[isams] November Roadmap Presentation

[alex13p]

Thoughts on the roadmap for iSAMS shown in the call today?

 

For me, we're really unhappy with the forcing of the cloud portal - it's just not ready, certainly not for an announcement that we'll have no option.

[River]

Be intrigued to see if the Curriculum Manager does actually show up in January having been promised it so many times before! Would be good if the improvements to reporting and access to data via Power-BI come soon. Would have liked to see some of the responses to the Q&A as I had several similar questions.

[TomBusfield]

I must admit I was fairly unimpressed with today’s roadmap update from iSAMS. These sessions increasingly feel like marketing opportunities dressed up as roadmap updates. None of the user concerns seem to have been meaningfully addressed, and the brief smoothing statement about reporting felt more like a placeholder than an actual commitment. It’s frustrating that anything requiring attention is consistently pushed to “future updates,” which comes across as a stalling tactic while iSAMS decides its next steps.

That said, I’d be really keen to connect with other iSAMS schools to share successes and ideas. We’ve had a fantastic couple of years, including developing fully in-house Power BI reports that integrate all aspects of student data from iSAMS and our collegiate systems. We’ve also introduced AI tools to make data queries more accessible for staff, which has been transformative.

If you’re interested in networking, I’ve started a broader thread here: Networking Opportunity for iSAMS Schools – Let’s Connect. I’d love to hear about your successes, challenges, and thoughts on how we can work together as a community!

[Cha_F23]

Hi Alex, Can I ask if you are iSAMS cloud or on-prem? Would you be ok with sharing demo screenshots of your Power-Bi reports please? This is something we are looking to implement and would be helpful seeing how other schools have done it. Thanks

[A_Castro]

I think that it was an interesting webinar, but you never seem to manage to pin them down to what is coming and when.

 

The SOCS integration will be really good for activities management, which is a nightmare currently, and if eduFocus are going to have writeback too then a lot of the current Out of School manual work that we are seeing will be reduced.

 

Curriculum Manager seems to have completely pivoted and turned into Gradebooks, which we don't use and is therefore annoying as I would like to be able to streamline the course management work in terms of timetable/teaching sets/activities etc. (although SOCS should simplify activities!).

 

We have the portal in test at the moment. There's work to be done and enhancements to make, but I do think in general it's an improvement. The rate of development will inevitably dictate how quickly we take it live though.

[edutechin]

Thank you, Tom, for this thread. I’m not sure if this is the right place to ask, but I’d appreciate any advice.

I work as an IT officer. About one and a half years ago, we implemented iSAMS at our school. We have around 1,000 students, and for primary students it’s mainly used for registration and report generation. For secondary students, it’s more complex due to multiple subjects and term-based report requirements.

Currently, data management is handled by another school, but my manager has asked if I’d be ready to take over iSAMS data management independently after the next academic year. They are planning to hire a data manager, but I’d like to prepare myself for the role.

While I have general IT experience, I’ve never worked in data management or advanced Excel functions like filtering and analysis. We are a team of two IT officers, and I’m planning to take full responsibility for data management.

Could you recommend the best way to go from a beginner to mastering data management in iSAMS and Excel? Are there additional tools or skills I should learn to handle school data effectively?

Thank you in advance for your guidance!

[TomBusfield]

Thank you for your message, and it’s great to see your proactive approach to taking on iSAMS data management! While I’m not best placed to offer detailed advice, I’d recommend focusing on:

 

1. Understanding iSAMS Basics – Familiarise yourself with key modules and workflows like reporting and timetabling.
   
2. Developing Data Skills – Strengthen your Excel skills and explore tools like Power BI for advanced reporting.
   
3. Preparing for Challenges – Pay attention to iSAMS quirks, especially in reporting and timetable setups.
   
4. Learning Additional Tools – Consider tools like SQL or Power Automate if your role may require them.
   

This thread is focused on November roadmap updates and I wouldn't want to derail the OP aims for this thread, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on my separate thread aimed at networking with other iSAMS professionals. I hope it'll be a great place to connect and share insights:

Networking Opportunity for iSAMS Schools – Let's Connect!

Looking forward to your contributions there!