A rule of thumb says that 50 percent of all IS projects fail or never go into production.
People, not technology, cause these projects to fail. Without skilled applications developers,
systems engineers, and trained users, the risk of failure in any IS migration project is high. To
help ensure that your migration project doesn't fail, you need to provide the proper type of
training and level of training for your staff and users.
In the case of Microsoft migration projects, the variety of training options and abundance of
training resources make substandard training inexcusable. IS managers need to know that many
training options are available for deploying and maintaining large-scale migration projects. Once
you understand the issues (e.g., budget considerations, training methods, and levels of training)
that you need to address while building a Microsoft migration training program, you can begin to
deploy such a program.
Budget Limitations
To stay within your migration project training budget, you can distribute your training dollars
wisely and set up volume-discount training contracts. First, layer your training so that you spend
your training dollars where you need them most. For example, spend extra money to give your
mission-critical staff quality classroom certification training, and provide economical self-paced
and on-demand instruction for your remote staff and light users.
Second, for large migration projects, you can develop volume-discount contracts with
international IT training companies such as ExecuTrain, Global Knowledge Network, New Horizons, and
Productivity Point. If you have regional or local requirements, contact your Microsoft branch for
training recommendations or visit VUE's or Edusearch's Web site.
Training Methods
The Microsoft education team and other Microsoft divisions provide training for operating and
managing a wide variety of Microsoft products. Microsoft-sanctioned training options include
Authorized Technical Education Centers (ATECs), Microsoft authorized courseware, the Microsoft
Online Institute (MOLI), Microsoft TV, and Microsoft Press. In addition to Microsoft's offerings,
thousands of independent schools and curriculum developers offer Microsoft training materials.
As you prepare for your migration project, you need to select the right training format for
your users and staff. IT training comes in three fundamental formats: instructor-led (either
classroom or online), self-paced (computer-based training--CBT, video-based training--VBT,
satellite, or Internet), and on-demand (Help desk support and software). Table 1 lists the
Microsoft-sanctioned resources available for each training format.
In addition to implementing the standard methods of training that Microsoft supports, many
companies are beginning to assess employee skill levels using competency management techniques.
These techniques let you assess the employee's skills and build a custom training curriculum to fit
the employee's needs.
Instructor-Led Training
Instructor-led training is still the most popular and most thorough form of training--it's also
one of the most expensive. Combined with a certification program, this type of training is the best
path for individuals whose knowledge is mission critical for developing applications or maintaining
systems.
Classroom and certification programs force the students to learn every available product
feature rather than let the students skip to the material about the product they think is relevant.
When your systems go down and your department is on hold, you want these mission-critical
employees to have comprehensive knowledge to restore the system as soon as possible.
Self-Paced Training
Self-paced training is more economical than classroom training and can be an on-demand training
vehicle (e.g., an intranet-based training library). This type of training is excellent for users who
need a basic understanding of the technology or who can't find time to attend formal classroom
instruction. Self-paced training is also excellent for users and IS staff who are not directly
involved with the migration process, but still feel its effect. For example, a project to install
Windows NT on the desktop in a Novell network requires that the Novell CNEs be familiar with desktop
NT technology. You can set up a CBT or VBT library for individuals who are part of the migration but
whom you can't afford to train in the classroom. Self-paced training can also help you answer power
users' requests for training.
Self-paced training plays a large part in the way many companies train their employees. For
example, CBT Systems has a concept of an internal university that is accessible to anyone in the
company through the intranet. Self-paced training is so economical that Manpower, an employment
agency, uses take-home CBTs to train thousands of contractors every year for free on everything from
NT to Oracle.
Another type of self-paced distance learning involves the Internet. Neville Gordon Carol of
Microsoft took MOLI from a vision to reality two years ago. Just as its name implies, MOLI is a
virtual online learning campus with online instructors and classes. This technology is the future of
global training and can deploy everything from interactive seminars on the Internet to certification
training. Although MOLI is a brilliant and useful training architecture, few users are aware of its
capabilities.
On-Demand Training
On-demand training comes in two formats: crisis (such as Help desk support) and desktop software
support tools. Help desk staff need the most extensive certification training possible because they
directly influence company productivity. When a user is stalled, the business is stalled.
In addition to providing good Help desk support, you can use online assistants such as those in
Office 97 to get users out of a jam and train them to be more creative with their business
applications. CBTs on an intranet can also provide on-demand training.
Competency Management
The acid test of exceptional migration or re-engineering training programs is whether the users
(i.e., engineers) can demonstrate competence in using the new technology for the business processes
they are responsible for. Competency management in IT training is a three-step process. The first
step is to test a user's soft skills, understanding of the business processes, and use of the
technology. The second step is to deploy a customized curriculum for each individual based on a
competence model. The last step is to test and track the level of competence in all areas. "Only
competency management ensures that the user is competent in using technology for a specific business
process. It is what most training programs miss," said Shelley Couch, global alliance manager
for Global Knowledge Network.
Because competency management is a very expensive, custom form of training, most companies use
it only on re-engineering migration projects with sophisticated training from organizations such as
Global Knowledge Network and KPMG. Critics who complain that IT training fails to link technology
with the business process are often unaware of this type of training or are unwilling to pay for it.
To see a simple form of competency management at work, go to CareerAgent's Web site and take a
competency model test. Then check out CareerAgent's training schools and job database. This type of
training may be the wave of the future and replace many college degree programs with virtual
authorization programs.
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