Author: Ryan Baylis
Posted: 11 May 2023
Estimated time to read: 3 mins
Join Senior Product Manager, Ryan Baylis, as he discusses Satchel One’s evolution from learning platform to MIS and achieving that all important balance between flexibility and security.
Ryan Baylis has been with the product team at Satchel for over 5 years. In his current position as Senior Product Manager, Ryan is working on the launch of the Satchel One MIS.
What made you want to be a product manager?
My career as a product manager came from my love of puzzles. I’m happiest when I’m problem solving and I wanted that to be a big part of my working life as well. Being a product manager is all about identifying what your users want and need and then working out the best way to give it to them, a complex kind of never-ending puzzle that’s always changing and growing.
What has your Satchel journey been like?
From managing GDPR compliance when I first started to building an MIS today, my role has grown a lot since I first started at Satchel. One of my biggest projects before this was launching our interactive quiz-building tool, Neeto, but I've also spent a lot of time working on classic Satchel One apps like Attendance, Welfare Notes and Seating. 
How do you evolve a learning platform into an MIS?
Evolving into an MIS has meant looking at Satchel One as it is today and critically evaluating what we can do to make it even better. This involves a lot of brainstorming with the experts in my team but also working very closely with schools to learn more about their needs. Working in this kind of pattern means the resulting MIS will do what users need it to do, built based on what real people actually need rather than predictions made in a bubble.
I decided to focus on roles and permissions for our recent webinar because it’s a perfect example of this kind of evolution. We listened to what schools had to say and we’re excited to deliver something that meets their expectations.
Why are roles and permissions so important?
Permissions are a really important part of developing an MIS because they act as gateways to the different software features at an educator’s disposal.
Not only is controlling access important for security reasons, it stops busy school staff wasting time sifting through stuff that isn’t relevant to them. Only having access to what you need takes a vast and powerful system and distils it down for maximum efficiency.
What were your goals for the new roles and permissions functionality?
I won’t give it all away but we had a clear goal in mind here: balance security and flexibility to give schools the best possible user experience.
If you want to know more about what this means in practice, sign up using this page to receive a copy of our latest product webinar. It’s a quick watch and includes a live demo of our upcoming MIS!
Can I get involved?
Yes, we’d love to hear from you! The best ideas come from school staff so we’re always interested in your opinions.
All you need to do is email Ola at research@teamsatchel.com to set up a meeting. We know how busy you are, so we offer Amazon vouchers to those who get involved to reflect the value of your time.
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To find out more about our MIS, visit our website and sign up for updates.
