Most people assume major technology migrations succeed because of automation. One of the largest LMS migrations of my career succeeded for almost the opposite reason. After years of platform changes, unfinished transitions, and vendor-driven decisions, a fully automated solution simply wasn’t possible. We ultimately relied on cross-functional teams, disciplined processes, and a willingness to prioritize operational continuity over perfection.
Most conversations about educational technology focus on launching new systems. Much less attention is paid to retiring old ones. Early in my time at SHSU Online, our team inherited management of a correspondence-course division that appeared to be a relic from another era. What we eventually discovered was that the courses were not surviving because of institutional inertia. They were surviving because they solved a problem nobody had fully addressed yet.
Most people assume an LMS migration is a technology project. My experience leading the Texas State University System Online Shared Services…
One of the most valuable projects of my career wasn’t a major platform launch or a large technology initiative. It was a reporting system designed to eliminate a bottleneck and make itself unnecessary. Fifteen years after I left the organization, the system was still operating successfully, reinforcing a lesson that has shaped my approach to technology, process improvement, and leadership ever since: sustainable solutions create independence.
Launching a new medical school is not simply an academic exercise. Before the first student enrolls, an institution must demonstrate that it possesses the people, processes, systems, and infrastructure necessary to sustain the program for years to come. My role in the early development of the Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine reinforced a lesson I’ve encountered repeatedly throughout my career: successful organizations build the architecture first and scale the operations second.