Observations on corporate training and its purpose
I was recently working on a project in which we introduced a new piece of information management software to the business. This software is not special in any way, but it is meant to fundamentally change the way the organisation shares information.
About a year into the project, my group were discussing an initial release and the needs for it. As part of the discussion, the need for “training” came up, to help users understand how to use the software. What struck me was that there were three different descriptions of what would be needed, and therefore three different timelines and costs implied for the development of the training.
- Manager: We don’t have time to create training. Creating a full curriculum getting it approved by the organisation, and ensuring it aligns with both corporate objectives and existing legal statements takes months. Video production adds months more to that and certification of completion adds months more to that.
- Colleague: We don’t need any training, the user manual provided by the vendor is very complete. We have taken the courses offered by the vendor and will be able to do the work…