Housing Cycle Readiness Checklist

Use this checklist to ensure your housing cycle is fully set up and ready for launch.

 

Pre-Cycle Administrative Review

Roles, Permissions, and Profiles

□ Confirm that all relevant admins and application reviewers have the correct access to the platform.

□ Validate that necessary student tags and SIS data are syncing correctly.

 

Financial Considerations

□  Review any adjustments made at an institutional level to costs related to housing, meal plans, or other miscellaneous fees and charges.

□  Ensure any adjustments (new charge codes, adjusted costs) are reflected properly in the Housing.Cloud system.

 

Tag Categories, Tags, and Rulesets

□ Ensure tag categories and individual tags are created based on process requirements.

□ Verify that rulesets are aligned with institutional policies for room visibility, auto-assignment, and roommate matching.

 

Inventory Review

□ Verify inventory is placed on hold or taken out of service if required.

□ Ensure inventory tags are applied appropriately across buildings, suites, and rooms.

□ Ensure inventory variations are up-to-date with appropriate names, charge codes, and total possible assignments.

 

Meal Plan Setup

□  Ensure meal plans are fully configured in Meal Plan Management before launching the cycle.

□  Use Meal Plan Management tagging options to restrict access if needed.

 

Create Forms and Document Templates

Ensure the following are ready before launching the cycle:

□ Application

□ Duplicate or create a new application if major questions or details have changed, as published forms cannot be edited.

□ Singable document templates (if applicable)

□ Student Questionnaire (if applicable)

□ Duplicate or create a new questionnaire if major questions or details have changed, as published forms cannot be edited.

□ Any additional required forms (if applicable)

 

Cycle Planning & Structure

□ Ensure necessary cycles are planned for each student population (e.g., separate commuter, graduate, or specialized student cycles).

□ Confirm that all above configurations are ready to be used within the cycle to avoid workflow disruptions.

 

General Cycle Setup

Cycle Dates

□ Confirm start and end dates align with institutional needs and application timelines.

 

External Term Code

□ Verify correct term codes for integration and reporting.

 

Tags & Eligibility

□ Confirm applicable tags are set to control student access.

 

Require Link to Apply

□ Set to Yes if you want to restrict access to the application and require a direct link.

□ Set to No if students should access the application directly in their Resident Portal.

 

Application Experience Setup

Application Form

□ Assign an application to the cycle.

□ Ensure tags are applied correctly to questions if needed.

□ Confirm all conditional logic flows are functioning as expected.

 

Roommate Questionnaire

□ Assign a roommate questionnaire if roommate matching is required.

□ If roommate matching is not needed for this cycle, consider removing this from the application experience.

 

Tags and Ruleset

□ Verify tags are appropriately assigned to students either through the application, student questionnaire, or manually.

□ Verify room visibility settings match student eligibility.

□ Ensure the ruleset enforces institutional policies and assignment processes correctly.

 

Application Limits

□ Define a total number of applicants for this cycle, if applicable.

 

Phases & Timeline

Application Start and End Dates

□ Ensure dates align with administrative processes.

 

Roommate Selection Phases

□ Verify dates for roommate group formation, if applicable.

□ Create different phases for roommate selection if different student groups participate on different timeframes.

□ Ensure any applied tags match the intended student group phases.

 

Room Selection Phases

□ Confirm room selection dates align with institutional policies.

□ Create different phases for room selection if different student groups participate on different timeframes.

□  Verify applied tags ensure only the correct students have access during the phases.

 

Move-In and Move-Out Periods

□ Ensure move-in dates align with the earliest scheduled student arrivals.

□ Confirm move-out dates match the latest allowed departures for this cycle.

 

Moving Management

General Moving

□ Provide general move-in instructions for all students.

 

Moving Groups (Check-in and Check-out)

□ Create moving groups that align with institutional practices (i.e., building based moving groups)

□ Consider if specific student populations require unique moving groups (i.e., Athletes)

□ Use tags to ensure students see only the move-in groups applicable to them.

□ Create group-specific moving checklists if required.

 

Check-In Holds

□ Determine if any students must complete additional steps (e.g., debt clearance) before check-in.

□ Apply check-in hold tags to students who need to resolve outstanding issues before move-in.

 

Assignments & Room Management

Room & Bed Availability

□ Block any required spaces from selection if necessary.

□ Review room and bed variations again to ensure charges will apply appropriately.

 

Inventory Tags

□ Ensure buildings, rooms, and suites have correct tags for accurate assignment processing once more.

 

Auto-Assignment Rules

□ Ensure ruleset utilizes appropriate tags across student profiles, applications, and inventory once more.

 

Meal Plan Configurations

Meal Plan Selection and Default Plans

□  Define the number of times a student can change their meal plan before selection is locked.

□  Set a default meal plan to be automatically assigned when the selection window closes.

□  Define any exemptions for students who should not receive a default meal plan.

 

Fees and Charges

Application Fees

□  Establish any application fees associated with this cycle.

 

Automated Charges

□  Ensure automatic transaction generation is enabled for housing assignments, meal plans, or other charges.

 

Communication and Resources

Resident Portal Updates

□  Remove any outdated communications from previous cycles. Consider adding new end-dates to updates to hide them from student view, but keeping them accessible with-in the admin portal.

□  Post new updates before the application goes live to prepare students.

□  Create targeted messages for specific student groups using tags.

 

E-mail Templates

□  Draft any e-mails pertaining to the cycle to ensure communications can be sent when required.

 

Support Resources

□  Prepare FAQs and guides to help students navigate the application process.

□ Added Resource links to provide direct supports to student for self trouble-shooting.

 

Final Testing and Review

Impersonation Testing

□  Test different student types to verify eligibility and workflow.

□  Ensure students only see the correct applications, phases, and options.

 

Admin Review

□  Have a peer review the cycle setup utilizing this cycle checklist.

 

Final Adjustments

□  Make any last-minute changes before launch and review with a peer.