Enterprise resource planning (ERP) system training is a huge challenge, typically involving a large audience with numerous roles, each requiring its own specific training program.
ERP systems are complex with multiple procedures, so there are a large number of deliverables. Timeliness is critical—training needs to happen when the system goes live, but the system environment isn’t usually ready until then.
Follow these tips to avoid ERP training traps and help make your program a success…
Conduct Analysis and Planning
Don’t underestimate the need for a thorough training needs analysis and project plan.
Training teams that typically focus their efforts on design and development can be successful in other training initiatives, but with ERP training, it’s a different story. It’s critical to create a task analysis that lists skills for each role and gauges the level of mastery needed for each role to be proficient. Skipping this step may result in a training curriculum that is too general, focusing on basic skills like system navigation while ignoring critical job tasks. This can lead to an inundated help desk, and ad hoc and rouge training—indicators that the training was unsuccessful.
Make sure to work with business analysts and project managers, whether vendors or internal business partners, to create a task analysis. They have likely already identified tasks and the roles that will perform them, so you can use this information to build the analysis. From the task analysis, build the project plan for developing the training curriculum, delivery methods, and scoping the project. This upfront work will identify what training is really needed, and will help you communicate with stakeholders and leaders early on about what your team will need in terms of time, resources, and funding to successfully carry out this training program.
Leverage Available Resources
Don’t use your subject matter experts only to review training.
Partner with SMEs early on to gather the appropriate content and resources needed while the system is being developed. Learn about the system before it’s built. Read the business specification documents, which provide detail on the system screens and functionality. Get access to development environments, like the configuration environment, so you can create training soon after that system is initially built, giving you a head start. By the time the training environment is available, it’s often too late to begin building training deliverables.
Use as many resources as you can from the implementation team and ERP vendor. The implementation team will have testing and user acceptance testing (UAT) scenarios, which can form the foundation for training those critical user tasks. Vendor-provided system training, job aids, or a help system may be available as a starting point for training content, and can be modified for your company’s system customization.
Don’t forget about the change management team, if there is one. Change management experts can share their strategy, messages, and branding, and in turn, you can help them by spreading a uniform message and brand.
Don’t Overcomplicate the Training
Focus on keeping training development standards and deliverables simple as part of a rapid training development strategy, like Agile.
Although this is true for nearly any training initiative, it’s especially important for ERP training. Establish standards for training deliverables during the planning phase, keep them simple, and communicate these guidelines to everyone involved with training development. Templates should be set up so instructional designers can focus on content development, while spending minimal time formatting and building interactions. Don’t forget to test your templates early on. For example, if you’re going to use audio in your eLearning, make sure to test it in the LMS, ideally at different sites, to make sure it works and it’s the quality it needs to be. Minimize rework due to inconsistent deliverables or eLearning that doesn’t work properly.
When making decisions for deliverables, consider the return on investment. Do you need instructor-led training or eLearning when a simpler solution will do, like a job aid? Mainstream eLearning tools lend themselves to creation of system-based demonstrations, practices, and assessments, so eLearning often seems like the go-to for systems training—especially for those teams and individuals with a focus and interest on eLearning. But when you’re dealing with an unstable, quickly changing environment as the system is built, relying primarily on eLearning can lead to a cycle of constant rework as screens and environments change. ILT development and delivery can be equally challenging; this is another preferred training delivery method for instructional designers, but requires development of comprehensive manuals and extensive logistical planning in order to train multiple roles, often at multiple sites.
Choose training deliverable types based on the number of users who need to possess that skill, or how complicated and critical the skill is. Consider using VILT for sessions that are less than a day, are for smaller groups with specific training requirements, and are located at multiple sites. Consider using job aids for procedures not used often, skills required of a small group of users, up-training, and just-in-time support. It’s possible to save development time by creating job aids and eLearning practice exercises, as learners may find such practice exercises quite helpful.
Teach Meta-Cognitive Strategies
Show learners where they can find resources for their own just-in-time training needs, as well as how to use them. As they start using the system as part of their job, they will still continue learning the system. It can be frustrating when they don’t know where to get help when they get stuck. Teaching learners to use support and training materials to build their own skills in a just-in-time context will help them gain control of their own learning while minimizing their frustration.
Denise Silveira is a senior instructional designer with Caveo Learning. Before joining Caveo in 2016, she spent 19 years as a learning consultant. She holds a master's degree from the University of Iowa.
