Start with Your World — Tell Us About It

• How many students/accounts do you bill each term? Options: Under 1,000, 1,000–5,000, 5,001–15,000, 15,001–30,000, 30,000+
• Which role will be our primary contact for billing and implementation? Options: Bursar/Student Accounts Director, Student Financial Services Director, CFO/Finance Director, Registrar/SIS Admin, IT/Integration Lead, Other
• Which core systems hold the data we’ll need to connect to (select all that apply)? Options: Banner (Ellucian), Colleague (Ellucian), PeopleSoft, Workday Student, Other SIS, In-house SIS, Financial Aid system (FAFSA/third-party), ERP/GL
• In one short paragraph, how would you describe your current end-to-end billing process (from aid posting to student statement to payment posting)?
• What feels most fragile about the way you bill today (the thing that causes the most adrenaline when term closes)?

If Errors Went Unnoticed, What Would That Cost?

• How often do billing exceptions (overcharges, missed refunds, incorrect charges) occur in a typical term? Options: Multiple times per day, Weekly, Per cycle (each run), Occasionally (once per term), Rarely
• Tell us about a recent billing error that created the most downstream work — what happened and who had to fix it?
• Estimate the average time and people involved to resolve a billing dispute or student appeal. Options: Under 1 hour / single person, 1–4 hours / small team, 1–2 days / cross-office, Several days / escalation required, Variable / no clear owner
• When a billing problem happens, what internal processes or handoffs tend to break down?
• How do billing errors typically affect student satisfaction and appeals volume? Options: Significant increase in appeals, Noticeable complaints but manageable, Rarely leads to appeals, We don't track impact

Where Title IV Compliance Keeps You Awake

• How confident are you that your current refund and Title IV calculations are consistently compliant? Options: Very confident, Somewhat confident, Occasionally unsure, Not confident / frequent concern
• Describe any past Title IV audits, findings, or corrective actions you’ve faced in the last three years.
• Which parts of Title IV handling cause the most uncertainty—for example, aid returns, R2T4 timing, or exchange of enrollment status? Options: Aid return calculations, Enrollment change tracking, Timing of disbursements, Coordination between FA and Bursar, Documentation retention, Other
• How do you currently calculate Title IV adjustments (manual spreadsheets, third-party module, in-house scripts, other)? Options: Manual spreadsheets, SIS built-in, Third-party tool/module, Custom integration, Not sure
• What would be an unacceptable compliance outcome for your institution (what keeps leadership awake)?

Who Really Pays — Third Parties and Sponsor Complexity

• How often do third-party sponsors (employers, military, agencies) change or submit retroactive authorizations? Options: Very frequently, Often, Occasionally, Rarely, Never
• Approximately what percentage of your enrolled population uses third-party billing or sponsorship? Options: Under 5%, 5–15%, 16–30%, 31–50%, Over 50%
• Which sponsor types create the most billing complexity for you? Options: Employer tuition assistance, Military/Veterans benefits, State/federal agencies, International sponsors, Scholarship/third-party foundations, Other
• Walk us through your current workflow for a sponsor change mid-term — who updates what, and how is the student notified?
• What problems arise most often with sponsor billing (late payment, incorrect authorizations, unapplied credits, invoicing cadence)?

Payment Plans: Helping Students — or Choking Receivables?

• If payment plans were perfectly configured for your institution, what would change in month 1?
• What percent of students enroll in payment plans, and how has that trended over the last three years? Options: Under 5%, 5–15%, 16–30%, 31–50%, Over 50%
• How flexible are your current payment plan rules (custom term lengths, down payment rules, auto-pay, late fees)? Options: Highly configurable, Moderately configurable, Limited, Not configurable
• Describe your current delinquency and collections workflow for plan accounts—what triggers outreach or default?
• Which KPIs matter most when you evaluate payment plan health? Options: Enrollment rate, On-time payment rate, Delinquency rate, Charge-off rate, Average receivable days, Other

Refunds, Cashiering, and Real-Time Money Movement

• When refunds are delayed or miscalculated, what downstream consequences do you see most often?
• Who currently approves and issues refunds, and what controls are in place? Options: Bursar office, Cashiering, Finance/Controller, Shared approval matrix, Other
• How frequently do you run into reconciliation differences between cashiering, payments gateway, and your general ledger? Options: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Rarely
• Describe any refund scenarios that are especially painful (Title IV returns, third-party overpayments, ACH failures, international payments).
• Which payment methods and disbursement channels are priorities to support or improve? Options: ACH/Direct Debit, Credit/Debit Cards, Checks, Wire/International, Campus Card/Cashier, Other

Data, Integrations, and Migration — Are Your Systems Talking?

• What would happen if your SIS and billing engine were fully bi-directionally integrated with real-time data flow?
• Which integration methods do you currently use or prefer for system-to-system exchange? Options: Batch flat files, Secure FTP, APIs/real-time, Database replication, Manual CSV uploads, Other
• How often does financial aid posting lag behind billing cycles, and what manual workarounds do you run to compensate? Options: Same-day, 1–3 days, 4–7 days, Over a week, Variable/unpredictable
• Tell us about your last data migration or major integration—what went well, and what surprised you?
• Which data quality issues cause the most rework (duplicate records, incorrect enrollment status, missing aid, mismatched IDs)? Options: Duplicate records, Incorrect enrollment status, Missing aid data, Mismatched student IDs, Inconsistent term codes, Other

Who Signs Off and What Success Looks Like

• If we delivered the project perfectly, what measurable outcomes would leadership celebrate at 90 days post-launch?
• Which success signals should we prioritize (select up to three)? Options: Billing accuracy improvement, Reduced appeals/complaints, Faster cash posting, Payment plan performance, Fewer compliance exceptions, Reduced manual work
• Who must formally approve go/no-go decisions for launch? Options: Bursar, Student Financial Services Director, CFO/Controller, IT/Integration Lead, Registrar, Compliance Officer, Other
• What are the non-negotiable acceptance criteria for billing validation and parallel run success?
• How would you like ongoing performance to be reported (dashboards, weekly scorecards, monthly executive summaries)? Options: Real-time dashboard, Weekly operational reports, Monthly executive summary, Quarterly review, Ad-hoc on request

Ready to Change? Pace, Risks, and Next Steps

• If we asked your team to adopt a different billing cadence or a new approval workflow, what internal resistance would you expect?
• Which internal obstacles are most likely to delay implementation (resourcing, budget, policy, technical debt, stakeholder alignment)? Options: Resourcing, Budget, Policy/approval, Technical debt, Stakeholder alignment, Other
• Realistically, how many dedicated internal FTEs could you commit to project tasks during implementation? Options: None / consulting only, 1–2 part-time, 3–5 part-time, 2–3 full-time, 3+ full-time
• What is your target go-live window and are there immovable academic dates we must avoid? Options: Next term (3 months), Next 2 terms (3–6 months), 6–12 months, 12+ months, Undecided
• Who else should we bring into the next conversation to clear blockers and accelerate decisions?

• Prework & Current State Confirmation
• Term Billing & Payment Plan Solution Experience
• Third-Party Sponsor Billing, Refunds & Title IV Solution Experience
• Consolidated Validation, Metrics & Executive Alignment

• Host: Prepare training plan and cutover checklist contingent on parallel run success.
• Customer: Confirm staff users who will participate in the parallel validation.
• Recap Problem Statement & Consequence Specific to Sponsors/Refunds
• Demonstrate that Title IV calculations match or improve on the customer's manual outcomes and provide complete audit trails.
• Prove third-party billing automation reduces manual invoicing and reconciliation steps.
• Agree on reconciliation reports and 1098-T impacts required for acceptance.
• Create a clear exception-handling workflow for scenarios requiring manual intervention.
• Host: Deliver Title IV calculation worksheets and audit logs for each tested scenario.
• Customer: Confirm whether the automated Title IV outputs match their expected return amounts or provide corrections.
• Both: Define which refunds/sponsor items require manual review and document the routing/ownership.
• Host: Produce reconciliation report template for GL and 1098-T verification.
• One-sentence Current State & Future State Readback
• Obtain executive sign-off on acceptance criteria and decision to proceed to parallel run or remediation.
• Confirm measurable success signals and target thresholds for billing accuracy, appeals reduction, and AR impact.
• Assign clear owners and timeline for any outstanding remediation required before deployment.
• Schedule the parallel run and subsequent validation checkpoints.
• Customer & Host: Finalize and sign acceptance criteria and the parallel run schedule.
• Host: Produce a short remediation plan for any failed scenarios with owners and deadlines.
• Customer: Confirm executive approval and provide formal go/no-go direction after reviewing proofs.
• Introductions & Meeting Objectives
• Produce a one-sentence current state that everyone accepts as accurate.
• Document the financial/time/compliance consequences of current failures with examples.
• Agree the exact scenario list and dataset to be used in subsequent experience sessions.
• Confirm timeline and contacts for loading data to staging.
• Customer: Deliver sanitized billing extract, payment plan rules, sponsor agreements, and 3 representative refund/appeal cases.
• Host: Provision staging environment and load customer dataset; provide access details.
• Both: Finalize the list of priority scenarios and measurable acceptance criteria.
• Customer: Identify the internal decision-maker(s) who will validate outcomes.
• One-sentence Current State & Future State Reminder
• Prove that the platform produces correct term bills for each selected scenario without manual intervention.
• Show that payment plan automation enforces terms and reduces manual monitoring/reconciliation.
• Obtain explicit customer validation (yes/no) for each scenario tested.
• Agree on parallel run date and metrics that will demonstrate success.
• Host: Run a full parallel billing batch for the agreed term and provide detailed logs and exception list.
• Customer: Review and annotate any mismatches within 3 business days, including expected outcome and reasoning.
• Host: Capture screenshots/exports of rule configurations used for each scenario and share them.
• Prework & Deliverables Review
• Third-Party Sponsor Workflow Walkthrough
• Proof Summary: Key Wins Against Consequence
• Load & Verify Sample Charges
• Term Billing Walkthrough (Diagnosis → Proof)
• Current State Readback (one sentence)
• Refund Scenarios & Title IV Return Calculations (Proof)
• Outstanding Exceptions & Risk Mitigation
• Payment Plan Enrollment & Performance Flows (Proof)
• Reconciliation & 1098-T/Financial Aid Posting Implications
• Consequence Quantification
• Acceptance Criteria, Go/No-Go & Timeline
• Customer Validation & Exception Handling Plan
• Validation & Forced Confirmation
• Select Priority Scenarios for Walkthrough
• Decision & Next Steps
• Agree Acceptance Criteria & Next Test Run
• Agree Dataset, Success Metrics & Logistics
• Confirm Acceptance Criteria & Compliance Reporting Needs

• Configure term billing rules and charge schedules
• Migrate student and account balance data
• Integrate SIS and financial aid system connectors
• Set up payment gateway and merchant processing
• Enable student self-service payment portal
• Configure payment plans and autopay enrollment
• Implement third-party and sponsor billing workflows
• Automate Title IV refund calculation and processing
• Configure refund disbursement and bank reconciliation
• Deploy cashiering and in-person point-of-sale
• Generate and file 1098-T tax forms
• Activate billing communications and automated notices
• Deploy receivables aging and collections automation
• Enable PCI-compliant card tokenization and vaulting

Configure term billing rules and charge schedules

• Which billing cadences do you run (select all that apply)? Options: Per term/semester, Monthly installments, Custom date schedules, Continuous (rolling), Other
• What types of charges need automated rule support (e.g., tuition, housing, lab fees)? Options: Tuition, Housing/room & board, Course/lab fees, Activity/tuition-related fees, Fines/late fees, Other
• Do you require rule-driven proration, retroactive adjustments, or variable charge calculations? Options: Proration, Retroactive adjustments, Variable/conditional charges, None of the above
• How many distinct charge schedules or rule-sets would you expect to maintain? Options: 1-5, 6-15, 16-50, 50+
• Are there special billing exceptions we must model (e.g., consortium, cross-registration, residency changes)? Please list.
• Do you need audit trails and change history for billing rule edits? Options: Yes, No

Migrate student and account balance data

• What data sources will be migrated for billing (select all that apply)? Options: SIS student records, Current billing system export, General ledger balances, Third-party sponsor records, Historical payment transactions, Other
• What file formats are available for export from your current systems? Options: CSV/Excel, Database export (SQL), Flat files (fixed-width), API access, Other
• How many distinct student/account records will be migrated? Options: < 1,000, 1,000-10,000, 10,001-50,000, 50,000+
• Do you require historical transaction history and receipts to be migrated or only current balances? Options: Full history, Last 1-2 years, Current balances only, Custom range
• Will personal data require special handling for FERPA/other compliance during migration? Options: Yes, No, Unsure—need review
• Are there known data quality issues (duplicate IDs, mismatched term codes) that need cleaning/mapping? Options: Yes, No

Integrate SIS and financial aid system connectors

• Which SIS and financial aid systems must be integrated? Options: Ellucian Banner, Colleague (Ellucian), Workday Student, SCT/SunGard, Custom/Proprietary, Other
• Do your SIS/FA systems support real-time APIs or only batch file exports? Options: Real-time API, Scheduled batch files (SFTP), Both, Other
• Which data domains must flow from SIS/FA into billing (select all that apply)? Options: Enrollment/status, Course load/credits, Financial aid awards, Disbursement timing, Student demographics/contact info, Other
• How frequently must integrations sync (real-time, daily, nightly, weekly)? Options: Real-time/event-driven, Daily, Nightly, Weekly, Ad-hoc/manual
• Are there existing connector tools or middleware in use (e.g., campus ESB, integration platform)? Options: Yes — specify, No, Unsure
• Are there security or IP allowlist requirements for integration endpoints? Options: Yes, No, Unsure

Set up payment gateway and merchant processing

• Do you already have a merchant account and gateway or do you need one provisioned? Options: Existing merchant/gateway, Need provisioning, Using third-party processor (e.g., PayPath), Unsure
• Which payment methods must be enabled (select all that apply)? Options: Card (Visa/Mastercard/AMEX), ACH/ACH Push (bank transfer), eCheck, International cards, Wire transfers, Other
• Do you require split settlement, campus fund routing, or multi-merchant support? Options: Split settlement, Single merchant with routing rules, Multi-merchant, No special routing
• What are your expected monthly payment volume and average transaction size? Options: < $100k/month, $100k-$1M/month, $1M-$5M/month, $5M+
• Are there existing PCI scope requirements or preferred gateway vendors?
• Do you need support for refunds, chargebacks, and reconciliation within the gateway setup? Options: Yes, No

Enable student self-service payment portal

• What self-service capabilities should students have (select all that apply)? Options: View/print bill, Make one-time payments, Enroll/manage payment plans, View financial aid impact, Update contact/payment methods, Other
• Do you require single sign-on (SSO) with campus credentials? Options: Yes (SAML/SSO), Optional, No
• Should the portal support multi-language or accessibility (WCAG) requirements? Options: Multi-language, WCAG accessible, Both, Neither
• Do you want customizable student-facing messaging and branded UI? Options: Yes, No, Partial (colors/logo)
• Will student support require integrated chat, ticketing, or phone callbacks from the portal? Options: Chat, Ticketing, Phone callbacks, None
• Are there peak traffic windows (e.g., term billing release) we must scale for? Options: Yes—specific dates, No

Configure payment plans and autopay enrollment

• What types of payment plans do you offer or want to offer (select all that apply)? Options: Term-based installment plans, Monthly plans across terms, Deferred payment/bridge loans, Custom sponsor-funded plans, Other
• What configurable plan attributes are required (number of installments, due dates, fees, interest)? Options: Installment count, Custom due dates, Late fees, Interest/finance charges, Auto-pay discounts
• Do you require automated autopay enrollment and stored payments (tokenized cards/ACH)? Options: Yes—autopay & tokenization, Autopay only, Tokenization only, No
• How should missed payments be handled (late notices, plan suspension, collections handoff)? Options: Late notices + fees, Automatic suspension, Manual review before action, Immediate collections referral
• Do you need integrated credit/debit vs ACH pricing or different plan rules by payment method? Options: Yes—different pricing/rules, No—same rules
• Are payment plans offered to third-party-sponsored students and how should sponsor obligations be modeled? Options: Yes—sponsor-aware plans, No—plans only for personally-liable students, Partial

Implement third-party and sponsor billing workflows

• What sponsor types must be supported (select all that apply)? Options: Employers, Military/veterans benefits, Government agencies, International sponsors, Scholarship foundations, Other
• Do sponsors require invoices, purchase order matching, or remittance portals? Options: Invoice + PO matching, Sponsor portal for payments, Email/PDF invoices, Other
• How are sponsorship rules defined (percentage coverage, per-course caps, conditional approvals)? Options: Percentage coverage, Per-course/term caps, Conditional approvals, Flat fee coverage, Other
• Are sponsor billing cycles and remittance windows different from student billing? Options: Yes—different cycles, No—same, Some sponsors differ
• Do you need automated sponsor eligibility checks or pre-authorization workflows? Options: Yes, No, Partial
• How should disputes or sponsor denials be routed and communicated (student notice, appeals process)?

Automate Title IV refund calculation and processing

• Do you currently perform Title IV refund calculations manually or with a tool? Options: Manual, Existing tool, Partly automated, Never required
• Which refund scenarios must be supported (withdrawals, unofficial withdrawals, partial term drops)? Options: Official withdrawal, Unofficial withdrawal, Partial term drop, Course withdrawal, Other
• Do you need audit-ready reports and documentation for each Title IV calculation? Options: Yes, No
• Should Title IV refund outputs integrate to disbursement/payment engines automatically? Options: Yes—automate disbursement, No—manual review then disburse, Partial automation
• Are there institutional policies or state rules that modify federal Title IV calculations we must encode? Options: Yes—provide policy details, No, Unsure
• Do you require staff training or process documentation for Title IV workflows? Options: Yes—training required, No

Configure refund disbursement and bank reconciliation

• Which refund disbursement methods must be supported (select all that apply)? Options: Direct deposit/ACH, Paper check, Card push/refund to card, Third-party vendor disbursement, Cashier pickup
• Do you require automated reconciliation with bank statements and GL posting? Options: Automated bank reconciliation, Manual reconciliation only, Hybrid
• How often do reconciliations occur and what are acceptable tolerances for exceptions? Options: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Ad-hoc
• Are there multiple refund funds/accounts that need different routing rules? Options: Yes—multiple funds/accounts, No—single fund
• Do you need NSF/failed deposit handling and automated retry rules? Options: Yes, No
• Should refund notices be sent to students and finance teams automatically? Options: Yes—both, Students only, Finance teams only, No

Deploy cashiering and in-person point-of-sale

• Do you have campus locations requiring in-person cashiering or POS terminals? Options: Yes—multiple locations, Yes—single location, No
• Which payment acceptance methods are needed at POS (card, cash, checks, mobile wallets)? Options: Card, Cash, Checks, Mobile wallets, Campus card
• Do you need integrated receipt printers, cash drawers, and hardware provisioning? Options: Yes—hardware needed, No—existing hardware, Partial
• Will POS transactions need offline mode and later reconciliation? Options: Yes—offline mode, No
• Do you require cashier role-based access, shift reporting, and tills management? Options: Yes, No
• Are there campus-specific sales tax, departmental routing, or fund accounting rules to support at POS?

• Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)
• Master Services Agreement (MSA)
• Statement of Work (SOW)
• Order Form & Pricing Schedule
• Service Level Agreement (SLA)
• Data Processing Agreement (DPA)
• Security & Compliance Addendum
• Implementation Plan Acceptance
• Data Access & Integration Authorization
• Go/No-Go & Launch Readiness Signoff
• Third-Party Payment Processor Enrollment
• Change Order / Scope Amendment
• Termination & Transition Agreement
• Acceptance Criteria & Success Signals Signoff

• Post‑Launch Success Validation
• Operational Metrics Review — Monthly Performance Review
• Issue Triage & Enhancement Prioritization
• Compliance & Audit Review (Title IV / 1098‑T)
• Stakeholder Success Check‑in — Executive Review

• Publish prioritized enhancement backlog and release plan to stakeholders.
• Prioritize enhancements that directly improve measured outcomes.
• Update KPI dashboard data feed and distribute PDF snapshot to stakeholders.
• Open operational tickets for identified anomalies and assign owners.
• Push identified quick wins into the next sprint with committed resources.
• Compile student appeals case log for trend analysis.
• Critical Issue Triage
• Ensure high‑impact issues are triaged, owned, and have committed SLAs.
• Produce a prioritized enhancement list tied to measured outcomes.
• Confirm next release content and acceptance criteria for each item.
• Create and assign severity‑tagged incident tickets with SLA targets.
• Compliance Status Snapshot
• Define acceptance criteria and test cases for each planned release item.
• Schedule validation windows and parallel run steps for release deployments.
• Executive Summary of Outcomes
• Secure executive alignment on whether success signals meet strategic expectations.
• Obtain decisions or approvals for any required investments to reach targets.
• Escalate unresolved high‑risk items and confirm executive owners for mitigation.
• Produce an executive one‑pager with KPI trends, financial impact, and recommended investments.
• Submit funding or scope change requests for approved enhancements.
• Assign executive owners for any escalated strategic risks.
• Communicate executive decisions and next steps to operational teams.
• Confirm Title IV and 1098‑T processes are producing compliant outcomes.
• Close or map remediation steps for audit findings with owners and timelines.
• Establish an audit cadence and required evidence package for ongoing compliance.
• Produce compliance evidence package (sample calculations, logs, reconciliation) within 7 business days.
• Assign owners and deadlines to outstanding audit findings and track via ticketing system.
• Schedule periodic compliance sampling and attach to the monthly KPI review calendar.
• Document retention plan for audit artifacts and share location/access controls.
• Welcome & Objectives
• Confirm whether each agreed success signal is met or unmet with evidence.
• Identify root causes for gaps and convert them into owned remediation tasks.
• Agree regular review cadence and the reporting package content.
• Establish escalation owners and timelines for any high‑impact failures.
• Deliver a written outcome validation report (metrics, samples, evidence) within 3 business days.
• Create remediation tickets with owners and target dates for each unmet metric.
• Schedule the recurring performance review meetings and share calendar invites.
• Provide secure access to source reports/data used in validation for auditability.
• KPI Dashboard Review
• Maintain continuous visibility on core success metrics and detect risk early.
• Close or advance operational remediation items and reduce recurrence.
• Audit Findings & Remediation Progress
• ROI & Receivables Impact
• Anomalies & Exceptions
• Reconfirm Success Signals & Baselines
• Impact Assessment & Business Risk
• Enhancement Backlog Review & Scoring
• Risks, Escalations & Roadblocks
• Student Experience & Appeals Summary
• Data‑Driven Outcome Validation
• Title IV Refund Calculation Verification
• 1098‑T Generation Sampling & Reconciliation
• Adoption & Change Management Update
• Operational Action Item Status
• Prioritization & Release Planning
• Root‑Cause Review for Variances
• Remediation Actions & Owners
• Decisions & Funding Approvals
• Compliance Cadence & Evidence Retention
• Enhancement Requests & Quick Wins