Work Product Descriptor (Artifact): Education and Training Strategy
The Education and Training Strategy addresses three areas - organization, process and IT.
Purpose

Successful change to an organization is dependent on how well its management and staff are equipped to operate in the new environment. The degree to which the organization can quickly adapt to the new environment can depend on the quality of the training material and the courses provided.

The purpose of this work product is therefore to enable staff to operate effectively in the new environment by providing for appropriate training and development.

Relationships
RolesResponsible: Modified By:
Input ToMandatory:
  • None
Optional: External:
  • None
Description
Main Description

The Education and Training Strategy consists of the following parts:

  • An initial list of critical success factors for training
  • An evaluation of the training needs for staff and the needs identified in other domains
  • An evaluation of alternate methods for delivering the training
  • An approach for the development of the staff training material
  • An initial roll-out plan for the delivery of education and training

The strategy should address the following three major areas:

  • organization: staff must understand and accept new roles, responsibilities and competencies
  • process: staff must understand the business practices and operating principles associated with the business processes
  • IT: staff must understand and be able to use any new package or system efficiently and effectively to perform their work

Identify all staff affected by the change, training requirements for each, sequence of training, delivery methods, and standards for success. The initial rollout plan should include the training of instructors, pilot classes and logistical considerations.

Brief Outline

The education and training plan, which is a detailed extension of the strategy, should take into account the plans for any required documentation, on-line help, on-line examples, and other support materials. The plan for the development of participant training material contains the following:

  • Terminology to be used in the training material
  • A list of training topics to be covered and their initial sequence in education and training modules
  • The delivery method to be used
  • A list of support material to be developed
  • Media specifications for training materials
  • Standards to be used for the different types of education and training material
  • Identification of development resources
  • Definition of the number of instances, and the size of the box needed for the training client database
  • Identification of master data and exercise data needed in the training client database

In addition, the training plan should address the rollout of participant training and post change training and support.

Properties
Optional
PlannedYes
Key Considerations

Right from the start of the project, the participant training should be a focus area. It is recommended that the client appoint one person to work with the consultant and to be responsible for all the activities concerning the development of training material and the planning of the roll out.  This single point of contact will help the client:

  • Select the right strategy and stick to it
  • Give the participant training a high priority, and get the best people on board, both for the development and the training
  • Have a chance to find the right people who are analytical and have the necessary skills and abilities to develop or present training material
  • Introduce the instructors gradually to the system or package well before the Train-the-Trainer class, so they have time to digest all the information

Check what the client's previous experience has been in training situations. Learn about the organization's culture and previous reactions, and what works and what does not work in their environment. 

The development work must be carefully coordinated with the implementation of the Change Program. Changes in the implementation should be reflected in the training material, and strict change request procedures must be put in place to ensure coordination. 

The key risks should be presented to the client before the specification of the education material is completed. Risk areas could include:

  • Tools: Will the participants have the right tools on their desk when they have finished the training? Will testing be successfully completed? Participants can quickly become disillusioned if they perceive problems.
  • Material: Has the material been targeted at the correct level? Are learning skills sufficient?
  • Time scales: Are the schedules realistic ? Has time been allowed for translating the material into other languages ?

If the training material is changed as a result of a change in the Change Program, in the middle of rolling out the classes, consider using available communication channels, sending out flyers, and updated material explaining what and where the changes are.

If training is to be delivered in several languages, consider how translation is to be handled and what is the best way of organizing the material. Be realistic about the time needed for the translation of the material (it takes longer than you think!)

As the project progresses keep the participants informed about the plans for their training. This will help prepare them for the training and cut down on the time needed on the course for extraneous topics.The planned lengths of the time for training modules may need to be adjusted as the material is developed.

Tailoring
Impact of not having
  • Without a carefully considered "going in" strategy, it is difficult to produce a cohesive training package that will support and fully coordinate training with the Change Program.
  • Agreement on a high level strategy is a major early step in building consensus around the training effort. Without consensus at a high level, it is nearly impossible to build a training plan that the client can be expected to take ownership of and fully support.
  • If many participants are involved, the roll out of education is complicated enough to need detailed planning. A poor roll out will compromise acceptance of the Change Program and, in the worst case, a proportion of participants will reject it.
Reasons for not needing

If the number of participants is limited, and if they have been closely associated with the development effort, a training plan may not be necessary. Participants will gradually gain most of the necessary knowledge during the rollout. A comprehensive walk-through or wrap-up session may still be beneficial.

For a limited number of participants, the training strategy may be to provide an initial session in basics and then on the job training. One or more consultants would need to be present to help the participants with their daily tasks. An introduction to the new organization and business processes will still need to be provided and the material for this will need to be developed.