A new digital learning solution can take several months to put in place. This is a key period that determines the success of your platform. During this time, companies, L&D departments, and learners alike need expert support. But what are the steps you need to take and how can you guarantee a seamless rollout? Marie-Loup Baron, Client Success Team Manager at CrossKnowledge, gives you an inside look.
Roll out training: What are the Key steps and the resources ?
When Marie-Loup is rolling out a solution that is equal parts technology and training, there are three main steps: kick off, build, and launch. Different specialists come on board at different times throughout the project to offer expert support, so timings and team structures may vary depending on the complexity of the project and your IT set-up.
I always tell my teams that salespeople hold the keys to accounts, but project managers hold the keys to projects. They are the ones who make sure that everything runs smoothly.
Marie-Loup Baron, Client Success Team Manager at CrossKnowledge
Key contacts and roles
- a project manager who looks after team management and operations, manages the project framework, deadlines, and budgets, and checks the quality of deliverables
- a learning technology consultant who uses their in-depth knowledge of CrossKnowledge solutions to advise you on how the platform’s functionalities can best meet their needs with a good roll out training; This consultant helps support production and implementation, in line with project specifications
- an integration consultant who is responsible for integrating the digital solution into your HR ecosystem
Depending on what the project needs, we also sometimes call on professionals from two complementary areas of expertise:
- learner marketing to add a marketing and communications dimension that engages learners, motivates them, and wins their loyalty. True experts in their field, learner marketers use B2C and e-commerce techniques to attract an audience.
- learning design to help L&D managers design training pathways in the following ways:
- the building of roll out training programs
- selection of activities for the target audience (your content or content suggested by CrossKnowledge)
- assessing what social dimension the platform needs for its learning pathways
- balancing different training methods
Step 1: Kick off
Every project starts with a kick off meeting, a key opportunity to discuss strategy for the coming months and years. During this meeting, experts can suggest the right actions to fulfill your goals.
The kick off meeting is also when you meet the teams running the project and decide on the methodology you will be using, as well as discussing the different deployment phases, what they involve, and the schedule.
Just as importantly, a kick off meeting also helps you establish the project framework and set out governing principles:
- goals and KPIs
- solution specifications (pathways, web design, etc.)
- project schedule and steering committee meetings
- client team training schedule
A kick off meeting is a key way to build trust among all project stakeholders. It ensures that the teams have fully understood and taken on board your needs and project objectives.
Step 2: Build (design, production, and transition)
During this step, different experts join the team to put the package together, focusing on the platform, learning pathway(s), and a communication campaign.
During this step, you can expect to interact with many different experts:
- You’ll have a platform expert, someone who oversees the creation of the forum and configures the parameters according to your needs. They synchronize content licenses, implement web design, create the learning experience, and more.
- The integration expert sets up the SSO and imports HR data.
- The design team works on graphic design, alongside the L&D department, to make the platform more attractive, ergonomic and easy to navigate.
- The educational experts are introduced to you at a specific meeting. They define the scope of the project and start work on training pathways.
- Last but not least, the project manager oversees the quality of each expert’s deliverables, within the defined framework and deadlines.
Transition
At the end of step 2, CrossKnowledge runs a series of tests with you to confirm that the digital learning platform rollout is ready for the whole company.
Step 3: Launch
We have liftoff! Throughout the project, our teams regularly analyze the performance indicators defined at the kick off meeting. They tweak the platform in line with the results to make sure it fulfills your expectations.
We also use project meetings to identify any potential needs, such as developing new pathways or targeting new audiences.
Your main objective with a Digital learning platform rollout : happy learners!
A successful project is all about learner satisfaction.
Marie-Loup Baron, Client Success Team Manager at CrossKnowledge
Learner satisfaction means identifying and fulfilling target-audience expectations. At CrossKnowledge, we strongly recommend that L&D managers measure learner satisfaction as a KPI. For example, you can use the net promoter score (NPS), which is a popular tool for gauging client satisfaction.
As Marie-Loup has demonstrated, rolling out a digital learning plan, whatever your objectives, requires expertise and skills. To ensure success, our deployment teams leave no stone unturned. We look at everything, including technology, pedagogy, strategy, company culture, and design ergonomics. Our teams are experts in their fields and work every day to make sure our clients’ projects fulfill their needs. Get in touch for more information and a demonstration.