Implenet™ Insight for For Your Business.

Implenet™ provides:

• Vision development and strategic planning
• Data gathering and analysis
• Facility master planning
• Studies and programmatic review
• Grants and fund raising
• Change and transition management
• Technology assessments and master planning
• Security design for people, data and resources
• IT procurement consultation
• IT project management
• Network design and technical review (LANs and campus-wide WANs)

Case Studies

• Technology Case Study
• Change Management Case Study
• Facilities Planning Case Study

Technology Case Study

Creating strategies for continuous improvement are imperative in today's world of rapid changes in emerging technologies.

One growing school system´s leaders had the desire to design a strategic technology plan for 59 schools.

The challenge was to implement and manage construction of infrastructure upgrades and additions for 59 schools in one particular school division. The five year program encompassed electrical and low-voltage systems that support media retrieval, voice over IP telephone (VoIP), streaming video, classroom intercoms and wired/wireless data networks to accommodate a 4:1 ratio of students to computers. Implenet™ assessed the situation and developed instructional technology standards by collaborating with the client. The second critical phase was to develop a master process for procurement that leveraged the buying power of the client that also dovetailed into the construction and implementation phases. The in-depth technology and construction knowledge was integrated with design services that produced great technical results which were tailored to each school while maintaining uniformity of services and capabilities across the district.

The result was a comprehensive and standards-based solution that maintained instructional technology equity across the school district. Furthermore, the entire project was completed ahead of schedule and almost $1 million under budget. Previous competitors for this contract (who were among the Fortune 100) continually advised the district that this project was under funded and could not be accomplished. And, while technologies rapidly evolve, this district is prepared for the next ten years of network advancements and expansions.

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Change Management Case Study

"If you come to a fork in the road, take it" - Yogi Berra

One mid-sized rural/suburban school system experiencing rapid growth is just about to break ground on the second high school in its history - a bold move.

Planning of the new school conveyed a picture of what the future of high school education would look like. This ultimately led to the desire to "build high schools" prior to the new school opening by strengthening the entire organization so it could better serve all high school students, not just those attending the new school. All programs and processes relating to instruction needed to be reviewed and the foundation for transition put in place - in a two year period of time.

The capacity of the existing internal staff to create and implement meaningful educational change AND keep up with decisions regarding the actual construction process AND involve the community in the change and initiation processes AND be prepared for the budgetary impact was limited by time and budget for additional personnel resources. To reach the goal would require skillful and constant management of the change process. Implenet´™ strategy was not to replace, but to complement the resources, experience and expertise of the client´s internal staff through a team of experts in leading change and change management. A three year timeline of tasks for internal transition teams in the areas of instruction and staff development, building logistics related to construction, and community relations was established. Transition teams were put in place, monthly meetings scheduled, and action plans followed.

Instead of creating a culture of complaint in times of uncertainty, the transition teams were able to channel thoughts and efforts along productive lines. Team activities will assist the system in anticipating appropriate budgeting and administrative processes over the next two years, ensuring a smooth and focused transition period. Most importantly, managing the change process will allow the division to achieve its goal of high school reform.

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Facilities Planning Case Study

The place where middle and high school teaching and learning will occur for the next 50 years will be uniquely suited to best serve the educational needs of the students, the teachers, and the community.

A rural school system on the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia's Northern Neck has its only middle school and high school each in facilities that are more than 50-years old and in need of major renovation or replacement.

The Superintendent and School Board recognized that the need to address the facility issues had to be informed by a thoughtful reassessment of the entire secondary instructional program. Thus, the prospect of upgrading or replacing the school buildings provided the impetus for rethinking how teaching and learning should take place in the future.

Implenet™ facilitated discussion with teachers and administrators to develop an educational program plan that clearly articulated the local vision for teaching and learning. This included philosophy and assumptions related to their students and their educational program needs, major learning goals and objectives, as well as instructional strategies and the types of functional spaces that are needed to implement and support the vision. The result was a written planning document that was used in beginning the design process.

Initially the focus was only on the middle school, but during the planning process the County School Board and Board of Supervisors agreed to broaden the scope of the project to include the high school, and to solicit proposals under the state's Public-Private Education Facilities Act (PPEA) for the construction of new school facilities.

Implenet™ assisted in the proposal review process. The result is that the County is moving forward with plans for a new combination middle/high school serving about 850 students in grades 6-12. The new school, currently in the design phase, will replace the existing middle and high schools that are each more than 50-years old. A fall 2008 opening is planned.

1. generate the momentum in the community needed to move forward with the project
2. develop an RFP that was very detailed and specific about the type of facility that was needed
3. facilitate the design process moving ahead quickly
4. provide a clear expectation of the standard to which the school system is expecting the school to be designed

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