Elearning - April/May 2008 - (Page 34)

learningleader BLAST OFF CA worked with Plateau to design a user interface that was simple enough for nontechnical users, yet offered the features and experience that the company’s sophisticated learners would expect and appreciate. In order to minimize general training requirements, the company invested considerable time and money in a highly intuitive UI design with extensive online help and supplemental Q&A documents. The implementation team did create a 1week training program for administrative audiences. The training included recorded Webcasts, process-based training, and job aids designed for quick, on-the-job reference. To announce the actual launch, the company sent out an enterprise-wide e-mail and posted a detailed article about the new LMS on CA’s intranet. Postlaunch, the team continues to send out regular e-mails to all employees about system upgrades and new features. The learning management system was launched on Oct. 31, 2006. All 17,000 CA employees worldwide were given access to the LMS during that single day. The implementation was accomplished in less than 10 weeks, a record for Plateau. TODAY In the past year, CA has delivered more than 80,000 e-learning courses. By launching a number of successful e-learning and blended-learning programs, CA has not only benefited from having better educated employees on CA’s Enterprise IT Management (EITM) vision and solutions, it has also seen a significant savings in travel expenses. The LMS is now managed by centralized, 4-person administrative team composed of two content administrators, a system administrator and program manager. In addition, internal and external content development teams are imbedded in business units and provide production-ready content to the administration team. A separate team of 11 works on system upgrades and integration with new technologies. Project managers are responsible for data migration, testing, partner integration, budgeting, overall project management, cutover planning, program management, communications and localization. The company’s IT department, a strategic partner throughout the LMS planning and 34 April / May 2008 Elearning! implementation processes, remains so today. First-year results have been impressive. “The new LMS has opened the door to different types of learning that we’ve never been able to consider,” says Yakiemchuk. “Plus, we now have an enterprise-wide view of learning, which was impossible to get with disparate systems.” CA also continues to monitor costs closely. In the year following the implementation, both capital and per-learner expenses decreased by 57 percent. A customer version of the LMS, with full e-commerce functionality, will be launched in 2008. KEY FACTORS What gave CA the ability to complete this highly complex project in an amazingly short period of time? The team identified three key factors: >> A proven methodology. “We did all of the expected things,” says Yakiemchuk. “We had a plan, a strategy, and all of the recommended tools. We also had executive buy-in and strong stakeholder support, thanks to our task force.” >> A background in application technology and a development culture. “Having an application background gives you a strong sense of what you want — and don’t want — in a system,” says Samargya. “Our company’s success is based in part on our ability to accurately project the development schedules for our products, so it’s natural to apply these techniques to internal projects.” >> A centralized learning organization. This model facilitated rapid decision- making and offered strong connections to senior management team. However, Samargya stresses that strong HR support and an ongoing alliance with IT was also central to success. The team also offered several pieces of advice, relevant to all organizations and projects: >> Pay attention to learners’ desktops. “A pop-up blocker can make it seem to a user that the LMS is not working,” says Yakiemchuk. >> Ensure adequate support. “Support is as important as anything we do with the LMS,” says Samargya. “The support team has to be in place and ready to react the day you launch. With 20,000 users, little issues can make big noise.” >> Focus on vendor partnerships. “We spend a lot of time and energy with our vendors discussing commitments and information provided,” says Anya Darrow, director of education systems and technology. “We don’t take anything for granted. As a result, we have a healthy respect for each other.” >> Carry budget over multiple fiscal years. The initial launch of the LMS is only half of the job. Significant costs are associated with increasing user adoption, fixing issues, planning for upgrades and adding on new technologies. CA’s consolidation project proves that complex implementations can be carried out efficiently and cost effectively. They don’t have to drag out forever. They don’t have to become budget black holes. And they can deliver real and immediate business impact. This is excellent news for thousands of companies contemplating such projects in the near future.

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Elearning - April/May 2008

Elearning - April/May 2008 Editor's Note Contents News Targeting Africa Locating Courseware People in the News Upcoming Events Deals Trendlines Web Services Building a Learning Culture Measuring the Learning Experience Making Learning Fun and Social LMS's 2008: What You Need To Know Learning Leader: CA Case Study: AVI Case Study: IBM Case Study: QualComm WBS Case Study: National Center for State Courts Case Study: Grundfos Pumps Case Study: Virginia Tech Pop Quiz Last Word

Elearning - April/May 2008

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