:: Strategic Training ::

The Strategic Training Assessment (STA) baselines the current state of learning and development programs across the enterprise and drives toward updating programs and processes to create greater efficiency, higher quality, and lower costs. In many cases, the savings identified through the STA process are in the 10 to 30 percent range of current operating budgets. More significant than cost savings, however, is the value organizations gain through the evaluation and re-alignment of current programs and practices.

Through the process, the learning and development organization evolves with a renewed focus on delivering improved business results. Emphasis is focused on helping the learning operations group categorize activities as strategic or tactical, and then, explores options for increasing its role to proactively work with business units to reduce time constraints on delivery caused by non-strategic tactical work.

The STA equips Learning and development executives with a plan designed to elevate the visibility of organizational learning, with a business case to support program changes. Details of the phases in the Strategic Training Assessment are described below:

Phase	Objective	Deliverable
Project Kick-off	Build a dedicated project team committed to success and a clear plan of action.	Project Plan
Current Program Analysis	Develop a detailed understanding and model of the current state of Learning and Development at the client company.	Current State Analysis
Desired Future State Modelling	Develop detailed model of Desired Future State based on findings during current state analysis	Future State Model and Framework
Gap Analysis	Conduct gap analysis	Gap Report Between Current State and Desired Future State Executive Presentations
Plan To Close Gaps	Define activities required to close gaps	Plan with Optional Paths for Moving from Current State to desired Future State Executive Presentations
Business Case	Determine costs and benefits of moving from current state to desired future state.	Business Case Executive Presentation

Shared Services

In many cases, the STA identifies how organizations can leverage shared services.

Shared services optimize the benefits of centralization and decentralization to:

	Significantly reduce program costs by streamlining purchasing, reducing tactical work and eliminating program redundancies
	Provide tighter alignment between learning programs and business needs to increase learning's value, and ultimately, the ROI on investments in people
	Improve response time to business needs with performance interventions that can increase sales, reduce errors and improve customer satisfaction