Navigating the Intersection of Executive Strategy and Intelligent Automation
ENGINEERING THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS-
Expensive Student Information Systems Are No Longer The Right Choice
Why would a university spend millions adapting an outdated student record system when, for a fraction of the cost, it could adopt something newer, more adaptable and AI-assisted? It is a question I keep coming back to as I continue to develop our Student Journey Management System (SJMS), and watch most of the sector carry…
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The Ultimate Guide to Mapping UK Higher Education Data Models
For an academic who spent most of his career teaching Shakespeare, Theatre and Performing Arts I find myself strangely drawn to datasets these days. I have also been an academic registrar and university system transformation lead – so maybe it’s not that strange. When we started building the Student Journey Management System (SJMS) using new…
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Can Universities Adapt to the World of Vibe Coding?
When I was about 11 years old a new technology product was released that looked like a cross between a yoghurt carton and a cash till. But I wanted one. The ZX80 was my first taste of computing and I used it to teach myself simple coding and learn the BASIC language. A couple of…
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Transforming Student Information Systems in the vibe coding era
When universities manage student records, most rely on legacy platforms built decades ago that now serve over 80% of UK higher education. These systems cost millions to implement and require dedicated teams to maintain. Having experienced painful implementations of such systems myself, I wanted to know if I could build a viable alternative armed with…
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Beyond Tribal and Ellucian: Building a Better Student Journey System
The Future Horizons Education SJMS (Student Journey Management System) is being built by a startup co-founded between Switzerland and Wales. The system is positioned as an alternative to legacy platforms like Tribal SITS and Ellucian Banner — at a fraction of the total cost. In my previous articles I catalogued the self-build of a Student…
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How to Vibe Code a Student Record System!
I have often argued universities needed to think and act more like lean startups, based on my own experiences of the difference between successful and failed transformations. But the tools were not there for teams of academics, admin staff and students to experiment without handing system implementation over to a supplier and consultants for long…
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The Ultimate Guide to Building AI-Powered University Systems
Future Horizons My Uni Front End Portal 23/03/2026 Confessions of a Transformation Lead: Developing University Systems from Scratch Using Automation Tools For the past three decades I have worked as a lecturer, academic registrar and a transformation lead for £50m+ programmes at UK universities developing university systems. At the start of my career I collaborated…
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A Leader’s Guide to Planning for AI That Actually Works
If you are a business leader or team manager, like me, you are probably exhausted by the relentless volume of AI hype. New AI technology releases and updates to existing platforms can make last week’s version feel outdated overnight. It is easy to feel behind, as if you are missing a critical window of transformation….