The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/21494
After an application specialist integrates this knowledge and fully vets the product, it is helpful to conduct a boot camp (pilot program) for a selected set of staff and attorneys who represent a cross-section of skill sets. This is a valuable exercise for three reasons: • The experience/outcome will allow IT to further improve the software; • Trainers will have the ability to develop user-sensitive courseware; and not just using vendors’ rote offerings, but truly interrogating vendors on their experiences with other client deployments of their products. It only benefits the vendors to proactively participate in the long-term health of their applications in your environment by contributing curriculum and strategies to encourage adoption. Vendors want firms to be long-term clients, and in this economy, they’re willing to go the extra mile to make that happen. Questions and considerations to discuss with a vendor prior to purchasing a new solution include the following: “Once the smoke has cleared, you maintain peace by adapting the same boots-on-the-ground strategy employed during the deployment along with defining a software owner — the product manager.” • It will create positive buzz if the application is a hit. Note: The reverse also will be true if the product is not tested within an inch of its life. In other words, if the pilot group shoots down the product and/or the product customizations, the buzz kill may throw a boulder in the path to firm buy-in. DETERMINE THE ARTILLERY AND MUNITIONS “Training and education are two different things. Training gives you a skill set to perform a specific task. Education provides you with academic theory for problem- solving issues.” — Master Sgt. Juan Lopez, USMC Deploy best practices in instructional design. The “my way or the highway” training method has gone the way of the musket. Instructional design is a holistic approach to teaching, an education that incorporates student history, student needs and the firm’s goals, bundled with a behavioral-based methodology. Although this is an overly simplistic explanation, if your training department is unfamiliar with basic instructional design tenets, or routinely provides cookie-cutter classes, then it is probably best to encourage your trainers to expand their horizons. Join training groups to see how others approach the same issues. Another option is to tap into vendor experience. Bring in Special Forces. To expand their horizons, your trainers may want to avail themselves of a vendor’s expertise; 76 www.iltanet.org Peer to Peer • Does the vendor have a train-the-trainer or trainer certification program? Firms should have two or three on-site “experts.” Experts can include a member of the in-house training department and application/helpdesk support. All of these firm-identified experts should attend the certification sessions. • What kind of training will be available for the firm? Does the vendor understand the difference between attorney needs and staff needs? Are those differing needs addressed in their curriculum? Do the vendors have CLE certification for your state? Do the vendor’s training options accommodate users’ diverse learning styles? • Will the vendor provide Quick Reference Guides (QRGs) customized for your environment? Software companies always have a set of QRGs for clients. Unfortunately, one-size-fits-all QRGs can be more confusing than helpful, especially when other applications and firm policies are thrown into the mix. If a vendor offers up their QRGs, review them carefully to make sure the content is aligned with your environment. If not, ask them to adapt the QRGs for your firm. • Does the vendor provide ongoing maintenance training via SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model)- compliant e-learning modules? SCORM-compliant e-learning modules will work with any existing learning management system. Are the e-learning modules updated, as necessary, for each new release?