ERP Deployment: The keys to building a winning training path

Vincent Lemaire, SAP Project Director, discusses the important steps in developing a successful training path within an ERP deployment.

The success of a project necessarily depends on supporting users in the use of the new tool. This support is generally under the responsibility of a team specialized in change management that focuses on organizational transition, process adaptation, training and communication aspects. Training is a key moment in the project, which generally focuses on several days before the start, so it is essential to anticipate as soon as possible the preparation of these activities, which can be considered as a project within the project. This "winning" training path is built according to a structured 6-point approach.

Identify the need

The objective is to define and list the needs in terms of team support. It is defined as the difference in level between a required or desired skill and the current skill. It is therefore necessary to set up a skills matrix that makes it possible to identify and structure the reference frame of skills related to the project. One of the mistakes is to prepare training only for so-called "business" teams, but in the context of ERP implementation projects, IT teams must also upgrade their skills on the new solution and therefore these skills must also be listed.

Define the target population

The target definition identifies which populations should be trained and with which objectives according to the approach described above. Not everyone starts at the same level and does not have the same skill objectives to acquire. It is therefore necessary to start from the skills matrix and define the target to be reached for each group or population of the company. The target is therefore assessed on a scale from 0 (No knowledge) to 5 (expert) on both the current and expected level. Thus the differential makes it possible to identify the path to be followed in terms of acquiring competence and therefore the objectives of the training to be built.

It is possible to reassure oneself about this evaluation by carrying out a self-assessment on some of the teams to validate that the starting level is indeed that defined by the team in charge of the training.

Prepare

We now have the list of topics and the effort to be made to increase the competence of the teams. A standard training plan should be developed that includes the different sessions to be prepared by defining the complexity, number of iterations required and number of hours.

Once this framing work has been completed, each team of experts in the field will be able to prepare the materials and exercises. If necessary and if on the same subject, a difference in level between groups has been identified, it may be necessary to produce specific documents. For example, the level of conceptualization and practice based on exercises will be different between a "managerial population" and a "performing population". The involvement of the teams of the business is key to the success of the preparation of these materials in order to contextualize them as much as possible within the company. One of the mistakes is to entrust the preparation to external companies that cannot easily contextualize the support and exercises.

Animate

The training must be carried out according to a rhythm of sessions adapted to the objectives. For example, an intensive course over several days - such as an Academy - suitable for a "heavy" rise in competence - should be contrasted with a course given with sessions spaced over time, encouraging gradual assimilation or feedback on practical experience. It is important to take into account the constraints of each service so that they can organize themselves. For example, for some services that must be available at all times to respond to the customer, it is mandatory to schedule at least two sessions to ensure that the activity is not interrupted. It is also important to think about holiday periods as it can be difficult to have to form teams at certain times of the year.

Training materials should be made available to all users and if they are several dozen pages long, it may be effective to prepare a summary of the session on one or two pages that can be distributed at the end of the session.

Evaluate

Once the training has been provided, it is important for the project manager to monitor the teams' skills development and ensure that the training plan meets the expected objectives. This criterion should be part of the evaluation of the "Go / No Go" meeting to ensure that teams are able to work with the new system. To be effective and relevant, the evaluation must be carried out in two complementary ways: "Hot" at the end of the training according to the traditional training evaluation exercise, but also, and more rarely, "cold" a few days or weeks after the training, whether you are in an operational situation requiring the skills acquired in training or not. It is then possible to schedule additional sessions to help teams who are then confronted with the system in an operational way.

Maintain and develop

Finally, it is necessary to maintain and develop the learning outcomes of the training by defining the conditions for maintaining this new competence and especially if it is not fully acquired what actions to undertake (new training, tutoring, etc.). One of the mistakes is not to maintain these documents after the project, which are nevertheless of high added value for the company and which subsequently facilitate the arrival of new employees.