Exceed Recommended Classroom Size and Last Minute Registration

Over the years it has never ceases to amaze me how managers continually try and exceed the number of students in classroom training recommended and add the students at the very last moment, who are unprepared and do not even know why they are there.

I know. the adage some training is better than none.

It is just so strange. Nobody ever says, “Wait a minute. We trained fifty people last time and only six people are using the software tool. The other forty-four, if they even needed training in the first place, will need retraining.” On each project, the same mistake is repeated.

It's a no win situation for the Instructor. In fact you will be viewed as unhelpful if you do not accommodate the request and then by accommodating the request you are going to potentially be evaluated poorly by the students who are in training, who are unprepared, not sure why they are there and cannot get answers to questions because the instructor is helping too many people get set-up.

What can a change manager do? Keep records and evidence, and show the customer.

Try to do the following:

1. Uphold maximum Class size limitations.
2. Uphold class enrollment deadline requirements.
3. Require on-time attendance by students in order for their business unit to receive credit for the training. Students who cannot begin their participation in training along with the class should reschedule and train at a time more convenient for them.

Bottom line, by breaking your own processes, you allow students to enter a frustrating and less than effective training environment. Many of them will have to be retrained.

On the other hand, while a few people may be frustrated at not being accommodated at the last minute, the students who are prepared and enroll in a timely fashion (who followed process) will be saved entering into the frustration of the late joiners.

As you know, training is not just about providing people with information; it’s about allowing them the opportunity to get the hands on practice that is required. Critical to that is that training is in an environment that fosters learning. This will not be the case if the class is not in a positive frame of mind – either because they didn’t have the software, didn’t know why they were there or had to wait for others to catch-up.

To Certify or Not to Certify

You’re working on a project. Somebody in the meeting says, “We need to certify everybody.”

The question is how do you practically turn that statement into reality and does it make sense.

Each person on the room may have a view of what certification means.

• The basic consultant may think certification will be granted when a student completes class.
• The business analyst thinks that we need to have a quiz.
• The business process expert wants to see the student actually perform the task in live SAP.

The answer of course is any of the three could be correct. So what is a practical take away? The takeaway is that if the task being performed is extremely important such as Revenue Recognition and the risk is high at Go-live, then the business process expert is probably right.
However, if the task were trivial such as an additional check box that had been added to an order process input screen, a quiz would be sufficient and the business analyst would be right.

Bottom line it really depends on what you’re teaching. So to avoid enormous amounts of lost time discussing theory. Ask meeting attendees to reserve judgement based on what the learning objectives of the class are and specific detail. Click here for link to "How to do Certify" on jTask web site.