At a time when companies face growing competition in the marketplace and new products are being introduced at a faster pace than any other time in history, e-learning can play a critical role in a company's success. E-learning, which delivers training directly to the desktop, is an effective way to develop a company's workforce as well as to attract and retain potential employees. The method of delivery ensures consistency across the enterprise and enables many more associates to be trained in a more cost-effective manner than traditional methods.

The design, development, and implementation of an e-learning strategy is most successful when it links to the unique needs of an organization and supports specific business objectives. Here are ten tips that will help you design and deliver effective e-learning to your organization:

1. Know the business you are in!

It may sound clichéd, but understanding the business is critical to introducing new learning opportunities to any company. More than ever, learning and development groups are being asked to have a direct and positive impact on business results. How can business results be positively impacted without an understanding of the business? Understanding the business means knowing how money is made, what customers expect in terms of quality and service, what the processes are and where points of failure might be in those processes, how human interaction impacts quality and service, and what the measures of success are.

2. Understand clients' needs

Each client group within an organization has different needs in the performance improvement arena. Meet with client groups to gain a better understanding of their unique challenges. Learn what their specific business plans are and the challenges they face in meeting those plans. Work with clients to identify existing associate skills and discuss how skill requirements may be lacking or needing change. Ask questions around future changes in processes that will impact the workforce. Find out if new technology will be introduced, or if new products will be developed which will require different skills.

3. Develop a "strawman" strategy

Armed with a clear understanding of business objectives and internal client needs, an e-learning strategy can be built. Begin by asking how e-learning would help the organization meet its business objectives. Is the company in a highly regulated industry where annual certification of training can be streamlined through e-learning? Does the company have large numbers of seasonal associates that need to be trained more effectively and is e-learning a possible solution? Is there a geographically dispersed workforce that could benefit from training any time, anywhere? Are there critical skill gaps that need to be closed in order to meet productivity, quality or customer satisfaction requirements? Does the organization have a need for just-in-time information bites on key customers that could be provided to associates via an e-learning approach?

The answers to questions like these provide the building blocks for development of an e-learning strategy that links directly with the business. The next step is to begin to identify what e-learning can do for the organization. A business case should be developed that includes an explanation of how e-learning is a strategic fit for the organization; what the expected improvements in productivity, quality and customer satisfaction will be; how organizational knowledge will increase; and how e-learning can reduce associates time to proficiency when learning new skills.

4. Gain agreement on the strategy

Revisit key stakeholders to go over the proposed business case and strategy. A well-written interview tool will help to ensure consistency in the types of questions asked and will help to further support the business case. The tool will be used to find out if the strategy meets the stakeholder's business needs. It will also serve to verify if the stakeholders can support the strategy. This information is particularly helpful when securing funding for the project. Make necessary changes and/or adjustments to the strategy, as business needs dictate. Ensure that key stakeholders understand how this new technology will be used and deployed. Many stakeholders do not fully understand how e-learning can benefit their business. It is critical that the business case for e-learning clearly supports the business objectives.

5. Assess vendors against the strategy

Investigate which vendors will best support the e-learning strategy. Will off the shelf courses meet the current needs? Which vendors will meet longer-term needs? Will there be a need for custom designed courses and if so, will they be developed in-house or by a vendor? Which vendors match the technology of the company? Will courses be accessed via the Internet or Intranet or both? How will data on associate skill levels and participation in programs be gathered? Will a Learning Management System (LMS) be used now or in the future? What funding will likely be available for the project?

Questions should be developed and an assessment tool designed that will be used to evaluate each vendor against specific requirements.

6. Select vendors, products, and services

Once vendors have been assessed, the vendor selection process must be completed. Many stakeholders should participate in the selection process. A team should be developed to review each vendor's offerings. The team will likely include key business people, finance, technology and human resources. The team will assess products to business requirements, prices to budget expectations, and technology matches to existing infrastructure. The long-term as well as the short-term requirements should be considered. This will ensure that the infrastructure can meet the longer-term needs of the organization.

7. Market internally

Introducing e-learning to an organization is a significant shift for most companies. Managers and their associates should be fully educated about e-learning. It is important to help associates understand the opportunities e-learning will provide and also to understand it is not completely replacing other types of learning, but is a supplement to more traditional approaches. Managers need help in understanding how e-learning will help business units be more successful. Some ideas for a communication plan might include: brown bag lunches to introduce what is available, attendance at manager staff meetings, flyers and e-blasts that serve as teasers before a launch, an e-learning launch day, learning expos that highlight all learning opportunities in the organization including e-learning.

8. Create an implementation plan

A carefully designed and planned implementation is critical to a successful launch of e-learning. A detailed project plan should be developed with timelines and clarity around roles and responsibilities. Each member of the implementation team should outline detailed tasks and time frames for deliverables. Key milestones should be indicated on the plan. Milestones can be points at which celebrations and communications are linked. After the completion of each milestone, post mortem reviews should be completed to ensure necessary changes or adjustments are made in the project plan. At each stage of the project, risks should be identified and communicated to key stakeholders. Mitigation plans should be developed for risks where necessary. Communications and marketing should be an integral part of each phase of the project.

9. Provide positive feedback

Quick hits are great! As the project progresses, team members should always be looking for successes that can be highlighted to the organization. Pilot groups that test products and provide positive feedback can offer testimony to the benefits of e-learning. Using positive feedback early in the project rollout helps build excitement around e-learning and gets people interested in participating. Use internal client groups that have a desire to get on board with e-learning. This helps to bring other, more reluctant groups along.

10. Follow up and communicate constantly

Your business case for e-learning was built around supporting business objectives. Measures that demonstrate how e-learning has helped the organization meet objectives should be communicated regularly to all stakeholders. The link between improvements in customer satisfaction measures, productivity, quality, cost reduction, and reduction in skill gaps should be highlighted. Ongoing communication about measurable improvements cannot be emphasized enough. This is a very important and ongoing component of any e-learning program.

Metrics can also be used to identify where improvements or changes should be made in program offerings. How many associates are participating in each program? Are the courses targeting the right audience? What are the test scores for learning? Do the scores reflect a need for other courses? When taking a course, are there technology problems that should be addressed? Do courses need more advertising? Are enough people aware of the resources available? Are managers supporting e-learning and allowing associates time to learn?

Building and introducing e-learning is only part of the process. Regular assessments, revisions, content adjustments and review are all key components of leveraging e-learning in your organization.

Conclusion

Launching e-learning can be both exciting and overwhelming. By following these tips, an organization will build a strategy that is most effective in driving improved performance that has a positive impact on business results.

Cathleen M. Moynihan is Chief Human Resources Officer at EquiServe and is also a NEHRA member. She can be reached at cmoynihan@equiserve.com or 781-575-2400.