Guest Blog by Jim Pastrick, Business Analyst at DataBank IMX
Just as a good business application is rarely a “one size fits all” solution, the same is true of a good training approach. If you consider the training strategy to be a solution in and of itself, you can consider the training plan to be a solution design document that describes how the training components fit together to achieve the learning goals and objectives of each organization.
When creating a training plan, first ask yourself…
- Do you have a dedicated administrative support staff?
- Are you planning on building your own solutions in the future?
- How many users do you/will you have?
- Are they all located in the same area?
- Do they all speak the same language?
- Is there much employee turnover?
- Do you have a dedicated training staff?
The answers to these questions determine how many onsite visits your partner will make, whether they’ll incorporate live remote training sessions and whether if they’ll need to record some video content. To this end, a good partner’s is to make a concerted effort to discuss these items with your organization’s learning stakeholders. The handful of critical learning objectives may change from one department to the next or even one stakeholder to the next, but the end goal on all sides is the same: ensure the solution is adopted and the project is a success!
What goes into the training plan?
In all cases, it should mirror the high-level content captured in the solution design document. In general, it connects to the solution requirements and contains the following:
- Goals and objectives (How do we know when we’re done?)
- Roles and training responsibilities (How do we help each other achieve the goals?)
- Users and user groups (Who needs training and how many of them are there?)
- Requirements and delivery methods (How will we address multiple locations or languages, for example?)
- How do the users learn now?
- What is being to overcome user concerns (change management)
- Dates and deliverables (What tools will complement the delivery methods and when will we need them? When will we be onsite?)
- Rosters and schedules for live events (Who will attend which sessions?)
- Required certifications (Who needs Sys Admin training? Who needs to be a certified developer?)
- Consider present and future needs (What needs to be done to ensure user knowledge going forward i.e. persistent learner resources after the Go Live sequence is complete).
A Detailed Training Plan
The training plan should be as detailed as the project requires. If you’ve worked with this partner before, the effort probably won’t be as large. For smaller projects, the plan may simply describe the documentation that will be provided and the onsite training goals. But, for statewide government agencies, national banks, and multinational corporations, you can’t get by with two solution guides and a handshake. The plan should include present and future needs, consider resource constraints, audience types, and have measurable, attainable objectives.
Listen to our recent podcast episode to learn more about training plans!
