Are we there yet?

How Bowling Green State University battled floods & fit-gap to complete an installation

Are we there yet, Pawel? No, not yet, Jason. Are we there yet, Greg? No, not yet, Jason. Are we there yet, Phil? No, not yet, Jason.

I can’t help but imagine that at some point during BGSU’s back-to-back-to-back installation, fit-gap and end-user training sessions that all three didn’t feel as if they were the drivers on a cross-country trip with a bunch of impatient kids in the back seat. When Pawel was talking installation, we were talking fit-gap. When Greg was talking fit-gap, we were talking end-user training. And Phil got hit with about every question under the sun during his visit. I guess you could say that we were a little anxious to get started on our RMS journey. To their credit, each of our RMS reps demonstrated patience and understanding in the face of our never-ending queries and tangents along with the resilience to survive the ridiculous weather that followed each of them to Bowling Green, OH. Flooding during Pawel’s visit, unseasonably cold temperatures during Greg’s visit and an ice storm during Phil’s visit. The users conference could not have come at a better time.

Our next big step in the process is to complete the workbooks for our data setup and begin the planning for our interfaces with Peoplesoft - two “minor” tasks that Greg told me can be knocked out over a weekend. LOL! Since we’re only a couple of months into this thing we call RMS, I can honestly say that I know enough to be dangerous, but not enough to be confident. However, in the face of these upcoming and rather daunting tasks, I do have solace and the ability to sleep well at night because I am confident that assistance is only a phone call or an email away. More than their technical competencies, I have been most impressed with the personal, one-to-one communication and follow-up demonstrated by everyone within RMS from top to bottom and left to right. Meeting almost everyone at the user conference really confirmed my belief that BGSU made the correct decision by going with RMS. A product is only as good as the people who stand behind it. Granted, it’s very early in our implementation and there will no doubt be bumps in the road ahead, but I am confident that challenges will be met and overcome.

Stay tuned. More to come.......

Jason A. Gross
Assistant Director for
Housing Administration