The User Learning Needs Analysis (LNA)
The user LNA is an even more detailed activity than the project team LNA. As it is an analysis of all business users, this could be thousands of people in your organization.
As we have already learned in the first course, the user LNA comprises a total of six different steps:
A user LNA is essential during an SAP implementation project. Enablement must be specific to the users’ day-to-day roles and focus on the use of their SAP solution and the business rules associated with it.
Completion of an LNA for all relevant business user communities brings many benefits. Watch the video to learn more about the benefits of an LNA:
By conducting an LNA of the organization's users during an SAP implementation project, enablement leads can design a system and enablement programs that are truly tailored to users' needs.
This approach, in turn, leads to greater adoption and more effective and efficient use of the system after implementation.
Research Project
The first part of the user LNA is to fully understand the system solutions, the project methodology and business processes being implemented.
The enablement lead should review all available project documentation, for example:
- The project methodology, for example Activate, Agile, Waterfall and so on
- The SAP Activate roadmap and Cloud ALM
- End-to-end business process documentation: business process master list, business process procedures, process flows
- Solution overview documents, for example, what systems, modules, legacy systems are being implemented
- Design documents
- Test Scenarios (if available) from the testing workstream
- Change impact analysis documentation from the organizational change management workstream
- Any other documentation that is available from key stakeholders in the project,
It is essential that key stakeholders are engaged in the process of devising the course list:
- for all delivery methods (face-to-face instructor-led, virtual classes, eLearning or in-application help, and videos)
- enablement content plan
- the courses for each business user group (listing all the blended learning content available for each business end user group)
Identify Learning Needs
Listed below are the critical questions answered in the LNA:
- Who are the learners?
- What do learners need to learn?
- How do business users need to learn? In today’s world, this is through blended delivery
- What enablement content should be developed?
- Who are the resources needed to develop enablement materials and deliver enablement courses?
Identifying and involving key stakeholders in the early stages of a user LNA is critical to its success.
These stakeholders provide insights into the needs of their respective teams and departments. Ensuring that the LNA is comprehensive and addresses the different business user needs that exist in each area of the organization.
Therefore, during the explore phase, consider the following key stakeholders in your LNA workshops:
Depending on the project, other stakeholders may be involved and may vary from project to project. As the enablement lead, you must think ahead about who can provide you with the information during the LNA.
During the LNA workshops, an enablement lead plays a critical role in facilitating discussions, setting clear expectations, and gathering pertinent information from stakeholders. It's a crucial part of the SAP implementation project and contribute significantly to successful adoption of new systems.
A critical approach before these workshops is that you ask precise and focused questions to bring out the relevant information required to analyse learning needs effectively.
This direct interviewing not only allows stakeholders to voice their insights and concerns, but also aligns everyone's understanding of the learning objectives necessary for the project's success.
Look at the following conversation between Grace, the enablement lead and the functional workstream leads introducing the learning needs analysis.
These conversations lay the groundwork of the LNA process to facilitate a more structured and productive approach to the LNA, ensuring that the enablement lead gets the most value from the LNA workshops.