulting, we design Smartsheet dashboards that help teams, executives, and institutions see progress, spot risks, and connect daily work to a bigger vision.

Go-Live may indicate that the system is operational, but true operational readiness means that all components, including people, processes, and technology, are aligned and functioning together effectively.

Many educational institutions invest in modern cloud systems for HR, Finance, Student management, or CRM with a common belief: “This will automate work away.” The reality? Workloads don’t disappear, they shift.

In the ever-evolving world of higher education, the rush to integrate new technologies can push institutions into making fast, often hasty decisions. Many mistakenly believe that serious planning should only begin after choosing a vendor and welcoming the product implementation team. They are the experts, right? Wrong.

At Legato Strategic, we believe that the key to any successful transformation, whether it's a new system or a new way of working, is how you tell the story. This work is complex, so it's important to make the process feel simple, comfortable, and huma

In her recent interview on Slate Strategy Sessions, our CEO Kristina Kelpe reveals that documentation is more than a box to check—it’s a culture that can drive efficiency.

Many schools underutilize the power of dashboards. Streamline everyday tasks with good design.

In higher education, documentation is often overlooked or under-resourced—both in terms of time and budget. But here’s the irony: by investing in documentation, institutions can actually save time and money. Read to learn how.

Make sure your documentation/job aids include those other activities that need to be done after a configuration is complete. Read this post to review the critical tasks that follow creating a Program of Study.

Of course there’s resistance. It’s not just a software upgrade—it’s a total shift in how things feel.

We’ve all experienced the frustration of accidentally signing up for a service that's already available to us.

We've all faced tough choices: would you prefer a novice to change your tire, or a skilled mechanic who knows exactly what to do? This analogy perfectly fits the realm of Workday Student support and the expertise needed to navigate its complexities.

Here’s the thing: success doesn't start by staring at the gaps. It starts by leaning into your strengths.

Have you ever found a forgotten subscription quietly siphoning funds from your account? Now, imagine that complexity multiplied across a whole university or college.

As an institution, your goal isn’t just to get through go-live—it’s to build a team that can run the system with confidence and clarity.

As you prepare to implement Workday Student, remember that the learning curve, while steep, doesn’t have to be faced in isolation.

This is my journey through the crowded landscape of knowledge base solutions available for higher education institutions.

Quality assurance reveals potential risks, functioning like a "canary in a coal mine" to warn of emerging problems.

Significant time and money are often wasted on Workday® Student implementations because of people having different understandings of terms.