Otus Implementation Guide

What new clients can expect during the onboarding and implementation phase of our relationship.

Keith Westman avatar
Written by Keith Westman
Updated over a week ago

Introduction

As educators, the Otus team completely understands the need to get your district up and running with our platform as quickly as possible. 

The process of implementing Otus is the first step in creating a meaningful relationship with, what we believe to be, the most useful tool at the tip of your fingers. 

With a personal Client Experience Partner and an in-app chat support feature, the whole Otus team is on board to guide you towards success! 


A Dedicated Client Experience Partner

You will quickly see that our priority with implementation is to make certain your district reaches its goals. 

You will be assigned a personal Client Experience Partner (CXP), who will help you determine the specific needs of your district. Once these requirements have been determined, you and your CXP up with a plan of action to accomplish these goals, together. 

With our on-site and remote implementation plan, our team at Otus will be with you every step of the way!   


Otus Implementation Steps

From time of purchase, our goal is to have you ready to use Otus within 30 days! If your timeline expectations are different (either longer or shorter than 30 days) be sure to let us know so that we can differentiate our plan for your needs.

Phase 1: Plan the Project! 

Your CXP will conduct a kick-off call with your district’s project lead and school administrators to establish milestones, responsibilities, deliverables and create a detailed project timeline to help make sure goals are met in a timely manner. 

Identifying Roles and Technical Contacts

  • We will begin by identifying the District’s Implementation Lead, SIS (Student Information System) contact, and 3rd-Party Data Coordinator.

Determine Rostering Method 

  • Otus offers many options to integrate with your SIS.  The set up will require some coordination between your Otus CXP and someone familiar with your current rostering tools in order to set up the integration. If you choose to move forward by rostering via your SIS, we will schedule a call with your SIS Contact and our Integration team.

  • Options include:

    • Rostering enrollment through Clever (we can roster groups with compatible SIS’s)

    • Rostering groups and enrollment with compatible SIS’s via API

    • Rostering groups and enrollment with compatible SIS’s with a scheduled manual Flat File integration

If you would prefer to forgo a SIS integration, we will provide you with alternative options for rostering. 

Collect data for District and School Otus Launch

  • Depending on your desired method of rostering, your CXP will provide an Otus configuration checklist and meet with your district’s Implementation lead to review it.

Total System, District, and School Launch Prep

  • Your CXP will create an item-by-item setup demonstrating platform implications and functionality for system configurations in Otus, including grade scales, custom, state, and CC standards, test scores, attendance, and much more.  We want to make sure you have a solid “what” and “why” for each decision you make when implementing different Otus features. 

Phase 2: Bring On The Data! 

The CXP will provide access to a secure ShareFile site for you to share data that you would like visible in Otus. Users can also upload data from any Otus account connected to your district, and we are are happy to train you and/or your staff on the upload process if you would prefer to handle this on your own. 

Verify Data Validity and Accuracy

  • Your CXP, as well as the Client Support team, will ensure that your district is fully trained on Otus functionality that will help you verify and validate the Data. This includes rostering, groups, and 3rd party data.

Prepare Security and Permissions

  • Keeping things secure is very important to us here at Otus. YourCXP will discuss security, page access permissions, and best practices to ensure that student, teacher, family, and district information is kept safe! 

Phase 3: Schedule Your First Otus Training

You and your CXP will discuss desired dates for the initial Otus training and coordinate with the Otus Client Services team to confirm these dates.

Phase 4: Continuous Training and Support

As we near the completion of the implementation process, it is essential that you are aware of all the available resources to administration, teachers, and families.  Once your initial team is trained and familiar with the application, your CXP will work closely with key implementers in your district to make sure there is a plan in place for further education and best practices for troubleshooting:

  • help.otus.com  - Our knowledge base is full of how-to articles and frequently asked questions, and you can browse by category or search by keyword.

  • Otus In-App Chat - Our team of Otus experts is standing by to help you in the moment from our in-app chat.  Simply click on the chat bubble in the bottom right corner of any Otus screen, and someone will be there to help you shortly.

  • Feedback - You can give Otus product feedback from the same in-app chat tool if there’s something missing in Otus that would make your life easier as an educator.

  • Email - You can always email us at support@otus.com if you have any questions.

Phase 5: Moving From Implementation to Engagement

Once the implementation phase is complete, the Otus team will continue to support you. Your Otus subscription includes access to our in-app chat (for administrators, teachers, and families) and hundreds of knowledge base articles that cover a variety of topics. You will also receive periodic check-ins from our team to ensure that you are receiving the support needed to be successful with Otus. 

Note - The steps above and the scheduling details described are reflective of the average implementation process. We understand that each district is different, with unique goals and needs. The Otus team is flexible to each district's objectives and will create a plan of action that will assist you in the best way possible!

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