I have been working on a training project that was requested by our customers (meaning those in the “field” – not actually external to the organization). This project has just been limping along. Why?
Well, I looked to my notes from The eLearning Guild conference sessions, Managing Instructional Design with Subject Matter Experts (by Linda Baxter) and Best Practices When Conducting an Online Needs Assessment (by Diahana Barnes) for some help.
Turns out it was my approach to the project that was actually creating some of the sludge. Our department usually “pushes training out” to folks whether they want it or not. (We are a training and policy-making department.) But in this case the training was requested. I had been excited by the opportunity to actually deliver something that the people knew they wanted/needed. But I didn’t get it off to a good start.
I met with the customers and asked what they wanted. Later I met with SMEs and told them what the customers had said. But the SMEs had their own ideas for what these customers should learn. I was stuck in the middle – and with very little knowledge of the topic. The customers starting expressing their concern with the training and the SMEs became frustrated. Both sides seemed to need something from me to bring it together and I couldn’t figure it out.
Linda Baxter’s critical message was to include the SME from the very beginning of a project and throughout the entire process.
I had not done this. (Our department seems a bit afraid to get the customers and SMEs in the same room. Maybe I’m expected to carry too much weight as a liaison.)
I needed a kickoff meeting. I needed to get the customers and the SMEs in the same room so they could hear each other. I needed the customers to see how their specific questions fit into a broader context as only the SME could illustrate. I needed the SME to see that the customers only wanted to sit through what they really needed to know to get their jobs done well. I needed both sides to see that the other was committed to this process and ultimately had the same goal.
We met today and it was a success! We are on the same page. I sent out a summary of our jointly agreed upon topics and our plan (including work expectations and deadlines). Everyone was relieved and re-invigorated.
What other steps could I have taken?
Diahana Barnes’ presentation was a lot about the power of listening. A successful needs assessment must be respectful to those completing it – and it needs to have clear objectives (without predetermined results).
I will have an opportunity to start another project like this one in the near future. Here are some of the steps I could take:
- Start with a kickoff meeting. Here we can identify, as a group, the high-level training objectives.
- Formalize the needs assessment process. I would work with the SMEs to develop a survey before going to the customers with it.
- Bring the SME with me to discuss the results of the survey with the customers.
I’m never given a lot of time or resources for these projects (are any of us?), but it seems even if I start with these three things I will be better off – and sooner.
Do others get stuck in the middle? Do you have other ideas?
