Andrew W.

One big mistake is to stop with User Acceptance testing. Generally, learning professionals are "along for the ride" with their Digital Technology (IT) peers, and are willing to endorse the new technology, help configure it, and even do some user-acceptance testing before launch. However, once the vendor or SaaS provider has offered their training sessions on how to use the technology in mechanical ways, you'll need to follow up with how to use it in strategic and operational ones. It's not enough to promote "the big initiative" that goes along with the technology, otherwise they'll accept the tech only as long as they accept the initiative. It's a package deal: you'll need to promote the content, the delivery, and the sustainment.

Most learning benefits are not tangible right away. It's the sad fact that since learning outcomes are often tied with business outcomes, that they simply cannot be quantified until later. As such, it's incumbent on Learning Professionals to "make the sale" much further in advance and keep open lines of communication throughout the process. It's not enough to sell the end result, you'll need to identify key milestones along the way and the victories obtained in each marker. Start by asking: what tangible benefits are already available once the technology is deployed? How are we tracking it? Once the adoption plan goes into motion, how do we expect these to grow?

In the U.S., learning is underrated; learning AND technology is doubly so. Generally, advocating on behalf of any learning technology is going to get pushback in three areas: suspicion (will it really give us the ROI that we want?), skepticism for learning (should employees already know this/is it *our* responsibility to train them on this?), and disdain (here we go with more expensive required training!). First, remember that these concerns are often valid, and that your peers may be change weary or burned out by years of "silver bullet" initiatives. Being over-promised on technology and required training is more common than ever. Don't take it personally. Instead, be truthful: change is hard but worthwhile when paired with commitment.

Anyone can build digital milestones in the LMS or track completion of training in a SaaS. The real trick is moving the 10% of formal training into the 90% of remaining development (20% through peer/social learning and 70% through application). This means that you need MORE milestones outside of your formal learning than within. Let me be clear: you cannot do this effectively without clear collaborative support from your front-line leaders (managers) and your HR business partners. For every drop of training you produce, there needs to be nine more drops of sustainable experience. Consider building your formal training around existing projects, rotation positions, and manager development activities to better integrate activities.

In the words of my old learning mentor, "Content is King." Learning is a lot easier to tackle when the material is relevant and tied to key performance outcomes. A common oversight from learning design is to treat it like an isolated event where the learning outcomes themselves are the only goals. However, applicability of the content needs to match as well. How will your learners apply their knowledge in the workplace? More importantly, how will they feel the benefits in productivity? Work with your development, Performance/Compensation, and Talent Management peers to come up with a comprehensive plan for how the content will tie to these key levers. Relevance increases when addressing skill gaps can boost pay or succession visibility.

Collaboration in this step is key: the learning designer needs to not only identify the right learning outcomes, but work with Digital Technology to ensure that all stakeholders are aware and agree to the technology solution. Document requirements carefully, as all solutions will have trade-offs -- and no "perfect fit." More likely, a group of stakeholders will have strong opinions about a particular SaaS or platform. The reality is that Learning Design may have to start around a technology that's already been selected by executives or past commitments. If you find yourself in this situation, make the best of it -- use your expertise to suggest supplements (job aids, ILT, or virtual sessions) to shore up any gaps from the selected tech.