Training Tips and Strategies

Tailor training to solve your biggest problems April 1, 2004 By: Robert Green Cadalyst

rustrated CA! managers o"ten as# me $o% to $andle user&training programs' (uestions range "rom $o% to identi"y materials to t$e best time to train to $o% to )usti"y training to dubious upper management sta""' *nvariably, ans%ering any +uestion about training involves building a )usti"i,ation "or training t$at management agrees %it$ and %ill "und' *n my e-perien,e, it doesn.t matter $o% %ell you ,an train "rom a te,$ni,al standpoint i" management doesn.t see a business advantage to doing so' Clari"y /our 0eeds Assuming t$at you $ave a ,ertain amount o" time and "unds to e-e,ute a training program, %$at s$ould you ,on,entrate on to get t$e biggest bang "or your bu,#1 *" you start to build a training program using t$is simple +uestioning metri,, you.ll stay on tas# and deliver training ,ontent t$at addresses #ey ,ompany needs' As# yoursel" t$e "ollo%ing +uestions and %rite do%n your gut responses so you ,an analy2e t$em in a "e% moments: 3$at +uestions do users as# me over and over1 3$at mista#es t$at ,ost time and money do %e seem to repeat1 3$at ne% met$odologies ,ould %e use in our CA! so"t%are to save us time day&to&day1 3$at problems are %e $aving %it$ standards en"or,ement1 *.ve "ound t$at almost all CA! managers, regardless o" design dis,ipline, ,an ans%er t$ese +uestions +ui,#ly' *" you #no% %$ere your

problems are, you $ave a solid idea o" %$at your training program s$ould address' (uit 3asting Time 3$en * go t$roug$ t$e above +uestion&and&ans%er session %it$ a CA! manager, * al%ays point out t$at t$e ans%ers to t$e +uestions not only s$o% %$ere you s$ould be training, but also %$ere you.re already %or#ing too $ard' 3$at * mean is t$at i" you.re ans%ering +uestions again and again, or "i-ing t$e same problem repeatedly, you.re %asting time' *n "a,t, you.re not only %asting your o%n time by "i-ing t$e same problem over and over, you.re %asting sta"" time as %ell be,ause your sta"" isn.t %or#ing as e""i,iently as it ,ould' By ,ataloging your ,ompany.s needs, you build a list o" a,tion items' /our ,$allenge no% is to prioriti2e t$e list o" a,tion items in order o" importan,e so you ,an address t$em in t$e most e""i,a,ious order' Get 4anagement on Board 0o% t$at you $ave a prioriti2ed list o" training topi,s t$at address #ey needs %it$in your ,ompany, it.s time to ,onvin,e management o" t$e "ollo%ing: /ou.ve analy2ed your ,ompany.s needs ,are"ully and #no% e-a,tly %$at topi,s to ,over' /ou.ve prioriti2ed your training program to give t$e greatest degree o" payba,# "or t$e ,ompany' /ou understand t$at CA! 5and CA! training by e-tension6 ,an play a pivotal role in improving t$e ,ompany.s business pro,esses' *.ve "ound t$at senior management is very impressed %$en a CA! manager presents a %ell&)usti"ied training plan based on business metri,s' 4anagement teams ,an ,$ange t$eir outloo# on CA! training ,ompletely %$en t$ey.re ,on"ronted %it$ t$e problems and ine""i,ien,ies t$at ,ost t$em money' Bottom line: *" you ,an "rame your CA! training program %it$in t$e parameters o" "i-ing problems and saving t$e ,ompany money, management %ill get on board' Getting Started 0o% t$at you.ve ,reated a prioriti2ed list o" training topi,s and broug$t management on board, it.s time to turn your list into deliverable

training ,lasses' * li#e to ta,#le training development in t$e "ollo%ing order: *denti"y and ,reate training materials' Ben,$mar# your materials on a test group' 7repare a training environment' !eliver training and insist on trainee attendan,e and a,,ountability' Training materials are t$e #ey element to su,,ess in training' A"ter t$e training is over, %ritten materials be,ome t$e only ba,#up resour,e "or users %$o didn.t ta#e good notes' *.d go so "ar as to say t$at you s$ouldn.t bot$er %it$ training i" you don.t $ave %ritten training materials' /ou ,an buy training materials or generate 3ord do,uments %it$ s,reen ,aptures t$at re"le,t your spe,i"i, ,ompany environment' 8it$er %ay, use )ust enoug$ materials to ma#e your point %it$out being too %ordy' *" you plan on using *nternet&based or multimedia training materials, $ave a %ritten $andout "or a"ter&training rein"or,ement' Be"ore you roll your training program out to t$e masses, re$earse %it$ a small group o" users and gat$er t$eir "eedba,#' T$is sort o" in"ormal ben,$mar#ing e-poses %ea#nesses in your training plans, su,$ as typos and missed topi,s, and $elps you be,ome ,om"ortable %it$ t$e material' Training 8nvironment To deliver your training, you.ll need an environment t$at provides noise ,ontrol, room to spread out materials, and, at minimum, a ,omputer and data pro)e,tor so you ,an present a visually stimulating training session' *deally, users s$ould $ave ,omputers %it$ t$em in t$e training so t$ey ,an apply t$e #no%ledge t$ey gain' Be %arned t$at poor training environments typi,ally yield poor training results9 *.ve also "ound it bene"i,ial to re,ord training presentations "or "uture use in ne% employee orientations or in ,ase a parti,ipant $as to miss a training session' * $ig$ly re,ommend Te,$Smit$.s Camtasia so"t%are 5%%%',amtasia',om6 to re,ord audio and video training sessions to dis#&based "iles t$at you ,an replay via your ,orporate net%or#' Trainee A,,ountability

As you %rap up your preparation and ,$arge a$ead into delivering training sessions, insist t$at your trainees are on time, on tas#, and ready to learn' A"ter all, you.ve persuaded your management to "und a training program to in,rease produ,tivity, and t$ey e-pe,t results' :o% ,an you deliver solid training results unless your users ta#e t$e training seriously1 *.ve "ound t$at maintaining a sign&in s$eet along %it$ notes on %$o %as absent or late motivates attendan,e' *" t$ose attending t$e training report dire,tly to you, ma#e training attendan,e re,ords part o" t$eir personnel "iles and let t$em #no% you.re doing so' *" you set t$e tone t$at training is important and re+uired, users are more li#ely to attend and master t$e training ,ontent' 4a#e t$e Grade Con,eptuali2ing and e-e,uting a ,ustom CA! training program "or your ,ompany is no small tas#' :o%ever, t$e only alternative to a targeted, needs&based training is ans%ering t$e same +uestions over and over' *" you don.t train users in t$e most e""i,ient or standardi2ed met$ods "or ,ompleting day&to&day tas#s, you.ll be destined to "ig$t "ires and "it$e same problems again and again' Ta#e some time to t$in# t$roug$ your ,ompany.s needs, design a training program to meet t$ose needs, and t$en implement t$e program %it$ 2eal' /ou.ll be ama2ed at t$e results'