It is important that the enablement strategy is clear and documented in detail. As enablement lead, the enablement strategy will serve as your reference point for all the activities you need to undertake and the objectives you need to meet. The enablement strategy also gives a clear direction to the wider project to understand how enablement will "work" and for the business to appreciate how their people will be enabled to learn going forward.
Creating the Enablement Strategy
In the following video, Grace, the enablement lead, explains how to work through the enablement strategy template, to fully document the 4S Project enablement approach.
Review the following section. How would you complete this section if you were Grace?
| Role | Responsibilities |
|---|---|
| Enablement Lead | Reports to |
| · | |
| · | |
| · |
How did you do?
Compare what Grace has completed to your version in the exercise. Did you note similar responsibilities? Were there any that you didn’t consider?
| Role | Responsibilities |
|---|---|
| Enablement Lead | · Reports to the 4S project managers |
| · Documents the 4S Project enablement strategy | |
| · Performs the learning needs analysis for project team and users that aligns to 4S Project vision and goals | |
| · Daily management, mentoring and knowledge transfer to the enablement team | |
| · Ensures all learning and enablement activities align with 4S Project dependencies/timelines, to agreed quality standards | |
| · Provides status reports and risk and issue reports (with mitigating actions) to the 4S Project business and program stakeholders |
Download the Enablement Strategy
Here is an enablement strategy template for your use, to adapt as required: Enablement Strategy Template
Select the Example_4S enablement strategyto see the enablement strategy document that Grace has created based on the template. Please read and review it.
Take time to document any gaps in the enablement strategy!
As you have seen in the enablement strategy document, Grace has outlined several open topics, risks and issues that she identified through the enablement strategy process. Has she highlighted subjects that you have not considered?
This helps you, as enablement lead, not to forget the gaps that need to be addressed. Also, when gaps and issues are documented in the enablement strategy, it helps to open conversations with the project team and business. The project team must understand the extensive requirements of the enablement team, plus any additional resources and budget needed. As enablement lead, being explicitly clear on what is needed (and outlining the repercussions of not having what is needed!) is paramount. Use the enablement strategy to formulate the clear enablement path, requirements and communicate it clearly to the project and the business.
Note
The enablement strategy is a lengthy document. Adding some visual aspects helps to break up the text. It is a good idea to create a high-level slide deck alongside the enablement strategy document. You can use the slide deck to extract visual elements to add into the enablement strategy document. This slide deck can then be used as a stand-alone document to share with senior stakeholders, who do not have the time or inclination, to read the detailed enablement strategy document.
Here is an example of the summary slide deck Grace has created to present to her key stakeholders: Example 4S enablement strategy slides