What Early Success Looks Like with a Faculty Information System

Even in the first few weeks, the right FIS can reduce manual work, improve communication, and lay the foundation for long-term transformation.

Institutions Deserve to See Results Quickly—Here’s Why That Matters

Investing in a Faculty Information System (FIS) is a big decision. It involves time, money and cross-functional coordination among stakeholders, decision-makers and end-users. Most profoundly, it often means a fundamental shift in how people work. With all of that effort and so much on the line, it’s fair to ask: When should we start seeing value?

The answer should be: immediately.

Not in a year. Not after a full rollout. But within the first few weeks. That’s not just good software design—it’s critical for adoption and long-term success. When faculty affairs teams, deans, and administrators see early wins from automation and streamlined processes, they gain the confidence to lean into larger changes.

Here, we’ll explore what those early wins look like, why they matter, and how institutions like the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) began seeing measurable improvements within weeks of implementing SmartPath, our simple, highly configurable FIS backed by experts–both IT and higher ed.

What Success Should Look Like in the First 90 Days

Early wins don’t have to mean flashy dashboards or sweeping process changes. Often, they show up in ways that feel simple but make a big difference.

Here are common results institutions experience during the first three months of using a modern, flexible FIS like SmartPath:

Early Win	Before FIS	After SmartPath
Appointment letters	Manual, copy-paste effort across documents	Auto-generated, logic-driven, and batch processed
Data entry	Staff spent hours manually updating spreadsheets	Key data flows between the Profile and Workflow modules
Communication	Staff chased updates via email threads	Faculty receive automated notifications and reminders
Reporting	Created one-off reports for each request	Pull real-time reports from centralized faculty data

Efficiency Starts With Removing Redundant Work

One of the first pain points we solve with a centralized faculty data system is redundancy. Before an FIS, institutions are often working across 25 or more spreadsheets, disconnected HR platforms, and manual email workflows—all just to handle one faculty member’s annual update or contract.

Within the first few weeks of implementation, teams begin using logic-based workflows to auto-calculate pay installments, trigger approval notifications, and populate appointment letters. Instead of re-entering the same information five times, it flows from one step to the next.

“With SmartPath, the process still lasts through July and August—but during mostly normal work hours, and I get to enjoy summer weekends!”

— SmartPath User, SAIC Academic Affairs

Key User Takeaway: You don’t need to replace every process at once. Start by eliminating the 10-15 steps that add up to hours of wasted time every week.

Automation Builds Momentum—and Trust

Automation isn’t just about speed—it’s about consistency. For academic affairs, it reduces the risk of human error. For faculty, it builds confidence that their data is accurate and their status is up to date.

When new users see that letters are generated correctly the first time, or that sabbatical tracking is now visible and accurate, they start to believe in the system. That’s crucial. Change is easier to champion when the benefits are visible.

What that looks like in practice:

• A faculty member receives their appointment letter without errors or delays.
  
• An administrator pulls a report showing who is eligible for internal awards, without hunting across multiple systems.
  
• A dean reviews promotion history or workload distribution in a few clicks.

Real Wins, Real Early: SmarthPath Success at SAIC Story

At the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), Academic Affairs had a faculty lifecycle process that was functional, but draining.

As we shared in a recent case study, faculty letters were manually built in Microsoft Word (cringe), salary details were tracked in multiple spreadsheets (OMG), and course loads were reviewed piecemeal.

In addition, an unsuccessful implementation experience meant the understandably hesitant SAIC team needed a better way forward that they could believe in.

Good thing they chose SmartPath.

After implementing our platform:

• Appointment letters became automated.
  
• Workflow logic reduced errors and time spent rechecking data.
  
• Faculty data was centralized and updated in real time.
  

These improvements didn’t take years. They began in the first few weeks. According to SAIC’s team, just reducing the manual steps in one seasonal workflow created enough breathing room to improve how other tasks were handled.

“What was really impressive was how the Mountain Pass team took the time to understand our systems… and adapt SmartPath to work for us.”

— SmartPath User, SAIC Academic Affairs

Why Early Wins Are Crucial for Long-Term Adoption

Many software implementations in higher education struggle not because the technology doesn’t work, but because users don’t see the point. 

Adoption fails when users:

• Don’t understand the benefits
  
• Feel the system doesn’t fit their reality
  
• Get buried in learning curves and customization delays
  

This is where early wins change everything. When your system:

• Reduces time spent chasing down data
  
• Delivers clean reports that faculty can trust
  
• Automatically keeps leadership in the loop
  

… it earns credibility and satisfaction with every interaction.

Key User Takeaway: Early success isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s the foundation of long-term change.

What Success in the First 30 Days Could Look Like

For institutions considering an FIS, here’s a realistic picture of the very first wins they stand to experience:

Day 5	Day 10
Key stakeholders receive role-based access to the Faculty Profile and begin onboarding.	Faculty data begins flowing into the system from prior sources, without duplicates.

Day 14	Day 21
First appointment letters are generated automatically using pre-configured logic.	First round of custom reports reviewed and validated by Academic Affairs.

Day 30

Workflows are running for one core process (e.g., hiring or renewals), saving hours that can be redirected to other priorities.

What to Look for in a System Designed for Fast Impact

Not all Faculty Information Systems are built to deliver fast wins. To see results in weeks—not months or years—institutions should look for platforms that are:

✔️ Configurable – so you can tailor fields, workflows, and approvals to match your institution’s reality.
✔️ Simple – so teams can get started quickly without months of custom coding.
✔️ Expert-backed – so support comes from people who understand both the technology and the faculty lifecycle.
✔️ Workflow-Ready – so automation and approval processes can begin as soon as data is available.

These aren’t just product features—they’re foundations for momentum.

Final Thoughts: Start Small, See Big Results

You don’t have to rebuild everything to start seeing results. The smartest institutions begin with one or two high-friction workflows and focus on improving speed, accuracy, and visibility. That’s where confidence builds—and change sticks.

If your team is still struggling with rework, reporting gaps, or hours of manual entry, the first 30–90 days with the right FIS can change everything.

Ready to See What Success Looks Like in Your First 90 Days?

SmartPath was designed to deliver fast value, without compromising long-term flexibility. If you’re exploring faculty information system implementation or rethinking your current process, let’s talk about what success could look like at your institution.