In many ERP replacement initiatives across higher education, institutions say they want reimagination. But what often shows up in practice is something else entirely: a deep, almost gravitational pull toward requirements.
Pages and pages of requirements. Detailed mappings of legacy processes. Endless conversations about how the old system worked and how the new one must replicate it.
This is understandable. ERP systems are mission-critical. Institutions want certainty. They want to avoid disruption.
But when transformation efforts are anchored in requirements rather than outcomes, the result is often a very expensive lift-and-shift … even when no one intended it.
Requirements-heavy approaches typically emerge from legacy constraints:
When institutions move from one major system to another, especially ERP replacements, those constraints often get carried forward unquestioned. Vendors and implementation partners are then asked to force modern platforms to comply with outdated practices.
The irony? The institution ends up with a new system… behaving like the old one.
Shifting the conversation from “What does the system need to do?” to “What outcome are we trying to achieve?” creates space for real transformation.
Outcome-focused thinking:
Outcomes focus on why, not just how.
Registration is a perfect example of how legacy thinking persists. Historically, registration groups and windows were often necessary because:
So access was tightly controlled. Windows were staggered. Groups were carefully managed. But many of those constraints no longer exist. Modern cloud-based systems can:
And beyond the system itself:
When we focus on the outcome, for example, “Students can register easily, confidently, and without unnecessary friction,” the solution looks very different than recreating decades-old registration windows.
Institutions don’t actually want systems that comply perfectly with legacy practices. They want:
Focusing on outcomes aligns institutions, vendors, and implementation partners around shared goals, rather than negotiating how closely a new system mimics an old one.
Before documenting another requirement, ask:
Those questions don’t eliminate the need for requirements, but they ensure requirements serve outcomes, not the other way around. Real transformation doesn’t come from replacing systems. It comes from reimagining what’s possible when we stop designing for the past and start designing for outcomes.
Originally posted by Matthew Winn on LinkedIn. Be sure to follow him there to catch all his great industry insights.
Share Article:
© Copyright 2026, The Tambellini Group. All Rights Reserved.
Get exclusive access to higher education analysts, rich research, premium publications, and advisory services.
Weekly email featuring higher education blog articles, infographics or podcasts.
