The acid test for any intranet is the degree to which it is actually used. In most cases, the intranet is intended to supplement traditional methods of intra-organizational communication. If the intranet has been properly designed, it should reflect your organization's baseline competency without imposing unreasonable demands on the user. Even so, gaining users' acceptance and weaning them away from old habits can pose a significant challenge, one that technical experts, in particular, often underestimate.
The goal of training the users is to get them comfortable and accustomed to using the intranet in their daily tasks. The intranet can save money, time, and resources, but only if it is used by the people it is meant to help.
The key to effective user training is relevance. Effective training should start with a clear, unbiased understanding of the users-their knowledge base, their technical skills, their working patterns. Without such an understanding, training can easily miss the point, either by emphasizing the wrong benefits or by under- or overestimating training needs. An in-depth discussion of online video-conferencing or other advanced applications, for example, may be wholly irrelevant (not to mention tedious) to a user group that is barely acquainted with the WWW. In the same vein, technically sophisticated users neither need nor want a half-day session on "What is the Internet?"
This chapter defines various levels of user training as it applies to different categories of intranet users and outlines components to consider in developing an overall training program.
Most users are far more concerned with the intranet utility and its capacity to improve their work than the underlying technology or the elegance of its architecture. So regardless of the content, user training should emphasize what the intranet does rather than what the intranet is. I'm not saying that training should discourage broader or deeper discussion of the intranet, but rather it should indicate the importance of a consistent focus on user requirements, expectations, and benefits.
Establishing connectivity is one of the first tasks required in implementing a new intranet. For most organizations, getting connected is a critical first step, and the array of options can be daunting.
Regardless of the method selected, users probably will need help establishing connectivity and using new software. For some users, an instruction sheet may be sufficient. Others may require formal, step-by-step instructions, like the ones shown in Figure 17.1, and follow-up hand-holding. The level of connectivity training should parallel the level of the users' familiarity. You do not want to frighten beginning users during the training with subjects over their heads.
Keep in mind that user habits start early, so it is important to follow up, especially with new users, to determine
By following up, your organization can reinforce or redirect intranet training while user habits are forming rather than correct undesirable usage after the fact.
Setting up an intranet on a corporate LAN is as easy as having the system administrator install the software on everyone's machines and making sure that the right protocols are being used. People dialing in from home or satellite offices, however, may be connecting to the intranet through the Internet, which means that establishing the connectivity may be more difficult. A trade association, for example, might have an intranet hosted on a server in which everyone who connects does so through the Internet.
A corporate LAN environment is generally an IPX network. An IPX network is the current standard protocol under which most LANs work. For a corporate LAN to use an intranet, it needs to have the TCP/IP protocol installed so that the LAN machines can talk to the intranet server. A TCP/IP network is the protocol on which the Internet works. It assigns a specific number to each computer, and then it assigns a name to each number. Computers use the TCP/IP protocol to link to each other on the Internet and on your intranet.
For more modern systems, such as Windows for Workgroups, Macintosh networks, or Novell, you can set up TCP/IP relatively easily to run instead of, or in tandem with, IPX. You might want to keep the IPX protocol in place for some operations, like accessing a file server on the LAN, and use the TCP/IP protocol for accessing the Web server. You can perform many of the same tasks with TCP/IP as you can with an IPX network. Teaching users how to use the new system to perform old tasks, however, might require some training.
After establishing connectivity, you should install Web browsers or other intranet applications. Such applications include a mail client, video-conferencing, audio-conferencing, or whatever applications your organization plans to offer.
Users from outside the LAN (for example, a traveling sales staff) who need to dial in to access the intranet need to be set up on a modem system. Shiva makes a good system to attach modems to a LAN. Shiva was one of the first companies to make network modems and really is the industry leader for these products. Users can dial in directly to the LAN to connect to the TCP/IP network. If your users are dialing into the LAN to use TCP/IP applications, like Web browsing, however, the connection needs to use Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) or Serial Line Interface Protocol (SLIP). These protocols assign an address to the client computer so that the server knows where to send the information. Of course, if users are using the Internet for access, their machines simply need to have Internet access through any Internet Service Provider (ISP).
If users are connecting with a laptop, connectivity is as easy as having them bring in their machines and having the system administrator configure them to dial up and connect to the network. If a user is connecting from home, setting up connectivity might be very difficult. No two PPP or SLIP connections are the same. Connecting to another computer with these protocols involves a relatively complicated process. Not only does the client computer need to identify itself to the host with a user ID, password, and IP address, it needs to know where to look on the host computer for various services, such as domain name service and the route to the Internet, if necessary. Using a Macintosh is easier than using Windows, as you can see in Figures 17.2 and 17.3, but companies are starting to make this process easier. Chameleon and Internet in a Box have been creating software that simplifies this process, but until a PPP or SLIP connection script becomes adopted as a standard, configuring a connection will remain relatively difficult.
Figure 17.2: Windows 95 users need to configure TCP/IP in the TCP/IP Properties dialog box.
Figure 17.3: MacOS users need to configure TCP/IP in the MacTCP control panel.
Supplying users with a step-by-step instruction booklet or manual is an effective means of communicating all the variables involved with configuring and connecting to different platforms. A manual should include at least the common platforms, such as Windows 3.1, Windows 95, and Macintosh operating systems. It also could include frequently asked questions and an instruction sheet for dial up.
Another avenue of connection could be through an ISDN line. An ISDN line is a direct connection, either to the Internet or to your company's LAN or WAN. Unlike a phone line, ISDN provides a digital connection and transfers data at much greater rates of speed. If you thought setting up a PPP connection was tough, however, setting up an ISDN line is nearly impossible for the average user. An organization needs a professional to set up the proper hardware. Usually the local phone company or ISDN providers can do the job for you.
Allowing access to your intranet via the Internet is relatively simple. You don't have to set up PPP, phone lines, or Shiva. The only necessary connection is that of your server to the Internet. This strategy makes it a little easier for users to get connected from home or other remote locations only because so many ISPs are willing to help users get connected. Many software programs are also available to help users get online. Chameleon and Internet in a Box are two that can be used regardless of what ISP is chosen. Also, many ISPs have their own connection software. With Windows 95, users may have some problems getting a PPP or SLIP connection with ISPs other than The Microsoft Network. Many ISPs have complained that the socket software that comes bundled with Windows 95 does not work with their connection software, although most have written new connection software that will work.
Some users, such as members of trade and professional associations, already may have connections to the Internet through their organizations or companies. With membership organizations, users already may be set up with Internet connections at home, leaving them only to point their browsers in the right direction. In these cases, the intranet administrators don't have to provide specific instructions as to how to connect to the Internet.
If users are coming in through the Internet, your organization may want to talk to a national provider to find the least expensive avenue of connection. (See Appendix A for a list of national and regional Internet Service Providers.) If your organization has a traveling development team that visits different cities nationally and internationally, for example, a national or international service provider with local phone numbers in the areas where the development team travels would make sense. But if the users are all in the region, using a regional provider may be less expensive.
When you're training the users how to use the intranet, your users should have a basic knowledge of two facets involving software. They include both client and server software. Using the client software involves knowing how to use the dialer, if connecting from home; the e-mail package; the Web browser; and, if necessary, video-conferencing or audio-conferencing software. On the server side, if your intranet uses message boards, calendars, or other functionality, users need training on these individual software applications within the scope of a Web browser. If your intranet has a message board system, for example, the users need to know the ins and outs of connecting to the server and how to use the Web browser software. Additionally, after they get to the message board, they must know how to use it.
Knowing in what areas to train the users is the easy part; knowing how to train them can prove difficult. One advantage of using Web-based interfaces is that hypertext is fairly intuitive. For most applications, the users simply have to point and click in the right places. For other applications, you may need to add a few paragraphs in the manual describing how functions work and encouraging the users to try them out. In the example of the message board system, you might want to take your users through a typical conversation on the message board-how messages are posted and replied to and what the message board structure is like. Including a diagram also might be helpful.
In reality, you can train users on new software in only two ways:
Train them in a group where they can sit at a machine and try
out the software, or let them learn by trial and error on their
own. If your software is easy enough to use, they will use it;
if it is confusing, they won't.
For McKeon & Jeffries, getting users connected wasn't too much of a problem. After the system administrator installed TCP/IP and the Netscape browser on all the com-puters in the office, it was a simple matter of configuring all
the laptops to dial into the network from the road or from home and writing an instruction sheet for users who wanted to configure their home machines for dial-up networking. Because all the machines in the offices used Windows for Workgroups, the
administrator easily set up dial-up networking using Trumpet Winsock.
Writing the manual for users to connect at home was a little more difficult because the system administrator had to try to emulate problems users might have connecting with a Macintosh, a PC running Windows 3.1, and a PC running Windows 95. The most trouble came with writing the configuration instructions for Windows 95 because users had to use the built-in Winsock instead of Trumpet. |
The SGAA had a little more difficulty than M&J did. They had two classes of users to connect: their employees and their members. Because their employees were local on the LAN, getting users connected was just a matter of
installing TCP/IP and Internet Explorer on their machines. For their members, the task was not quite so easy.
Because all their members connect through the Internet, the SGAA had to provide an instruction sheet on how to get an Internet connection. Many of their members have Internet access in their offices in one way or another, either through a single dial-up connection or a direct connection with access from the desktop. The rest of the members, mostly the retailers, however, needed instruction as to how to go about finding an ISP and configuring their machines, as well as how to get to the site when they did get online. The SGAA decided to write a connection guide to send out to all its members. Before sending out the guide, the SGAA staff did some research to find an international ISP that had local access numbers in all the areas where SGAA members are located. From there, the SGAA ordered installation disks and instruction sheets from the ISP to send out with the connection guide. That way, if members didn't know how to find an ISP, they could use the one provided for them. The ISP was happy to send the disks out for free and helped the SGAA staff write the instruction manual. Also in the instruction manual were the address, or URL, for the site, the user's ID and password, and simple instructions to enter the site. |
After users are connected to the intranet, the most important part of the training process is keeping them online. This part is essential for the success of your intranet. An intranet is interactive and cannot exist in a vacuum, especially if the organization is using it for communications. It is a classic Catch-22. If there is no content, no one will come. In the case of message boards, calendars, or other interactive applications, if no one uses them, there is no content. The trick is to get your users used to the idea of contributing to the intranet at the same time that you get them used to finding information and utilizing all its resources.
Often, users need a new mind-set in approaching their everyday tasks. Instead of calling the Human Resource Department to find out how many sick days an employee has left, he or she can find this information on the intranet. Instead of pulling out the employee handbook to learn about the summer flex-schedule, employees can click on the intranet. Instead of leaving their desks and doing research in the library, employees can, once again, go to the intranet. If you want to keep users online, they need to view the intranet as a helpful partner and resource in accomplishing their jobs. They also need to become as familiar with it as they are with the word processing program they use every day.
Adding the intranet to an organization means making fundamental changes in even extraneous tasks. Successful training is important so that the users get re-programmed to use the intranet as the resource and solution to their questions, challenges, problems, and everyday needs. Any training of the users should include getting them in the mind-set to use the intranet.
As an organization's intranet becomes more functional and has more applications in everyday work, the host organization should be prepared to continue training users on new developments and new capabilities. Expect apprehension and resistance from some users, as some individuals and institutions will have a difficult time embracing and adapting to the technology. Be prepared for rejection of the technology, and be aware of the users who jump right in thinking it will change their lives right away. The people who are excited and immediately start using the intranet may be disappointed when the information out there is not updated or new. These users may never come back.
In preparing and training the users to keep them online, slowly move nonessential work material to the intranet. This material might include the employee handbook, corporate directory, contact database, and company benefit packets. These items are important to users but perhaps are not utilized for everyday tasks. Employers don't need to sneak around and hide all the printed employee handbooks to force the users to use the intranet; posting the handbook online encourages users to use the intranet instead of digging through their junk drawers to find the ragged employee handbook with the coffee stains on it.
The next step may be for your organization to stop printing employee handbooks and to make updates and revisions only on the intranet, as shown in the example in Figure 17.4. This approach won't force the users to use the intranet every day, but it will encourage them to use it on occasion when they want to read the latest information. At this point, users will begin to understand that the organization is indeed serious about its intranet and that it is more than an optional information center.
Figure 17.4: An intranet page of an employee handbook.
The revised corporate directory might be created online rather than printed. Users still will have the old copies, but if they want the newest information, they have to find it online. If users are brought on to the intranet slowly, the people who are overly enthusiastic will not experience any disappointment. On the other hand, if an intranet is rolled out with all kinds of whiz-bang features and interactive tools, and no one uses it right away, bringing people back a second time might be tough.
If a goal of your intranet is to phase out widely accepted communication vehicles, such as newsletters like the one shown in Figure 17.5, corporate directories, or policy information, the host organization can set up a transition plan using strategic timing. For a newsletter, for example, the timing could include putting up the online version before delivering the hard copy. Later, the intranet version of the newsletter could have additional stories that the printed version does not have (although it would be beneficial for the printed version to have a footnote guiding the reader to use the intranet to read further information or new stories on the cyber-newsletter). The last deadline might be the day that the newsletter is no longer printed.
Figure 17.5: A newsletter posted on an organization's intranet.
Unlike real estate, which boasts the three most important aspects of a property-location, location, location-for the intranet, the three important elements of consistent use are content, content, and content. Information, therefore, must be current and useful. A message of the day can encourage users to go to the intranet at least once a day. News and other features can keep users logging on. Announcing, via the intranet, new software programs or additional applications new to the intranet is one way to keep users updated. If your content is not useful, interesting, and easy to use, however, keeping users coming back will be difficult.
In the first sessions of training new users on the intranet, you will find some redundancy of information. Your organization wouldn't want to turn on the intranet and immediately stop sending memos. Doing so could alienate many potential users as well as be the source of many unread memos. One suggestion is to post information online in advance of releasing it in traditional print form. This way, no one is penalized, but the users online get the bonus of receiving the information before the other people. Getting left out of the loop could spur the nonusers to get online more often.
An incremental transition is almost always preferable, even though it takes more effort on the front end. Proceeding in stages requires some orchestration and planning; otherwise, the efforts easily can turn into chaos. One volunteer organization started by posting its newsletter to its new intranet, as shown in Figure 17.6, while mailing a hard copy the same day. Users who accessed the electronic version not only received their news faster, but they also were invited to interact with the editor and to provide e-mail comments to her directly. The organization invited users to choose between electronic and postal delivery (and emphasized the rising costs of postage); within several months, the newsletter print run dropped from thousands to hundreds. This cost savings enabled the organization to publish electronic news more frequently and include readers' views, questions, and contributions in a more timely manner.
Some organizations post contests or incentives to encourage online use. One consumer products company, for example, solicited user anecdotes-first-person success stories highlighting efficiency, discoveries, or achievements. Then it launched a contest, asking users to submit documentation of ways in which their use of the intranet had produced savings of time or money. Modest prizes were awarded monthly, culminating in a grand prize-a new laptop-to a sales representative who won a major new account by organizing a sales presentation on the company's intranet.
After a while, important messages should be sent only via e-mail, forcing the cyber slackers to use the intranet to read and respond to their e-mail. If employees feel like they are missing out on important communications, they will use the intranet.
The final area to examine in keeping users online is log reports. Just as an advertising kit reveals the demographics of a medium, log reports reveal the "user graphics" of your user base-which users came on? what did they look at? what did they not look at? and who is not logging on at all? The appropriate person, perhaps the system administrator, should talk to these users and find out why they're not using the intranet. Can they not log on? Have they forgotten how? Do they have a connectivity problem? Or have they logged on but become bored with the information posted? Depending on the response, your training program may need some tweaking to better meet the needs of these users.
Also, as the intranet is used more and the functions expand, the sponsor should publicize these functions within the user group and offer function-specific training and troubleshooting for the users, as shown in Figure 17.7.
Figure 17.7: Function-specific training can occur online.
McKeon & Jeffries developed a simple strategy for keeping its users online. Because of its relatively small number of users, shifting to a digital format for interoffice information and communications was a short process. As
hard copies of documents became more and more scarce, it became imperative for employees to use the intranet to get information on everything from memos to corporate policy to research materials.
The communications part of the intranet was a little trickier. The accounting firm first put a few beta testers on the message boards to test them and to get content up on the site. At first, the discussions tended to be centered around what was wrong with the message boards and how they could be changed, but as the beta testers became more and more familiar with the software, they started having real conversations. The schedule for M&J's move to the intranet looked a little like this: Day 1 through Day 30: Content is posted on the site. Memos and other interoffice communication is put on the intranet and distributed in printed form. Ten beta testers play with the message boards. Research materials, the employee handbook, and the firm directory are put on the site. Day 31 through Day 60: Memos are put up on the site the day before they are delivered in hard copy. Information such as meeting minutes or other regularly distributed materials are put on the site, with few hard copies available. All modifications to the firm directory and employee manual are done only online. Employees are welcomed to the message board areas. Day 61 through Day 90: No hard copies of memos or other communications or information are created or distributed. Users are required to log on to the site daily to check for new information. |
The SGAA developed a similar strategy for getting users online and for keeping them there. It developed a schedule as well, but instead of forcing members online, they were enticed with announcements or alerts. It also was very
important that the association be completely operational when the switch was turned on, so the beta testing phase was carried out well before the site was opened to the members.
The SGAA's schedule for creating and utilizing the intranet looked like this: Day 1 through Day 30: Thirty beta testers were invited to test the navigation and communications on the site. The audio-conferencing functions, the message boards, interactive scheduling, contact database, and chat functions were thoroughly tested. Day 31 through Day 60: Connection manuals are sent out, and users are logging on for the first time. The association staff works hard to make sure that users are greeted with new information every day. Instead of the weekly 10-page faxes that the association usually sends to members with news, members now receive a single page with headlines and the URL to find the news on the site. The newsletter is put up on the site and is sent in the mail; the online version is more detailed, and the mailed version has URLs pointing to the online version. Logs are checked weekly to see who is logging on and who isn't. Day 61 through Day 90: The SGAA staff continues to put content on the site, the newsfeed is implemented to bring users up-to-the-minute news, and more message boards are added. Weekly faxes are sent only to users who do not log on a regular basis. The newsletter is available online only. |
The intranet can provide a totally new way to deal with workflow. Memos, sticky notes, and highlighted sections of a paper document all can be replaced using the intranet for work projects.
For traditional groupware, the most important item is the software itself and the information it provides. The file server, print server, fax server, and database server all can operate in a vacuum; if only one person uses it, it doesn't make a difference. But for the intranet, the user is key. Employees must use the technology of the intranet for it to work. It is therefore vital that employees are connected to and can access the intranet and that they are satisfied with their experience. If they are not satisfied, they will not come back, they will not put projects on the intranet to work with other employees, and the intranet will not perform to its potential.
For a project with many facets, an intranet can offer an excellent alternative to changing the workflow lines, provided that the users are properly trained and willing to use the technology. A national organization, for example, wants to create a new membership brochure. The employees involved include the editor, the copy writers, the designer, the printer, the membership and legal departments, the executive director, and the executive committee, who are located throughout the country. Many people who must meet staggered deadlines and who are in different geographical locations perform numerous tasks.
The traditional method of creating a printed brochure might end up with a dozen sticky notes and five people saying the same thing on different copies, or the original might be held up or lost in express mail, left at home, or in the briefcase of an unreachable executive committee member. Additionally, redundant comments, phone calls, overnight mail charges, faxing, re-faxing, and deadline changing are part of the process.
With properly trained users on an intranet, new workflow lines can be implemented. Through e-mail or document management applications, the text can be forwarded to all the people who need to see it. Employees can alter it at any time and create updated versions. If your intranet has good version control, no comments, suggestions, or versions will be lost.
Group scheduling can help the team meet deadlines. If one deadline is missed, instead of a group of fast and furious phone calls to rearrange the rest of the schedule, the team could change a single group calendar instead, like the one shown in Figure 17.8. Because the calendar is in a central location, all users working on the project are aware of changed dates or any alterations.
Train users to stay out of their Rolodexes, calendars, and paper memos and instead use the intranet for improved workflow. The intranet is more cost-efficient, more time-efficient, easier, and takes fewer resources than the traditional manner of working on a project like a membership brochure. This also is the case with most projects completed on an intranet. But again, ensuring that the target audience is using the intranet is the most important aspect of the training.
Another workflow change example is human resources. Inevitably, the HR department continually answers the same questions from different employees. Typically, employees call or visit the HR offices, which can be time-consuming for the HR staff.
Using the intranet, the HR department can post the most commonly
asked questions-for example, what is included in the health care
plan, when the new raises are slated to come through, and what
the options are with the 401K plan. This kind of information might
be posted to a message board. If someone e-mails a new question
to the HR department and it is something in which other employees
are interested, this conversation could be posted and revisited
by other employees in the future, instead of the HR department
continually answering the same questions.
McKeon & Jeffries' intranet primarily was developed to provide information online rather than to assist in workflow. After a few months, however, other uses of the intranet soon became apparent. Users started exchanging files by putting them up on the site and downloading them rather than putting them on a disk and express-mailing them or sending them via regular mail-or even instead of walking them to another floor in the office. By keeping the firm directory and other information resources online, users are encouraged to use the intranet. |
Because of the level of interactivity of the SGAA intranet, over time it fundamentally changed the dynamic of how SGAA worked with its members. Before the intranet, the SGAA reported news and information to its members, typically in
the form of a weekly fax and a monthly newsletter. Now news appears on the site immediately as it happens; also, members are invited to post information that other members might find useful. Additionally, before the intranet the only chance the
members had to communicate with one another was either individually or at the yearly convention. Now members can easily carry on conversations on the message board, update contact information on the contact database, and carry on online meetings, as
well as listen to addresses and conversations of various committees.
Also, the SGAA staff are able to perform their work better. Instead of spending half their time communicating information, they can spend more time creating information and making it accessible to everyone online. The intranet helps everyone be more efficient by allowing the administrative tasks to be handled automatically. |
To the extent possible, user training should be hands-on-with real equipment and a fully functioning intranet site-and conducted in a group setting. Most instructors combine lectures, demonstrations, and practice, and ideally the trainer-trainee ratio should not exceed 1:10. In some cases, users may need training in specific skills (such as HTML markup, using various search engines, and so on), which may be offered either in conjunction with group training or as a further module.
Interactive training sessions provide the opportunity to learn by doing, and a group format helps to underscore the fundamental purpose of the intranet itself-improved collaboration and teamwork. These sessions should encourage discussion and interaction but should be conducted against a basic outline to assure focus. The following is a sample outline. In addition, you should never overlook the "cheerleader" function in intranet training. In other words, trainers should love their work and clearly convey their enthusiasm. Intranets derive their value from their use, which means recruiting and retaining users. For many people (that is, prospective users), training often provides their first direct exposure to a new intranet, and first impressions count.
Training curricula and content should be designed for maximum impact, especially on the front end. In particular, you should closely review content and presentation, not just for clarity but also for excitement. You also should select the trainers not only for their technical skills, but also for their ability to engage and intrigue training participants. In short, intranets need selling to succeed, and training-like every contact with potential users-should be seen as a sales opportunity.
As a practical matter, taking advantage of this opportunity often means involving a range of disciplines in designing and delivering intranet training. In one multinational pharmaceutical company, for example, the product marketing, human resources, strategic planning, and MIS departments joined together to determine the primary components of their intranet training curriculum and enlisted "faculty" from each of their divisions to conduct the program. This approach helped further two of the company's primary intranet objectives-collaboration and information exchange-early in the process. Moreover, it enabled user trainees to see a real commitment to these objectives, in the form of a multidisciplinary training experience.
It's important to sit down and physically show users how to use applications on the computer screen and how to best perform certain functions. As anyone who has tried to call technical support for his or her computer needs knows, learning these skills on the phone or from a manual is very difficult. But after users are shown the first steps, they find that later functions become easier to perform.
To actually set up the group training, your organization should put all the participants in one room and bring in enough computers for each participant. Keeping the numbers low (10 to 12 people) helps users get the time and space they need to learn the new technology of the intranet. More important than the low number is that each participant has his or her own computer. The intranet is interactive technology-the users need to learn using the technology. If training is set up for two people per computer, the one with more technological background tends to dominate or make the other feel inadequate or rushed when it is his or her turn.
A large screen should be set up in front so that the participants can watch as the trainer accesses different applications. Aside from the instructor, a person with a technological background should be on hand to wander through the room and help people one-on-one because, as the trainer goes through the different information, some people may go ahead, and others may lag behind.
Training should be as interactive as possible. The trainer may want to put up a calendar and have each participant put up his or her birthday, his or her next two meetings, or his or her anniversary with the organization. This way, the site has instant content, and the participants can see something they helped create, which also helps them feel more comfortable with the technology.
The trainer should walk through a whole task or project with the group. They could do a sample project, for example, using the membership brochure. The trainer could assign various roles to the participants and have them work through creating a brochure. Reminding them to keep it simple with "normal" roles, they could act as a CEO, a copy writer, a lawyer, and a designer.
In training, people need to learn about the functions of the intranet in terms of actual everyday work that they do so that they will further understand how the intranet can help them and why it is important for them to learn and use it.
Content should already be on the site before the training begins. Participants shouldn't view the intranet as an empty shoe box to put things in and then store under their bed, but rather they should view it as a useful resource they can add to instead of building from scratch. The site may include reference materials, an employee directory, old press releases, the employee handbook, and officer biographies-information that all your users would want or need to use. Participants should see the information and recognize its relevance to the organization or company. They should be able to glimpse the information but not go through it all.
The trainer also should have handouts prepared. They might include
a list of frequently asked questions, information on how the site
is arranged, directions on how to navigate through a project,
a user manual, or troubleshooting information.
McKeon & Jeffries handled group training in an organized and systematic way. The system administrator simply borrowed laptops from several of the partners and placed them in a conference room, attached to the network. She also rented a large monitor to use for display purposes. Then, to eight at a time, she demonstrated the intranet and showed all the users how to access information, use the browser, send e-mail, and exchange files. She presented a handout to help users refer to specific areas of training. The system administrator also trained the staffs of the other two offices. |
Because of the geographical diversity of SGAA members, the group training for users was done at the annual convention. Users from each of the member companies were invited to the conference and assigned to a training session. The
expense of renting computers and setting up an Internet connection for the conference was prohibitive, so the SGAA staff did the training as a slide presentation. The process of showing a screenshot and describing the function was not quite as
effective as hands-on training, but users became familiar with the interface.
A user manual was distributed to users at this point so that users would have a reference guide to use in the future. It also was a way for users to take notes at the presentation on the screenshots in the manual. |
One of the uses of an intranet is training users. You can use it to provide continuing education for a CPA, to train someone on how to create a contract, or simply to train people how to perform certain functions within an organization. Message boards, for example, are useful for questions and answers about new technology, how it works, and how it can work, as shown in Figure 17.9. Although an organization is developing a new product, it could have a message board available to the users for online training about the product.
Figure 17.9: A message board facilitates a question-and-answer discussion.
If the intranet has video online conferencing, you could use it to show users how to perform certain functions-such as filling out a check request or using a new phone system-or provide front-line customer service training.
The trainer also could take screenshots of certain application functions and show them on the Web during an online presentation to show how a function works, the steps taken to perform the function, and what the screen would look like as those steps were completed. These shots would traditionally be the same ones used on an overhead projector during a traditional training session.
Verbal instructions might accompany a screenshot presentation
for users. With a RealAudio server, for example, you can show
the screenshots of the images, and with each click of the new
shot, the sound with the explanation can come through, providing
an audio and visual presentation.
M&J uses its intranet to provide training, not just intranet training, but for continuing education testing on its employees. Using simple HTML pages and forms, screenshot images, and simple CGI scripts, the accounting firm uses the intranet not only to test, but also to track scores. |
The SGAA schedules online video conferences monthly to train members on how to use new functions and to offer assistance on existing functions. Because all the members have varying levels of computer and intranet experience, the membership department solicits training requests, and one week before the scheduled training sessions, the membership department determines what areas of the intranet the members are most interested in learning about. Some months, the responses are overwhelmingly for basic intranet instruction; at other times, the requests are overwhelmingly for higher-level training in areas such as contact databases or Telnet. |
The success of your intranet depends on the users. They must be adequately trained on how to connect and access the intranet, why they should use it, and how it can help them. Trainers need to look at this new technology from the users' desks to help facilitate the transition to full usage of the intranet. Your organization may have to end "traditional" manners of communication to force users to get online.
Your organization must reach the users online and keep them online. The best training is the training users do themselves, and the only way they are going to do it is if they are properly trained in the beginning and if they deem worthwhile the content posted on the intranet.