Opportunity Assessment

Technology-Based Learning and Performance Support

How are you using technology in support of learning and job performance?
Should you be doing more?
Should you be doing different things?
Are you positioned for tomorrow's opportunities?

I offer an objective, outside perspective informed by sixteen years in the field and diverse experiences with my Fortune 100 clients. In just a few days, I can:

• Assess your current use of technology-based learning and performance support.
• Place technology-based initiatives in the context of your organization's overall training effort.
• Recommend immediate, operational improvements, specifically with regard to:
  • technology-based products and services.
  • development resources and staff competencies.
  • delivery infrastructure (in the broadest sense).
  • measurement strategies.
  • internal marketing.
• Recommend strategic directions.
• Help you develop an external peer network and plan for continued professional development.

An Opportunity Assessment of this kind breaks down into five steps:

1. Project Scoping: By telephone, we discuss project scope and timeframes, probable costs (yours and mine), and generally review the lay of the land.

2. "Pre-work" Documentation Review: You gather as many of the following items as possible, in whatever form they currently exist. (I'm concerned about content, not format.) I review these documents prior to Step 3.

• Organization Chart of training unit showing fit of technology-based learning staff, if any. (Include names of key players.)
• Organization Chart of business unit that you serve. (Include names of key players.)
• Training Unit's business plan.
• Business Unit's business plan.
• Project list for past 12 months (or similar), preferably showing staff assigned to each and a sense of time commitments to complete projects.
• Utilization statistics: technology-based and traditional, broken down by major curriculum area.
• Resumes (or equivalent) of technology-based learning staff, if any.
• Standard documents you use for project management, staff management, etc. (E.g., sample RFPs, proposals, status reports, job descriptions, monthly reports.)

3. Data Gathering On-site Session: I visit your facility for face-to-face meetings and product reviews covering the following main points.

• Go over Pre-work documentation, seeking clarification. (Where pre-work items don't exist, interview to get the information.)
• Review (observe) technology-based learning products - off-the-shelf, vendor-custom, and home-grown.
• Review technology-based delivery infrastructure (including facilities, administration staff, hardware/software, and system architecture).
• Discuss how technology-based learning projects are selected; and funded.
• Meet technology-based learning staff, individually, and see what they're working on.

4. Write Report: Over a short period with occasional clarifying telephone calls, I write a report with the following sections.

• Organization
• Competencies
• Processes
• Technologies
• Infrastructure
• Measurement
• Overall Impact
• Opportunities/Recommendations
• First (next) steps

5. Report Presentation: I make a second visit where I discuss the report in detail. I prefer to conduct this meeting in private, with opportunity for candid dialog. However, you should expect few surprises at this point since my approach is to provide immediate feedback to you throughout the project. (Ideally, subsequent to this candid assessment, a more public strategy document might be published, but that is outside the scope of this document.)

• Review report with client.
• Discuss any recommended follow-up activities, including internal tasks, targeted peer networking, site visits, conferences, vendor orientations, reading, etc.