For higher education institutions, a technology transformation is no longer optional–it’s essential. As colleges and universities adapt to shifting student expectations, increasing competition, and complex operational needs, institutional leaders are being asked to do more with less. The institutions that succeed in this environment will be those that view technology not as a patchwork of systems, but as a strategic enabler of institutional goals.
That success starts with a plan—a roadmap.
A technology roadmap provides higher education leaders with a clear, intentional path forward. By defining where the institution is headed and how it will get there, a roadmap helps align leadership, technical staff, and campus stakeholders around shared goals. It also ensures that every investment in technology is strategic, scalable, and sustainable.
At Cloud for Good, we’ve partnered with institutions of all sizes, from small liberal arts colleges to multi-campus university systems, to build roadmaps that set the stage for successful transformations. These universities’ journeys to selecting and implementing Salesforce Education Cloud illustrate the decisive role a roadmap can play in guiding decision-making and ensuring success.
What Is A Technology Roadmap?
At its core, a technology roadmap is a strategic plan that answers two fundamental questions:
- Where are we going?
- How do we get there?
For higher education leaders, this means clarifying how technology will support institutional priorities such as student success, research advancement, fundraising growth, and operational efficiency. The roadmap also defines the resources, timelines, risks, and success measures that must be in place before a transformation begins.
Equally important, a roadmap helps implementation partners, like Cloud for Good, understand the institution’s unique structure, needs, and vision. A shared understanding creates alignment and increases the likelihood of a successful outcome.
The Building Blocks of a Higher Education Technology Roadmap
While every institution’s roadmap is unique, the process typically includes four key phases:
1. Plan
In this stage, leadership alignment begins. Institutions review their current technology landscape, clarify goals, and establish a governance framework. This phase ensures campus stakeholders are prepared for productive conversations and that project objectives are tied directly to institutional strategy.
What We Can Learn From Our Peers:
Oftentimes, our clients will use the roadmap planning phase to reflect on lessons learned from a prior, potentially unsuccessful, implementation. By documenting existing processes and surfacing risks early, these clients enter their Salesforce evaluation with clearer priorities and a unified vision.
2. Evaluate
Evaluation is about exploring options and aligning technology choices with institutional needs. Through discovery sessions, product demos, and stakeholder input, institutions can compare potential solutions and determine which will best support their goals.
What We Can Learn From Our Peers:
When evaluating different technology solutions, clients will often select predefined criteria to assess each platform. For a CRM, this may be platform flexibility, data structure, or product roadmap. Defining these priorities helps ensure that the client’s chosen solution will scale across campus while delivering long-term innovation.
3. Analyze
This stage involves refining requirements, confirming priorities, and validating the solution approach. Leaders use this time to pressure-test assumptions, mitigate risks, and ensure that the roadmap reflects both short-term deliverables and long-term growth.
What We Can Learn From Our Peers:
During this phase, one client institution we engaged with compared Education Cloud against a legacy vendor system. While both options could track alumni engagement, Education Cloud offered more flexible data modeling and integration options. By creating a “side-by-side” feature comparison and scoring against business requirements, the analysis clearly showed where Salesforce would provide our client long-term value.
4. Advise
The final phase is where findings are presented, final adjustments are made, and institutions can set their path forward. The roadmap becomes a guiding document that drives implementation, adoption, and ongoing strategy.
What We Can Learn From Our Peers:
For instance, one client university advancement team initially thought they needed a highly customized system to support pledge management. Cloud for Good advised instead on using Salesforce’s out-of-the-box Gift Entry functionality supplemented with targeted automation to reduce complexity and technical debt. This guidance not only met our client’s pledge management needs but also set them up for easier adoption of future Salesforce roadmap features.
Why Roadmaps Matter for Higher Education Leaders
A well-crafted roadmap does more than prepare for a technology project. It provides institutional leaders with:
- Strategic Alignment: Ensures technology investments directly support institutional goals.
- Risk Mitigation: Identifies challenges and addresses them before implementation begins.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Builds buy-in across campuses and departments.
- Future-Proofing: Anchors technology choices to platforms with a clear product roadmap and ongoing innovation.
Looking Ahead
Technology transformations in higher education are complex, but they don’t have to be overwhelming. By investing in a comprehensive technology roadmap, leaders can move forward with confidence—knowing that their institution is not only implementing new systems but building a sustainable foundation for the future.
At Cloud for Good, we believe that the institutions that thrive will be those that unite vision with execution. And it all begins with a roadmap.
Your transformation journey is unique. Let us help you build the plan that honors your institution’s specific needs and sets you up with a foundation for long-term success.
Contact Cloud for Good to learn how we can develop your technology roadmap together.
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