The implementation checklist is a project plan you can follow to build out essential operations in Slate.

💾 Download a copy and check off rows as you progress.

Phase I: Preparation

🔗 Associated article: Phase I: Preparation

Step 1: Establishing Your Team

🔗 Associated article: Step 1: Establishing Your Team

• Select Slate Admins

• Select steering committee members

• Initiate conversations with IT about integration with SIS

• Initiate conversations with academic departments and other campus stakeholders

• Schedule regular team meetings

• Attend a Getting Started Community Conversation

Step 2: Get Slate Certified

🔗 Associated article: Step 2: Get Slate Certified

• Provision user accounts for Fundamentals course attendees

• Register for Fundamentals of Admission and Enrollment in Learning Lab

• Complete Fundamentals of Admissions and Enrollment

Step 3: Reviewing Current Processes

🔗 Associated article: Step 3: Reviewing Current Processes

• Define project scope and catalog your processes, needs, expected integrations, and deadlines

• Document current processes

Phase II: Roadmap

🔗 Associated article: Phase II: The Roadmap

• Review Roadmap best practices

Roadmap Step 1: Slate Essentials

🔗 Associated article: Roadmap Step 1: Slate Essentials

Initial configurations

• Review configuration keys for high-level settings for your instance

• Set up DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)

• Update default message group name from placeholder

Users and permissions

• Customize the existing roles (Academic Advisor, Admission Counselor, and Admissions Inbox) as needed

• Create additional roles and permissions

• Establish population-based permissions

• Add realms to your database

• Enable multi-factor authentication

• Add users, manually or by import

The person record

• Customize the person record dashboard

• Update the information on the custom tab

• Customize the standard person record tabs

• Create custom interactions

• Learn how the Opt Out tag works

• Create tags

Fields and prompts

• Review field settings

• Make adjustments to existing custom fields to suit your process

• Create additional custom fields

• Review prompt settings

• Make adjustments to existing custom prompts to suit your process

• Replace placeholder values for entry_term in 4 year and K-12 models, term in 2 year models

Forms

• Customize the Request for Information (RFI) Form, including form communications

• Create Origin Sources

Queries

• Familiarize yourself with the query elements

• Explore the pre-configured queries and create more to suit your needs

• Configure the Data Export - SFTP (Slate to SIS) query

• Configure the Document Export query

• Configure the Voyager: Domestic Travel Planning query (4 Year model only)

Automation

• (Optional) Customize person record search criteria with person index/header rules

• (Optional) Adjust, add new person status rules as needed

• Customize existing staff assignment rules, create new ones as needed

Branding

• Update the default “Slate University” branding

Other data structures

• Consider creating a custom dataset

Roadmap Step 2: Outreach

🔗 Associated article: Roadmap Step 2: Outreach

Deliver foundations

• Familiarize yourself briefly with Deliver capabilities

• Whiteboard a communication plan

• Configure existing system emails, and optionally add your own

• Customize the existing email template, or create your own templates from scratch

• Create a drip marketing campaign

• Create additional mailings as needed using dynamic content blocks and Liquid markup

• Configure Inbox for email communications

More Deliver features

• Send real-world print communications with Slate Print

• Develop a calling campaign with Slate Voice

• Learn how to engage applicants with Slate Video

• Purchase Slate Credits as needed.

Events

• Configure existing event templates

• Create additional templates as needed

• Configure existing event template communications

Interviews & appointments

• (2 Year only) Configure Academic Advising Session interview template

• Create additional interview templates as needed

• Have users add their external calendars in Availability

Roadmap Step 3: Historical Data Migration

🔗 Associated article: Roadmap Step 3: Historical Data Migration

• Import historical person records

• Use Consolidate Records to handle duplicates

• (Optional) Import historical applications

Roadmap Step 4: Processing applications

🔗 Associated article: Roadmap Step 4: Processing Applications

Configuring periods and rounds

• Configure placeholder periods and rounds

The Slate-Hosted application

• Configure, add, remove application pages as needed

• Configure existing application creation form and its communications

• Configure application submission requirements

• Review application logic

• Configure Slate-hosted recommendations

Imported applications

• Configure application source import

• Configure recommendations import

Additional application configurations

• Configure the standard applicant status portal

• Create additional application communications in Deliver as necessary

• Customize application status, fee rules

• Configure application sharing with Slate.org

Collecting application materials

• Create materials collected as part of the application.

• Create checklist items.

• Automate checklist assignment via rules.

• Optional: Create a missing checklist item recurring email.

• Optional: Import Financial Aid Checklist items.

Reader and worfklows

• Customize the application review workflow

• Customize Reader Portal Dashboard

• Customize Workflow Views

• Configure Reader permissions

• Customize and activate bin movement rules

• Customize, create new Reader review forms

• Create additional workflows as necessary

Decisions

• Review, customize decision codes

• (Optional) Create decision reasons

• Customize letter templates

• Customize decision reply form

• Customize the decision notification system email

• Configure, activate decision reply form rules

• Configure, activate decision rules

• Add financial aid letters and decisions

• Test your decision release process

Roadmap Step 5: Integrations

🔗 Associated article: Roadmap Step 5: Integrations

Sending data to your SIS

• Configure data export to your SIS

Managing recurring imports with source formats and Upload Dataset

• Add and configure standard source formats from Source Format Library as necessary

• Create custom source formats as necessary

• Create service accounts for integration access as needed

Managing document imports with Batch Acquire

• Use the Batch Acquire tool, or create a custom Document Import Processor source format

Managing duplicate records

• If you haven’t already, familiarize yourself with the Consolidate Records tool

Payments

• Establish how you will collect Payments through Slate: using Slate Payments or a third-party provider

Roadmap Step 6: Reporting & wrap-up

🔗 Associated article: Roadmap Step 6: Reporting and wrap-up

• Add Ping to institutional websites

• Build reports, dashboards as necessary

• Conduct training for end-users

• Prep for go-live

Phase III: Year one & beyond

🔗 Associated article: Phase III: Year one & beyond

• Refine existing processes

• Add more Slate functionality

• Train staff

• Practice good Slate Stewardship

• Get Slate Certified Professional

• Submit a Summit proposal!