24-06-25
From Chaos to Clarity: Building the Business Case for a Curriculum Management System
Curriculum is at the core of every educational institution, but for many universities and colleges, managing it remains a deeply manual, disconnected, and frustrating process. Spreadsheets, Word documents, and endless email trails are still the norm, even as institutions face increasing demands around quality assurance, audit readiness, and responsiveness to industry change.
In our recent webinar, “Building the Business Case for a Curriculum Management System (CMS),” leaders from Charles Darwin University (CDU) and the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) shared how they moved from curriculum chaos to clarity by building a successful CMS business case.
If you’re preparing your own business case for a CMS, these five insights will help you focus your strategy, avoid common pitfalls, and engage the right stakeholders from the start:
1. The Need Emerges from Complexity and Risk
All three speakers – Professor Louise King (CDU), Dr. Lisa Hassock (MBZUAI), and Professor Robert Fitzgerald (formerly CDU) – highlighted that the decision to pursue a CMS began with recognising the operational strain and risk posed by manual curriculum workflows. As Robert Fitzgerald put it, “There were many tears… No one was happy with the approval process.”
For MBZUAI, even as a young and agile university, using spreadsheets and SharePoint to manage curriculum quickly proved unsustainable, especially with fast-paced program changes in AI.
At CDU, the need was driven by the pressures of dual-sector regulation (higher education and VET), and the inability to trace version history or provide evidence for quality assurance processes.
2. Building the Business Case Means Framing the Problem
Professor King offered a critical piece of advice: don’t sugar-coat it. “It’s actually better to frame it as a problem because it is,” she said. Once stakeholders see the inefficiencies and risk clearly, they become open to hearing about solutions.
The speakers emphasised that the business case isn’t just a document – it’s a communication tool. Tailor the message to different audiences: for executive leaders, focus on risk and compliance; for academics, highlight transparency and collaboration; for professional staff, stress ease of use and efficiency.
3. Strategic Alignment is Non-Negotiable
All panelists agreed: a CMS is not just an operational tool – it’s a strategic enabler.
Without an accredited and properly documented curriculum, you cannot recruit or graduate students. Lisa Hassock shared how MBZUAI’s regulators were so impressed with their CMS during an audit that two asked for Global IT Factory’s contact details. “They could track every decision, every change. That level of transparency builds confidence in your institution.”
4. Overcoming Barriers: Time, IT, and Expectations
While stakeholder engagement was a common challenge, the panelists also cited timing and resourcing as critical barriers. Lisa described unrealistic expectations for a rapid go-live, while Louise noted that curriculum transformation can be overlooked in favour of “shinier” priorities like LMS upgrades or student-facing tools.
Interestingly, IT departments themselves were sometimes hesitant. Lisa noted that explaining the academic value of the CMS was key to bringing them on board.
5. Lessons Learned and Words of Advice
Reflecting on their journeys, each panelist shared advice for those just beginning:
- Involve stakeholders early and often. Don’t wait until the business case is finished—bring people into the problem framing stage and strive to understand their differing needs and perspectives
- Do your homework on vendors. Speak to current customers, understand what’s configurable, and how well the system integrates.
- Focus on people, not just technology. A successful CMS implementation needs governance expertise, technical capability, and cultural change.
- And perhaps most importantly, as Rob Fitzgerald summarised: “Stop talking about the problem. Start doing something about it.”
The CMS as a Platform for Continuous Improvement
Ultimately, each institution not only implemented a CMS but found it to be a catalyst for broader change. “People now say they love the CMS,” Louise King shared. “That’s not something I thought I’d ever hear.”
From streamlining approvals to meeting audit demands and supporting innovation, a well-implemented CMS has proven to be far more than an IT solution – it’s a foundation for academic excellence and future readiness.
Want to learn more about how Global IT Factory supports institutions in building their CMS business case?
