The Roadmap has been developed over the course of more than 1,500 implementations to help guide Slate users. It follows the progression of the admission cycle to help learn fundamental Slate skills in the order in which they will need them. Certain core skills, such as building forms, are used throughout the Roadmap to achieve functional goals. Adhering to the Roadmap will ensure that Slate Captains acquire critical Slate skills in a straightforward, strategic, and manageable order.
To help get you started, we identified the most common items necessary to launch each aspect of Slate and the estimated time to completion. The simpler your process, the faster you’ll go live.
Implementation Pace
Slate captains will determine which processes their institution will implement and then often focus their efforts on one foundational topic at a time throughout each phase of the roadmap. Some boxes will require more time, and some will require less.
Phase I
| Getting Started |
Person Record |
Fields & Prompts |
Forms | Querying | Email, SMS, and More |
| Events | Interviews | Trips & Travel |
Automation | Importing Data |
Consolidate Records |
Phase II
| Materials | Checklists | Applications | Reader | Exporting Data | Users & Permissions |
Phase III
| Decision Release |
| Launching Outreach (4-8 Weeks) | |
|---|---|
| 🔲 | Design Event & Interview Templates |
| 🔲 | Build Individual Events & Interviews |
| 🔲 | Configure Event & Interview Landing Pages |
| 🔲 | Design Email Templates |
| 🔲 | Build Individual Events & Interviews |
| 🔲 | Create Request for Information Form (if applicable) |
| Launching a Slate Application (8-12 Weeks) | |
|---|---|
| 🔲 | Submit Service Request Detailing Proposed Application Periods & Rounds Structure |
| 🔲 | Configure Application Pages, Forms, & Logic |
| 🔲 | Set Up Application Fee/Deposit Payment Account |
| 🔲 | Design Application Automation |
| 🔲 | Test Application & Complete Application Building Checklist (additional 3-4 weeks recommended) |
| Launching the CommonApp (1-4 Weeks in Aug) | |
|---|---|
| 🔲 | Read & Review the Common Application Documentation |
| 🔲 | Submit Service Request Detailing Proposed “Common App Periods & Rounds” Structure |
| 🔲 | Map Relevant Fields & values in Upload Dataset |
| 🔲 | Refresh Test Environment and Set the Remap Active Flag to Active in TEST to Import Data. |
| 🔲 | Test Application Import (additional one week recommended) |
| 🔲 | Submit Service Request to Verify Mappings (optional) |
| Launching Reader (2-4 Weeks) | |
|---|---|
| 🔲 | Finalize Reader Bins |
| 🔲 | Finalize Reader Review Forms |
| 🔲 | Finalize Reader Tab Groups & Materials |
| 🔲 | Map Custom PDF Dashboard with PDF Editor (if applicable) |
| Exporting to SIS (2-6 Weeks) | |
|---|---|
| 🔲 | Build Query for Slate to SIS Export in Query |
| 🔲 | Submit Service Request for Additional Items (if applicable) |
| Release Decisions (2-4 Weeks) | |
|---|---|
| 🔲 | Finalize Decision Code & Reasons |
| 🔲 | Design Letter Templates |
| Testing (Ongoing) | |
|---|---|
| 🔲 | Continuously Test at Each Phase Before Going Live |