by Brian Clark | Business Process, Innovation, Performance
I think SWOT analysis may have earned a bad reputation in some circles. I was speaking to a new client last week and could almost see their eyes glaze over when I told him of my desire to undertake a SWOT session with his managers. SWOT analysis should not be discounted based on prior experience of poor execution. The key to executing an effective SWOT analysis is how deep you are prepared to dive. Instead of simply throwing words and phrases on the whiteboard or flip chart, set up some questions and background material to help ‘churn’ some ideas and conclusions. I usually use either Mindmanager 2012 or Mindmanager for Mac with a projector. I am the scribe so the participants can focus their energy on engaging in the process. Here are some quick tips for more effective SWOT sessions:
- prepare the participants by providing a clear PURPOSE for the session.
- set some ground rules for how the session will be conducted.
- have a third party capture the inputs.
- use visuals as well as providing post it notes, coloured pens and paper so you can add breaks for individual or small group ‘brainstorming’ and reflection sessions.
- ask lots of questions and use the ‘5 whys’ technique; it really works to uncover reasons and root causes. I have also found it adds an element of innovation to the SWOT analysis.
- when people start to fade in energy and attention take a break for water, stretching and food.
- make sure every participant is provided a copy of the output.
- add follow up tasks for further research or investigation if there is not enough clarity no a certain item or you uncover something worth pursuing immediately.
These are just a few ideas that should help you get more out of the SWOT analysis process. The deeper you dive the more benefit you will achieve.
by Brian Clark | Business Process, DOTS LMS, learning management systems, LMS
There is always risk with the implementation of an enterprise learning management system. The risk starts early in the planning process with such factors as:
- lack of or inaccurate resource planning
- failure to engage key stakeholders, influencers and decision makers
- business requirements are not specified, incomplete and/or inaccurate
There are two primary facets to an LMS implementation project; technology implementation project plan and the change strategy/management plan. If either or both are deficient in any way the risk of an unsuccessful LMS implementation increases dramatically. It has been my experience that it is more common that organisations fail to plan and execute an effective change strategy than it is to fail in a software implementation, although both are common. In the past month our company has been approached by two companies seeking assistance wtih implementing other vendors’ learning management systems. In one case the vendor has attempted an LMS implementation project with a lack of expertise ‘on the ground’ in Australia. This implementation was attempted from an overseas office with a prescriptive generic project plan that did not address the client’s business requirements. In the second example the vendor completed the implementation and failed to assist in the change strategy implementation. The client team was poorly trained and the user experience suffered horribly. In this case it is going to be an uphill battle to win back the hearts and minds of the end users as well as senior stakeholders.
Learning management systems have evolved to have an enormous breadth of capabilities. Not all clients need all these capabilities but every organisation has unique business requirements, cultures, and operating environments. As a key enterprise software solution it is vitally important that both the vendor and the client are realistic in their implementation project planning to meet clear business requirements. Without this commitment the client is under enormous risk of a failed implementatiion. If you would like further informatoin about learning management system implementation strategy, project planning and business analysis, please send us an email or use the form on this website.
by Brian Clark | Business Process, DOTS LMS
What is the most common issue with LMS implementations? I can only speak for my experience of over 90 client LMS installations. Every software implementation has its share of issues, it is par for the course. However there are a few key issues that tend to compromise a smooth implementation project and contribute to project creep and delayed project milestones.
The first is a lack of clear business requirements. I prefer the business requirements to be written as outcomes as opposed to a wish list of system functionality. The business requirements need to be aligned with the organisation’s strategy and cascaded down to the end user. This takes many different forms but the best results are achieved when the organisation creates the business requirements without influence or conformity to an LMS vendor’s features and functionality.
The second biggie is the a lack of adequate resource planning. There are some clients who want to go down the LMS implementation path on their own. That is fine until we realise that there is one ‘learning and development person’ assigned to the implementation. I need fresh air when I hear, “oh and by the way, our implementation project manager is new to our organisation and part of our graduate intake.” There is a need for adequate resourcing pre-implementation, during the project and of course during the life-cycle of the system.
The third danger is when two forces collide. The learning and development or human resources team collide with the information technology team. This is a good question, “did you guys cross check with IT about hosing the LMS internally or externally?” In some projects I have worked on, the L & D team have opted for a fully hosted LMS option to keep the IT team out of the decision process. In some cases the LMS has been installed on external servers and ready for roll-out before the IT is aware of anything. Not a good plan. I encourage my clients to include the IT team in the whole process. They are the best advocates when it comes time for the LMS roll-out.
Well those are the current top three. If you are experiencing any of these or have a premonition of any one or all situations arising in your project we are here to help.
by Brian Clark | Business Process, DOTS LMS, e-learning, learning management systems, utilisation
In the spirit of the reflection and planning that is going on as we start 2012, I thought it a good idea to discuss some reflection and planning for those of us in the e-learning community. Here are some questions you might ask as you plan your coming 12 months and the utilisation of learning technology to achieve your objectives.
- Do you know the level of utilisation of your LMS?
- If yes, is it acceptable? If no, do you know how to measure utilisation?
- Have the business requirements for the LMS changed or do you expect them to this year?
- Are the LMS administrators adequately trained to manage the LMS effectively?
- Is your LMS aligned operationally with strategy execution in your business?
- Is your online courseware and content delivering value to the business?
- What are the gaps in our learning delivery and how can you address them?
Of course there are many more diagnostic questions you may ask. These are a good start to cross check on where you are now and support some visualisation of where you wish to drive your LMS project. It is common for LMS projects to lose a bit of momentum once they have achieved the initial business requirements that motivated the acquisition of the LMS In the first place. To regain the momentum of your LMS project you may consider a few of these points:
- Is there scope for more people in your organisation to access the LMS?
- How has our business strategy/focus evolved and how can we support this with our LMS?
- Has the LMS been refreshed in look and feel?
- Are there LMS features or tools that are not utilised but could be?
- Can we extend our LMS capabilities to external stakeholders?
Would you like some help undertaking an evaluation of your LMS project? We can have an initial discussion to understand where you are now and explore some options to give you a simple clear roadmap to increase the utilisation of your LMS technology, no matter which system you are using.
by Brian Clark | Business Process, DOTS LMS, Innovation
The first part of this Innovation in DOTS topic gave a brief outline of the use of DOTS LMS as an ‘innovation incubator’ to support and sustain innovation processes in an organisation. I discussed how a client began the process with a learning and communication strategy to align their people with the purpose of the new focus on innovation in their organisation. It is important to emphasise that this company is looking for innovation at all levels of the organisation and to as many different business processes as possible. The obvious targets for innovation tend to be products and services, however this company identified that many of their systems and processes were no longer ‘best practices’ and tended to be the way they had been doing things for quite some time.
The company established a simple electronic form for capturing ideas. This form was developed and deployed using the DOTS Survey Tool. People can go to the form and enter in some basic information about the idea using simple click and short text responses. The surveys are reviewed and vetted by senior managers who are able to access these in DOTS. The review cycle is fortnightly currently with a montly cycle planned after the first twelve months. The current ratio is 8 out of 10 ideas submitted warrant further development. The current rate of submitted ideas is between 4 and 6 per month.
Once and idea has been approved to be developed, it is entered into DOTS LMS as a ‘course’ to facilitate communication and distribution. The courses vary in quality. At the outset they were mainly text based with an imgage or two. Now there are short videos, pictures, diagrams, mindmaps etc. that are used to illustrate the status quo and the forecast changes if this ideas were implemented. Most of the ideas/courses are distributed company wide although a few have been very specific warranting viewing only by direct stakeholders; e.g. changes to data entry procedures in the ERP system.
Once the courses are completed, each person is enrolled in the course and are able to view the course within a timeframe using DOTS Sessions. Once they have viewed the course they undertake an ‘assessment’ that provides immediate feedback. Attached to the course are a Discussion Forum and a Library. The Discussion Forum permits those with some passion for the idea to further engage in its development or otherwise. The Libary provides background information, papers, research and other materials to provide a comprehensive means of documenting the innovation project.
If an idea continues to be developed based on feedback and assessed worth/benefit to the company, a Group is established in DOTS that included persons comprising the project implementation team for that idea. In most cases the project teams have included a wide variety of membes with particular passions and interests; in a couple of cases the team has been comprised of persons with specialised expertise or skills.
Ultimately the innovation will be communicated and training undertaken in DOTS LMS. We have linked some of the innovations to the Position Management feature in DOTS as well as linking behavioural and skill based Competencies to the Performance Appraisal system in DOTS. This comprehensive approach provides further scope to ensuring this vital strategic initiative is not lost or wayward due to lack of visibility or poor execution.
