Rolling out conference software across a district without a three-year IT project

Do not boil the ocean

District RFPs for “family engagement platforms” often die in committee. Conference night is a contained, board-visible problem with a clear before/after: calls to the office, double-books, and show rates.

Pilot shape

1. Pick one campus with a willing AP and a painful prior night.
2. Migrate booking only — leave LMS and report cards alone.
3. Staff one launch watch (Sizzle or your ops lead).
4. Report three numbers to the cabinet: booked %, show %, office call volume.

Expansion rule

Only add the next campus when the first night’s runbook is written down. Tools without runbooks recreate Dave — the one person who “just knows how it works.”