In Part 1, we explored why disconnected digital experiences erode trust, and how that trust gap starts long before a student applies. In Part 2, we showed how to build and track enrolment journeys that convert, turning insight into action with a user-focused lens.
Now, in Part 3, we’re shifting the focus behind the scenes. Because even the best-designed UX can’t succeed if every faculty is working in digital isolation. This article explores how internal misalignment holds your strategy back, and what it really takes to bring departments, platforms, and people into a shared digital direction.
How do you align digital tools across faculties?
Every department has its own needs, processes, and tech preferences. But when those choices stack up across a university, they don’t always work well together. Misaligned systems create messy user journeys, drain IT resources, and quietly chip away at student trust.
The challenge isn’t unique to higher education - but the consequences here are felt in every lecture hall, enrolment form, and missed applicant.
The challenge of digital alignment in higher education
Most universities don’t plan for chaos, but it happens anyway:
- Faculties adopt tools that work for them, not the wider institution
- Platforms don’t integrate, or worse, duplicate functionality
- Central IT ends up firefighting ageing infrastructure with no roadmap
This isn’t just an inconvenience. It damages the student experience and stalls digital progress. When prospective students can’t get a joined-up view of your university online, or returning students can’t access consistent services, they lose trust fast. Confusion beats conversion every time.
We’ve seen it first-hand. At Saïd Business School, we worked with the team to unify fragmented platforms, improve UX, and build a modern, student-first digital environment. The result? A joined-up, on-brand experience that reflected their global reputation - not just internally, but across every digital touchpoint.
It’s a good example of a wider truth: you can’t deliver great digital experiences if your systems are pulling in opposite directions.
How to align without losing momentum
Digital leaders in universities often ask, “Where do I even start?” The answer isn’t just technology - it’s people and process. Here’s what we’ve learned works:
- Map your digital sprawl
Start with a discovery sprint. It’s not about cataloguing every system, but understanding where friction lives. Are departments duplicating tools? Are key journeys like applications, timetables, or student support fragmented or hidden? Once you know where misalignment hurts most, you can build a roadmap with purpose.
- Get buy-in early, not late
The biggest blocker to alignment isn’t budget - it’s belief. Heads of faculty need to understand that a shared roadmap doesn’t mean one-size-fits-all. It means building flexibility within a common structure. Shared CMS platforms, reusable UX components, and API-connected systems still leave room for autonomy, but without the chaos.
- Think platform, not patchwork
Many of our university clients feel stuck maintaining outdated infrastructure that can’t scale. The answer isn’t to rip and replace, but to design a modern digital ecosystem that can grow over time. Drupal, for example, gives the flexibility to unify content, integrate services, and still offer tailored user journeys by audience. It’s why we’re a certified Acquia Drupal agency and why we recommend this approach for large, multi-team organisations.
Why this matters beyond education
Disjointed tools and conflicting priorities aren’t exclusive to universities. Whether you’re a membership organisation juggling CRM and CMS silos, or a charity relying on manual campaign workflows, the symptoms are familiar.
- Slow internal processes
- Inconsistent digital experience
- Frustrated teams working around broken systems
The lesson from higher education is clear: progress starts when everyone’s pointed in the same direction. Not with uniformity, but with alignment.
When your systems, people, and goals are connected, everything works better - for users, teams, and budgets.
Need to align your systems, tools, and teams?
We help higher education leaders turn scattered platforms into clear, connected digital ecosystems. If you're wrestling with faculty misalignment or planning your next roadmap, talk to us about building a smarter digital strategy.