engaging/maintaining c-level support for e-learning - sierra
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Engaging/Maintaining C-Level Support Engaging/Maintaining C-Level Support for e-Learningfor e-Learning
Francis Pring-Mill, Sierra SystemsFrancis Pring-Mill, Sierra Systems
Learning: Re-Imagined
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AgendaAgendaAgendaAgenda
• The C-level perspective
• Our SkillSoft implementation
• Engaging support
• Maintaining support
• Measures of success
• Lessons learned
• Questions
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The C-level perspectiveThe C-level perspectiveThe C-level perspectiveThe C-level perspective
• Employee development is a means to a business end
• What is the investment?
• What is the return?
• How long do I have to wait?
• How will I measure success?
• Who is Sierra and what business are we in?
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Who is Sierra?Who is Sierra?Who is Sierra?Who is Sierra?
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Our SkillSoft implementationOur SkillSoft implementationOur SkillSoft implementationOur SkillSoft implementation
• Sierra Systems• Management consulting, systems integration, managed
services• 1,000+ staff, 12 locations, North America• Primarily project work, i.e., temporary teams of consultants
• Pre-SkillSoft• Individual e-learning courses purchased from a variety of
vendors
• SkillSoft Pilot• June 2003-May 2006, 250 users, MML bundle
• SkillSoft Company-Wide
• June 2006, all employees, SkillChoice Complete
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““Means to a business end”Means to a business end”““Means to a business end”Means to a business end”
• For professional services firms…
• “The purpose of employee development is to increase the competence and know-how of our consultants because this is what we sell to our clients.”
• Client receives better service
• Sierra Systems gains a more valuable asset
• Consultant can command higher rates
• Consultant’s salary can increase
• Consultant’s job satisfaction increases
• Sierra Systems’ retention increases
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What is the investment?What is the investment?What is the investment?What is the investment?
• Value of consultant to client = knowledge + skills + experience
• On-the-job learning produces all three
• And we get paid
• Anything less represents “lost billable time”
• Only experience produces experience, but education can provide knowledge and skills
• We typically do not get paid
• Alternatives include e-learning and instructor-led
• What is the best investment?
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Feature comparisonFeature comparisonFeature comparisonFeature comparison
FEATURES E-LEARNING INSTRUCTOR-LEDAccess to course(s) Unlimited Once
Time of day Learners pick from 24x7x365
Scheduled
Time to learning (/productivity)
Immediate Scheduled
Ease of scheduling Accommodating personal work/life schedule
Committed full-time (including travel)
Self-paced 100% Speed of class
Skip content learners already know?
Yes. Based on answers to pre-assessment quiz.
No. Proceed at speed of slowest learner.
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Feature comparisonFeature comparisonFeature comparisonFeature comparison
FEATURES E-LEARNING INSTRUCTOR-LEDConsistency Same every time Can vary
Interruptibility Pick up & put down whenever means can use small time chunks during day or bench time between projects
Not interruptible. Cannot multi-task on other things.
Expand knowledge on non just-in-time topics?
Yes. Can expand knowledge in advance of pressing project need.
Not so easy. Cost means typically used only to meet just-in-time requirement.
Type of topic best suited
Not requiring group work. Many technology topics, business analysis, mgmt consulting.
Business skills, topics requiring face-to-face interactions (group workshops, role plays)
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Feature comparisonFeature comparisonFeature comparisonFeature comparison
FEATURES E-LEARNING INSTRUCTOR-LEDExpectations Access to e-learning
resources is expected, especially by Gen Y
Still appropriate for certain topics
Travel time None Depends (1/2 day each way)
Travel cost None Depends (airfare, hotel, expenses)
Course cost Annual seat to 3,500 courses costs less than a single 1-day instructor-led course
Depends – can be significant
New courses at no additional cost?
Yes No
No. of learners Unlimited One classroom at a time
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Engaging C-level supportEngaging C-level supportEngaging C-level supportEngaging C-level support
• Assuming all else is equal, e-learning is clearly an appealing investment
• In particular, e-learning
• Can be used for reference while on-the-job
• Enables value to be created during the natural pockets of lost billable time, i.e., time between projects
• Is well-suited to self-study topics like technical certifications
• Makes it easy for people to choose to spend personal time on learning
• This is the “e-learning promise”
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What we didWhat we didWhat we didWhat we did
• Ran a two-week evaluation with team of 31 consultants (Feb. 2003)• Online orientations, then unlimited access to courses
(some assigned, some self-selected)• Conducted survey, produced report
• Ran a pilot with 250 users (June 2003-May 2006)• Paid for by business units• Conducted survey, produced report referencing our results
and industry research
• Went company-wide (June 2006)• Paid corporately• Now an employee “benefit”
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Maintaining C-level supportMaintaining C-level supportMaintaining C-level supportMaintaining C-level support
• Are we delivering on the promise?
• Measures of success
• How much is e-learning being used and what for?
• How is it helping us deliver a better service to our clients?
• How is it helping the value of our consultants increase?
• How are we achieving the above in a cost-effective way?
• Any other benefits?
• How are we sustaining success?
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How much is e-learning being used?How much is e-learning being used?How much is e-learning being used?How much is e-learning being used?
• Quarterly measures, by business unit
• Course usage statistics• Users as a percentage of headcount• Number of courses accessed, distinct courses accessed,
course completions• Total course time, average time per user
• Books24x7 usage statistics• Users as a percentage of headcount• Number of sessions, HTML pages read• Total Books24x7 time, average time per user
• Comments
• More is better, but what matters is business value created…
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What is e-learning being used for?What is e-learning being used for?What is e-learning being used for?What is e-learning being used for?
MEASURES
• Quarterly program reviews
• Top ten courses
• Top ten book categories
• Course evaluation feedback
• Statistics
• Free format comments
• Feedback from follow-up with power users (identified through usage stats)
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What is e-learning being used for?What is e-learning being used for?What is e-learning being used for?What is e-learning being used for?
COURSES
• Core Concepts in Business Analysis
• Enterprise Analysis and Making a Business Case
• Introduction to Project Management
• Analyzing Requirements Using Models
• Eliciting Requirements
• ITIL V3 – ITIL and the Service Life Cycle
BOOKS CATEGORIES
• .NET Framework
• Best Practices
• Communications/Negotiations
• Career Development
• Coaching/Mentoring
• Brand Management
• Change Management
• Business Analyst
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Course evaluation feedback (stats)Course evaluation feedback (stats)Course evaluation feedback (stats)Course evaluation feedback (stats)
• “I will be able to apply the knowledge and/or skills gained from this course to help me perform my job better.”
• Agree 56%, Strongly Agree 18%. 74%
• “The course content was organized in a way that allowed me to meet the learning objectives.”
• Agree 64%, Strongly Agree 15%. 79%
• “I would recommend this course to other employees in my organization.”
• Agree 54%, Strongly Agree 13%. 67%
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How are we delivering a better service?How are we delivering a better service?How are we delivering a better service?How are we delivering a better service?
• “The true power of SkillSoft didn’t dawn on me until I watched a developer using the Books24x7 as a cookbook to install and use some new software.”
• “(1) Not having to read, or browse, a whole book only to find it doesn’t have what I want. (2) Being able to find if anything has been written on a given topic. (3) Getting nuggets of specific information relevant to the task at hand.”
• “My present assignment came as a result of a successful interview… in part due to my having access to metadata books on the SkillSoft site. Even if I had used it that one time it…” (the assignment) “…paid for years of access.”
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How is consultant value increasing?How is consultant value increasing?How is consultant value increasing?How is consultant value increasing?
• “I can decide when to take the course. I can take certain sections more than once. I can print relevant course information. It gives me feedback right away after an assessment.”
• “I like that I can go back to a course even when I’ve completed it. I can use small chunks of time for learning, e.g., 20 minutes at a time.”
• “I liked that on Saturday night when I couldn’t sleep I was able to learn something through the wee hours of the morning. It’s kind of addictive. I wanted to take so many courses.”
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Where is the cost-effectiveness?Where is the cost-effectiveness?Where is the cost-effectiveness?Where is the cost-effectiveness?
MEASURES
• Cost savings over instructor-led training
• Assume we might have purchased only half the courses
• Assume only half the time is “lost billable time”
• Estimate cost “savings”
• Cost savings on learning for certifications, e.g., PMP, Oracle, Microsoft, Java
• Cost savings on reference books, e.g., PMBOK, Oracle
• Cost savings on maintaining PDUs
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Where is the cost-effectiveness?Where is the cost-effectiveness?Where is the cost-effectiveness?Where is the cost-effectiveness?
MEASURES
• SkillSoft’s ROI calculator: user survey questions ask
1. Estimate of personal Productivity Gain
• What skill were you seeking?
• What percentage of your job requires this skill?
• How much of a skill increase did you experience?
2. Estimate of alternative training costs*
• Assume only one quarter of licenses experienced similar result, then
• Estimated Enterprise-Wide ROI = Productivity Gain + Cost Displacement* per respondent x No. of licenses divided by 4
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Where is the cost-effectiveness?Where is the cost-effectiveness?Where is the cost-effectiveness?Where is the cost-effectiveness?
• “Amazing. I found about four books that would have been valuable to projects over the past year that are not locally available. I showed this product to three of our Technical Architects and they all found materials that would be immediately of great use. One of the architects recently spent $125 on a book that was online. This is a phenomenal resource.”
• “This gives me access to current information which is more valuable than having a book in my office which is quietly becoming obsolete without me knowing it.”
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Any other benefits?Any other benefits?Any other benefits?Any other benefits?
• Visible investment in employee’s career development
• Promotes retention (ever-present challenge in professional services industry)
• Recruiting tool
• Meeting expectations of current generation of workers
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Maintaining C-level supportMaintaining C-level supportMaintaining C-level supportMaintaining C-level support
• Are we delivering on the promise?
• Measures of success
• How much is e-learning being used and what for?
• How is it helping us deliver a better service to our clients?
• How is it helping the value of our consultants increase?
• How are we achieving the above in a cost-effective way?
• Any other benefits?
• How are we sustaining success?
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How are we sustaining success?How are we sustaining success?How are we sustaining success?How are we sustaining success?
• Building e-learning into the fabric of the enterprise
CORPORATE “PUSH”
1. Mappings of e-learning resources
• Core competencies for all consultants
• Job families: role > level > responsibilities/activities >skills > e-learning resources
• Tools for career development planning
2. Sierra corporate folders by topic for Books24x7
3. Education request process promotes SkillSoft as first stop when shopping
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How are we sustaining success?How are we sustaining success?How are we sustaining success?How are we sustaining success?
CORPORATE “PUSH”
4. Ongoing communication plan
• CEO messages, business unit leader messages
• Articles, especially with user testimonials
• Periodic company-wide e-mails
• Leader’s Guide equips management with FAQs in advance
5. SkillPort 7.0 has created re-branding opportunity
• Webinars
• Posters
• Contests
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How are we sustaining success?How are we sustaining success?How are we sustaining success?How are we sustaining success?
• New marketing theme as of April 14, 2009
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How are we sustaining success?How are we sustaining success?How are we sustaining success?How are we sustaining success?
BUSINESS UNIT “PULL”
Use of e-learning resources by:
1. Location-based PMP study groups
2. Junior Business Analyst Study Group
3. Special Interest Group (SIG) meetings
4. Internal “certification programs,” e.g., for Sierra managed services solutions
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Lessons learnedLessons learnedLessons learnedLessons learned
• What engages C-level support is the promise
• Supported by evidence: best is your own
• Next best is information for your industry, next best is research reports on general trends
• What maintains C-level support is business results
• Business units must champion the value
• Corporate can “push” but the business must “pull”
• Make the most of the intangible results
• It’s more than usage statistics
• Two anecdotes do not make a dataset, but comments from an outspoken respected business champion carry weight
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Lessons learnedLessons learnedLessons learnedLessons learned
• You’re never done marketing
• User community
• Middle management – need special attention
• C-level
• Be proactive
• Act on the feedback you receive
• Art and science
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QuestionsQuestionsQuestionsQuestions