So things have been a little nutty over here lately! I was propositioned to write a book! While I understand that writing a book and getting it published can be a big undertaking, I’m taking it as a learning curve and opportunity to grow my career (and my name)! One of my clients recommended I share my wealth of knowledge, and that’s just what I intend to do. The outline has been submitted and things are moving along - hooray! I wrote a guest blog post for Articulate on ASTD (now ATD) - How crazy is that?! When the lovely folks at Articulate asked me to write a blog post for ATD, I was over the moon! I had a small geek-out, because who hasn’t heard of ATD?! My husband hadn’t, but that’s beside the point. Almost anyone working in the training and development industry is all up in ATD’s business, and I was just floored that I was even being considered as a writer. I have a little author profile over there that shows all of my blog posts (maybe there will be more - who knows?!), and that just seems so crazy to me! I took one a permanent, full-time appointment at the university. Nearly a year back (I can’t believe it’s been that long!), I started working a part-time contract position at a local university. This was great, because I’m very passionate about working in post-secondary education and broadening distance programs to increase accessibility…but even better, I have a fantastic boss who took a chance on me instead of opting to sift through many (likely highly-qualified) applicants. THANK YOU! This has been an incredible learning opportunity, and I’ve been happy to bring my experience to the table to help enhance online course offerings and grow the department. I scaled back my business. When I say ‘scaled back’, I really mean that I now work with few clients instead of many, and I’m very selective about the clients I choose to work with. Most of the contracts I’m taking on are shorter-term, but will hopefully foster long-term working relationships. Scaling back has been great for another reason: I’ve been able to share my wealth of clients with some folks looking to get their start in the freelance game! Gaining clients through referrals (and vice versa - gaining contractors through referrals) is my favourite type of hustle, and it’s nice to give back to an industry that can often times make folks feel stuck - this happens a lot in niche markets. For example, where I’m from the Instructional Designers almost exclusively work within the Defence sector, and the Higher Education sector tends to only employee very few (usually former teachers, which is an over-saturated market in this demographic). With all of that being said, I will repeat myself: I scaled back my business. I love my business and clients, and will not part with it/them too easily. I presented at the Articulate E-Learning Heroes Community Roadshow: Denver, CO. It’s no secret that I love the E-Learning Heroes Community, so when the opportunity to present AND vacation came about, I jumped! I spent two days presenting, observing, and schmoozing (with presenters and participants alike), and learned a ton! THEN, my husband and I spent four more days bumming around Denver. We ate a lot of really good food (shout out Tony P’s on 17th - the Rustica salad is THE BEST salad I have ever consumed), drank some delicious beer - although, I will say that the stout beer with lactose that seemed to be everywhere we went was odd…, and met Erin and her husband, Anthony, for an amazing hike at Mt. Galbraith. When we weren’t doing touristy things (like being amazed at the culture of football and tailgaters), we caught up on all episodes of The League (new favourite tv show), and on our flights we watched Neighbors (hilarious), This is the End (ehhh…I wanted to love this a lot more than I did), and Divergent (which Joe thought was the Hunger Games: Catching Fire…whoops!). All said, it was an amazing vacation - we needed it! Also a bonus - we were very worried dog parents, but after a week of boarding and day care, Oliver was happy to see us and did well with all of the pups - hooray! I enrolled in the Online Learning Consortium’s Teaching Certificate. This is part of my professional development at the university, and I’m excited to see how it can help me better facilitate the conversion of instructor-led courses to blended and online formats. I already know a lot about doing this, but I anticipate the certificate program will give me a bit more of a look into the faculty member’s perspective. There are three electives required, and all of the workshops look pretty exciting; I’ve already picked out the three I want to take! The one thing I’m concerned about is becoming a student again (albeit this program will be a lot easier of a transition than the alternative - a PhD program I’ve been considering); it’s been awhile, and I need to get my mind back into schoolwork mode.  

Across all disciplines, American companies are spending over $164 billion on corporate training, with sales being one of the top areas seeing budgetary growth. That’s great news, because continuing education and coaching has been cited as one of the most important factors when employees evaluate career opportunities. And yet, Imparta has curated some very sobering statistics. Up to 80% of new skills are lost within 1 week of training if not used - ASTD Up to 85% of sales training fails to deliver a positive ROI - HR Chally 87% of new skills are lost within a month of the training - Xerox So, if billions of dollars are being spent on sales training in the US alone, and it’s not working… Yikes. There’s a major disconnect, isn’t there? We’ve worked with companies at all stages of sales training development, and we’ve seen many reasons why the training wasn’t working. Here are some of those reasons. It ultimately doesn’t drive changes in behavior. That’s the real reason for training, right? To help someone do something new, different or better than before? Sometimes it’s a matter of clearly defining the training objective, but it also needs to be conducted in a way that drives and measures actual behavioral change. It’s boring. Uninteresting content produces very low retention rates. If students mentally check out because they are bored, they won’t remember a thing. It’s too long. Attention spans are getting shorter every day. Some studies suggest that learners experience a lapse in attention every few minutes. So why does training go on for hours, if not days? Considering salespeople have even more distractions than ever before, training needs to be adapted to their current environment.  It covers too much material. The human brain can only process and store so much new information in one sitting. If too much knowledge is crammed into one training session, only a small percentage of it will be retained. It’s irrelevant or outdated. If content isn’t useful, why would anyone make an effort to remember it? And yet, so much learning content is out-of-date because of the perceived cost of updating it. What’s the cost of conducting training that isn’t working? There’s no follow-up. Are trainers touching base with students periodically after training is complete? Are sales managers supporting the training effort by doing the same? Persistent follow-up helps reinforcement and compliance. There’s no interactivity or simulations to provide real-life application. Poet John Gay’s famous quote, "Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand," couldn’t be more true. Many concepts simply can’t be put into proper context in traditional, classroom-style training sessions. There’s no buy-in from leadership. A classic chicken-or-egg scenario: does leadership not support training efforts because they don’t drive measurable results? Or does training not drive measurable results because leadership doesn’t support it? It’s often a combination of both. Information isn’t needed on a daily basis. The old adage "use it or lose it" certainly applies to professional knowledge, and when an employee doesn’t quite remember something learned in the past, they will either guess or avoid the topic altogether, neither of which are what you, as a manager, want your employees to do. Why does ineffective sales training continue to exist? That’s a good question. We think a global overhaul is indeed underway, but major shifts always run into a few bumps, such as: Lack of budget approval Lack of technology adoption Lack of awareness or understanding that training isn’t working, or what to do about it Lack of buy-in from key stakeholders Every one of the issues outlined here can be solved with a creative eLearning strategy. There is no reason to continue offering sales training that doesn’t work. If you think your company could use a revamp in the training area, contact us today for a free assessment. photo credit: Unhindered by Talent

Next week I begin the OLC Teaching Certificate, and as a prerequisite I had to take a brief (1 week) workshop. There has been some discussion about the changing role of traditional face-to-face instructors when they begin teaching online, so I thought it might be relevant to provide my thoughts on these changing roles. Instructor The instructor of a class is often viewed as the Subject Matter Expert (SME), and while there are various delivery mechanisms this instructor may choose to use, instructors are often viewed as feeding students with information. Some call this a ‘banking’ model, wherein the instructor is depositing information into the bank of student minds. This is a traditional method of instruction for a reason: it’s been used for many moons, and it works. However, it’s not the only way teaching and learning can work. Facilitator Facilitators are often viewed as ‘a guide on the side’ in that they provide the subject matter/content to the students, but the students build upon the information collaboratively with one another. The facilitator facilitates discussions surrounding the content and keeps the students focused on the learning outcomes, but they operate in a more holistic approach. How does this relate to online learning? Well - in online learning, the instructor really needs to make a shift and adapt their teaching preferences according to the environment in which information is being delivered. For example, if you choose to continue with the traditional ‘banking’ style of approach in an online delivery format, your course will likely end up looking like a repository of information…which is not very engaging instructional design. In this example, you can see very clearly why the banking method doesn’t work that well for online as it does for face-to-face instruction; while, the facilitator role can work well in both contexts of delivery. With that being said, the facilitator may need to adapt their role based on the environment in that they may need to provide more examples and explanations in the online format to mitigate the lack of face-to-face engagement. Change is innately unwanted and there is always resistance to change, but in the interest of your audience, it’s a necessary evil! Still confused? Here are some resources! The Excellent Online Instructor: Strategies for Professional Development by Rena M. Palloff  Army Instructors to Army Facilitators - Practical Considerations by Anna Cianciolo and William R. Bickley Transforming Online Teaching Practice: Critical Analysis of the Literature on the Roles and Competencies of Online Teachers by E. Baran, A-P. Correia, and A. Thompson Inquiry Learning: Instructor Perspectives by S. Vajoczki, S. Watt, and M. Vine

Technology has had a profound impact on learning. The most recent significant overhaul came from the advent of mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad. We’re now able to optimize learning content for engagement on these mobile devices, meaning that training is no longer anchored to the classroom or desktop. Employees are more empowered and self-sufficient than ever, armed with performance support materials and checklists to help them do their jobs better, faster and with fewer mistakes. We’re getting ready to witness another wave of advancements in technology that has the potential to change how we learn yet again. Wearable technology is on a fast-paced growth track, with several devices already commanding the market. Here are just a handful of examples: Eyeglass computers, such as Google Glass Smart watches, like the much-anticipated Apple Watch Personal activity monitors, like Fitbit and Nike Fit Band Wearable cameras, such as GoPro and Autographer As this article from Educause points out, wearable technology can run the gamut from the complex and multi-functional - like Google Glass - to the rather simple, focused device like a personal activity monitor that logs steps taken throughout the day. While some questions are being raised about privacy and security, it’s not difficult to see the tremendous potential for wearable eLearning technology. Here are a few reasons to ponder: Wearables are hands-free, and sometimes voice-activated. Current mobile performance support requires a handheld mobile device, like a smartphone or tablet. While incredibly efficient and handy - no pun intended - it does require the learner to stop what they’re doing to pick up the device and navigate to the content they need. Wearable tech has the potential to respond to a user’s environment and possibly voice-commands to call up supporting content without disrupting the task at hand. Wearables have the potential to be even more intuitive than today’s mobile devices. They have the potential to require less effort on the part of the wearer to make it work, and can recognize and respond to the surrounding environment. Content is delivered and consumed faster, easier and is embedded in real life. Learning in a classroom, storing information for later, then trying to recall it when it’s needed is proving to be a terrible way to train. Information is accessible and sharable in real time. Paired with other up-and-coming technology, like augmented reality, wearable devices such as Google Glass have the potential to create multidimensional, spatially-accurate simulations for learning and performance support. How Far Away is the Future? If the thought of this sounds a little too Inspector Gadget for you, don’t worry. You have plenty of time to get comfortable with the idea. While it seems everyone you know has a FitBit, wearable devices as a whole are a long way from mainstream adoption. There are many questions lingering and improvements to be made, such as battery life, data synchronization with other devices and systems, improved functionality, ease of use, and privacy and security concerns. Even if we’re still a few years away, it’s exciting to imagine how current mobile learning could be advanced by emerging technology. Do you think wearable devices will become mainstream in corporate eLearning? Leave a comment below. photo credit: Thomas Hawk  

This week’s challenge is a fun one! Storyline 2 offers the ability to easily create slider interactions, a feat which was previously completed by using states….and LOTS of ‘em! Think hundreds (depending on what you’re trying to accomplish). Now, you can create sliders with a few clicks of some buttons - presto, tada! I was also excited to jump on the bandwagon this week, because last week I started something and didn’t finish…and it’s always nice to sneak in right before the recap is posted - I like living on the edge! The Concept Use interactive sliders to focus on functionality and/or design. For this challenge, I chose to focus on both. I wanted to illustrate how you could use sliders to create an interactive website mockup - fun and practical (for some)! You could take my colour customization approach to another level and use states to incorporate different layout options - that would be cool! The Method I thought up how I might want to work with the sliders to make my imagined design come to life, so I first created a little mock up website layout. Then, I pulled some elements from the mock up (background colour, title text colour, and body element colours) to and made some quick colour palettes - some, when combined, are more appealing than others (…basically the default looks the best - don’t hate). Once I decided how I was going to roll this all out, I created my sliders. I created one slider for each element, created a four colour-way palette for each element, and then created four states (well - three, because one was normal) for each element, one for each colour. Then, I set the sliders to show each state when the user drags the slider to a certain point, using triggers to change the states. After it was all said and done, I added a little intro slide, customized the player, and the rest is history! The Result Click here to view the full, interactive demo! Click here to download the source file to learn how you too can create a comparable interaction!

A typical day in the field for most utility workers is probably pretty routine, performing maintenance and inspections or responding to calls of outages. However, even the routine can require complex, technical knowledge. And what happens when a more serious event takes place? Whether you work in gas, electricity or water, field workers have a lot they need to know just for everyday work. Add to that the projects that happen on a less-than-daily basis, and there are a lot of procedures to remember. More critical, yours is an industry that safety is of utmost importance, for both your team and the general public. Your team must be both competent and confident. Training Isn't a One-Time Thing Utility employees go through some kind of training when they first start working for you. There may be additional training as new technology or systems are adopted. But many organizations assume that basic initial training is sufficient. It’s expected that a worker will retain what was covered in training and be able to apply it in the field. In such a complex and technical field of work, not only is this an unrealistic expectation, but it can also bring about significant consequences. And often, especially in the utility industry, there are procedures and processes that might be done only seldom--sometimes years in between. How are employees supposed to retain their skills? Performance support tools are an extension of training that help ensure workers are able to acquire and apply knowledge not only through training, but through guided, in-field experience. The key word here, of course, is guided. Benefits of Offering Performance Support to Field Workers Adding performance support solutions to your field worker training program can have many positive implications for your team. Let’s explore a few. Remember steps to processes performed less frequently. While a worker may think he remembers what he’s supposed to do, his confidence may fade once he’s actually in front of a piece of equipment. A checklist in hand will help jog his memory. Remember the order in which steps are to be completed. Workers will never again have to wonder whether a button should be pushed before or after a setting is adjusted in Step 4. Reduce errors and guesses. When workers know what steps need to be completed and in what order, trial-and-error is reduced, along with the costs involved in fixing mistakes. Maintain reports of process completion. Completed checklists let you compile historical records of when certain processes or steps were last done, and by whom. Support new hires as they transition into the field. New hires will enter the field feeling more confident knowing that they possess tools designed to make them successful from day one. Empower employees to tackle unknown or complex tasks on their own. This brings us back to the two c-words mentioned earlier, competence and confidence. Lacking one can produce undesirable results, but performance support tools can keep both in check. Safety. Not only can errors be costly to fix, they can also be dangerous. Performance support helps increase safety. Make it Mobile for Even Greater Efficiency Offering performance support materials like checklists and job aids is a good first step, but considering printing costs and general inefficiencies of paper shuffling, putting these materials on a mobile device like an iPad make them even more useful. Imagine how sharp your team could be if they had a checklist on an iPad that collected data in real time and aggregated it into a supervisor’s summary? And if, within that checklist, there were links to how-to videos that offered more detail on how to complete a step? If it sounds infeasible, it’s not. Utility companies like yours are already using mobile performance support, and we can show you how. Let us know if you’d like to set up a free 30-minute discussion with our team! photo credit: Tau Zero  

People ALWAYS ask me about freelancing - Always! As many of you folks know, I spent several years freelancing prior to making the jump into full-time (and now part-time) independent contractor-ship. When you’re just getting started, you can be overwhelmed by the amount of work you’re doing, underwhelmed by the amount of opportunities you’re finding, and dazzled by the dollars you’re raking in. Before you get too deep in the freelance game, you really should step back and organize yourself…or at least screw your head on right. Here are some helpful pieces of advice for doing just that! 1 - Set some of your profits aside. And by this, I don’t mean in a fun-money fund for your next vacation to Fiji. I mean that taxes are impending (and may incite of feeling of dread or doom) reality, and you really don’t want to pay them out of pocket because you were so busy being pumped on the extra cash you were bringing in. If you fail to set cash aside, it actually turns out to be counter-productive and may make all of your hard work and hours spent moonlighting seem fruitless. Ain’t nobody got time for that! Here’s what I do: When I receive payment on an invoice, I take 30% of the payment and put it in a separate savings account. Next year I will be opening up a business account, but if you’re just sticking to occasional freelancing as a supplement to your income, a savings account should be sufficient. This 30% deduction can be a bitter pill to swallow, but it ensures that I won’t get strapped paying taxes out of pocket (and may even receive a refund - who knows?) come tax time! 2 - Get organized! This advice might seem like a no-brainer, but unless you’re a planner at heart, the last thing most folks do is get organized, and failing to do so can get messy realllllly fast. As a freelancer, you should have several processes in place before you get too involved, such as development processes (for whatever it is you develop), get-money processes (for invoicing/collecting payment), kick off and close out processes (for kicking off and closing out a project with a client). Having these processes in place will save you a ton of time, streamlining the projects you work on from start to finish. Here’s what I do: One of the first things I do when I start a project is open up my Project Management Software (PMS) and set up a new project. Prior to the kick off meeting, I review anything the client has sent me and compile a list of questions I have (deadlines, review cycles, etc.). During the kick off meeting, I document the conversation in a Word document, which I then save to the project in my PMS. After the kick off meeting, I itemize all of the project tasks and set deadlines in the PMS. Basically the PMS runs my life and keeps me on point. At the end of the project, I have a wrap-up meeting (or email exchange, depending on client preferences), document what was said, and upload the document to the PMS. Then, I generate an invoice…in the PMS (previously, I had a Word template for this, which I would email) and send it to the client. The moral of this story - find a PMS you love and use it! I recommend Pancake. Before I caught on to the importance of being organized in my freelance life, things were messy. PMS has changed my life, and I find it so helpful (and refreshing) when I work with clients who use them too! Another great way to stay organized (and productive) is to maintain a tidy office space and use folders for hard-copy paperwork (e.g. contracts, non-disclosure agreements, tax documentation). This will make your life a lot easier when you need to refer to a piece of paper you printed off once upon a time. 3 - Be considerate (to yourself and others). In this context, being considerate doesn’t necessarily mean being nice to yourself and to others (but, that will happen indirectly). It really means being cognizant of your abilities and not over-obligating yourself. Furthermore, being considerate to yourself should also mean: don’t apply to every single thing your see - especially if you’re freelancing through odesk, elance, freelancer, or one of the many freelancing sites. Here’s what I do: Initially I did not heed my own advice, and I paid dearly (over-committing to projects I wasn’t qualified for or which I absolutely hated). Before you start working at the freelance chain game, take some time and itemize your interests and qualifications. Then, bid or apply for projects that align with your qualifications or interests. This will ensure that you don’t get saddled bidding on ‘Spinning 100 articles for 30 dollars’ or writing some kids PhD thesis for a 250 bucks - neither of which are at the high of ethics and integrity…or profit. Be considerate and smart about what you apply for, don’t undervalue yourself, and don’t over-commit!

Finding a way to not only compete, but establish sustainable competitive advantage is one of the biggest challenges business leaders face in today’s global marketplace. It’s become harder to create a product or service that’s truly unique in the market, considering most markets are now on a worldwide scale and rapidly evolving technologies. And even with the best of products, it’s typically not long before a competitor launches something similar. You know what is really hard to duplicate, though? Culture. A strong company culture not only shines through in marketing communications (Zappos is a great example) but an employee-centric one can catapult you above and beyond your competitors. Why? People want to work for companies like that. You’ll attract and retain better talent. Today’s employees have a long list of expectations for potential employers, and support, advancement opportunities and professional development fill some of the top slots. What is a Knowledge Culture? A company culture that fosters professional development and growth in employees can also be thought of as a knowledge culture, and it’s something very few companies do especially well or invest in. Organizations with a strong knowledge culture are easy to spot. Leadership believes in ongoing coaching to help employees develop into valuable team members and future leaders. Support for continuous learning is strong, whether through internally-created training programs or external continuing education or certifications. Employees get better at their job with each passing year and are engaged in their professional development. Why is a Knowledge Culture Important for Today's Organizations? Simply put, organizations that make knowledge freely accessible to their team members simply produce more, spend less and achieve far superior results, and the reasons go beyond smarter employees. You send a message both inside and outside the organization about how employees are treated. Here are a few reasons to consider: Employees feel valued. Opportunities for growth and development are one of the things employees want most in a job today. Lower costs associated with errors and inefficient training brings increased profitability. Greater sales success and increased revenue. Decreased turnover, as your skilled employees are less likely to suspect greener pastures lie elsewhere. Use the emphasis on employee development as a recruiting tool to attract and retain better talent. Knowledgeable employees feel empowered, so they take care of things on their own while taking fewer guesses, making fewer mistakes and taking less of time. How Can You Create a Culture of Knowledge at Your Organization? To start creating an environment where knowledge is easily accessible and can be easily linked to work processes, you’ll need a few things: Abstract knowledge translated into concrete "how-to" content that is specific to individual job functions. Collaboration among peers and colleagues. An understanding that training and learning are different. Training is finite; learning is ongoing. A consistent approach to team member accountability. Most importantly - a solid commitment to make the necessary changes from those with the power to impact success. These first steps are only the beginning, and we can help you get to the next level in driving a culture of knowledge at your organization. Learn more by scheduling a quick meeting with our team today! photo credit: claymore2211  

This week’s term, microlearning, was inspired by several Twitter chats I’ve been lurking for awhile now. In times like these where information is constantly requested/searched, there’s a greater trend toward instant gratification - and the wonders of the Internet can do magic to make this happen! Microlearning Microlearning refers to learning that occurs in bite sized chunks or very short-term learning activities. For example, these Twitter chats. Each week, participants respond to questions posed and are able to read (and respond to) the responses of fellow participants. It’s really a great form of collaborative learning. Twitter chats are a great example, because responses occur within the constraint of 140 characters, and learners are encouraged to synthesize this information in bite-sized responses or presentation. But who the heck would this benefit?! Everyone involved! Well - maybe not everyone (there are always outliers), but most participants and facilitators. I’ll give you an example of how microlearning is working in an online course I worked on. The faculty member came to me wanting to redevelop her course. She wanted to swap out some readings and make it more engaging for students. Her course consists of about 3000 pages of readings over a semester (they’re all children’s books), a midterm and final exam, and some written assignments. Holy crap! What a slave driver, you might think…the reality is not really, but I could see how students might balk at the workload. In any event, she was struggling with quality forum participation because the students were exhausted by the workload and couldn’t commit to writing lengthy posts and responses. She also tried a wiki to no avail (well - it worked, but not in an optimal manner). I suggested a Twitter chat for her; like the forum posts, she could incite participation out of a course requirement and she could require the student post one original response to the question and respond to at least two of their peers, BUT the student would only be required to write a maximum of 420 characters instead of potentially a minimum of 1500 words! This approach benefits the faculty member in terms of her participation grading and it benefits the students by requiring less of their already taxing workload to obtain the elusive participation points (some students would just drop the participation grade of 5-10% as they were too swamped to participate, but 5-10% can mean a lot of the course of a course). Confused by what I’m talking about? Here are some great examples and some resources! Lrnchat EdTechChat Microlearning.org Application of Microlearning Technique and Twitter for Educational Purposes by B.H. Aitchanov, A.B. Satabaldiyev, and K.N. Latuta Mobile Learning with Micro Content: A Framework and Evaluation by Peter A. Bruck

She’s the first to admit this, but my 60-something year old mother is demonstrably not tech savvy. You can imagine how difficult the world is becoming for her. TVs used to have a simple on/off button and maybe a clicker to change the channels, but now we have DVRs, blu ray players, streaming devices like Roku and ChromeCast, and televisions that will practically have dinner ready when you get home.  Mom relies on her children to help whenever a new piece of technology enters the house, and the first thing she does is grab a pen and notepad. "I have to make my cheat sheet," she says. We then start at the beginning, from what remote to use through everything she needs to do to accomplish her desired outcome. She writes slowly and deliberately, making sure her cheat sheet is legible for the next time she needs to use it. Her little Post-Its are stashed throughout the house so she can find them whenever she needs one. You may be chuckling at one woman’s struggle to watch her Gilmore Girls DVDs, but for her, household technology is a challenge. In our jobs, we all have that equivalent. There are things we need to know how to do that, for whatever reason, our memories need some help. Many of us are also responsible for projects that are complicated or highly technical. The most in-depth training usually doesn’t stick when it’s done in a one-off fashion as part of a two-day conference. Despite our best intentions, we walk out of there and promptly forget the finer details we really need to know. Performance support checklists, like my mom’s cable box cheat sheet, are the best solution. They produce markedly improved results with a comparatively minimal investment in time and resources to create. The beauty is in its simplicity but, like anything else, it has to be done well to get the best results. What Makes a Good Checklist? It has a clear objective. Before you even assemble your checklist, you should know what employees have completed at the end of it. Does the checklist support a process for a mechanical inspection? Perhaps a part installation? Maybe it’s less technical and is meant to help a salesperson update a prospect record in the CRM. Regardless, know what your audience should have successfully done by the end of the checklist. It’s not too long. Avoid overwhelming employees by breaking a process into multiple checklists, rather than one that has too many steps. It doesn’t skip steps or combine several steps into one item. Keep each item on the checklist separate from others and avoid temptation to combine them. Doing so will avoid misunderstandings. While some employees may only need to reference the checklist a handful of times, others might rely heavily on it, so it’s best to avoid assumptions. It links to knowledge for additional support. A checklist is designed to help an employee remember what steps need to be completed and in what order. Sometimes, though, it’s helpful to also have a refresher on how to complete a step. Here, you can provide a link to additional training materials, like charts, diagrams, photos, infographics and videos that help jog an employee’s memory or confirm they are performing the step correctly. It’s completed electronically on a computer or mobile device. Not only does this save paper and printing costs, electronic checklists are easier to update with new processes, and easier to complete and submit. It sends data to an internal system to collect and summarize for management. In addition to the benefits mentioned above, electronic checklists make data collection and reporting a breeze. Supervisors can view at-a-glance reports reflecting the aggregate performance of their team in near-real time. Come to think of it, I may need to look into electronic checklists for my mom. But, I’d probably have to help her make a cheat sheet of how to find them on her iPad. We can help make the checklist creation and implementation process a breeze for you and your employees. Give us a ring; we’d be happy to chat. photo credit: Choconancy1