Upfront planning efforts will pay huge dividends at the end of the project and increase the likelihood of the training program being a success.
By Nancy A. Bigley, CFE

It’s a typical sunny Friday afternoon in Southern California and the shipment of new training manuals has just arrived for the franchisee training class on Monday morning.  As the first box is opened, the recipient takes a deep breath realizing the eight-month project has finally come to a conclusion. As he exhales, one of his “helpful” co-workers flips open a manual and kindly points out that Chapter Three contains obsolete data. “Excuse me?”  Apparently, the company changed equipment partners after Chapter Three was finalized four months ago so all the guidelines that were created are now outdated.  Oops, I guess someone forgot to send him the memo.

Sound familiar?  Many companies decide to transition to an online training program after going through similar experiences and realizing that their information continues to change more rapidly than they can keep up with it.  This is certainly a valid reason to consider shifting strategies.  However, it is important to carefully consider what impact this change will really mean to both the organization as well as to the franchisee community.  Franchisors may be prepared for the shift in training platforms, but are the franchisees equally prepared?  If both parties are not on board, the franchise risks having a great program conclude with undesirable results.

As consideration of online training has begun as a serious option for the company, take some time to consider the scope of what this change will really mean to the organization.  Warning, one may experience dizziness and even nausea trying to connect all the dots.  Don’t worry, these feelings are perfectly normal and will begin to pass as one becomes more prepared for the adventure.  Try to organize thoughts by focusing on a few main points that are relevant to the early stages of planning.  

Franchisor Needs Assessment
Prepare a company needs’ assessment to ensure there is a full understanding of the franchisor’s requirements and expectations as it relates to the online training program. 

Expected Outcome
Identify why the organization wants to develop an online training program and what the expected outcome is.  This is often a question one assumes the entire organization is aligned.  However, as a number of people within the organization are asked that question, one will be surprised by the variety of answers.  Ensure everyone becomes aligned.

Additionally, understand whether the online training courses will act as a supplement to the current training program or if you anticipate that it will replace your existing face-to-face courses, or both? Is the goal to reduce costs to the corporation or perhaps reduce internal resources?  Does offering additional courses to franchisees and their crew 24/7 create greater opportunities for learning at the store or office level? 

Perhaps it’s a little of all of the above or something totally different.  Regardless, having a clear understanding of what the organization wants to accomplish will help guide the program’s design and development.  Get specific about what success looks like and how it will be measured.

Content
What specific, take-away learning should franchisees or other users get from the online courses?  More importantly, is the content to be placed online conducive to online learning?  Keep in mind not everything can or should be taught virtually. 

Additionally, how much content does the firm want to place online at once?  The tendency is to want to put everything into an online training environment at one time.  A better strategy may be to do this in phases so it is not so overwhelming for the organization and the user.  Perhaps starting with the most straightforward material is wise as the organization evaluates how the user responds.

Be mindful of how the learning experience can be enhanced while at the same time bringing more value to franchisees with the online program.  Finally, build in a process to measure the users’ learning as they complete the training courses to ensure standards remain high.

Development and Testing
To begin to formulate the structure of the online project, the company will need to decide whether it will build the system inhouse or hire an outside partner.  This decision ranks as one of the most important to the success of the project.  Obtain multiple perspectives at this stage so that the final decision is the best one for the organization.  If using an outside partner, the more information that can be provided about the requirements and vision, the better the outcome will be.

Next and equally as important is who, internally, will lead the project and how will she involve key departments in the development and testing phase?  When selecting the team, ensure that franchisees are included.  They will be a valuable asset to the team and keep the users’ perspective in mind throughout all phases of development.  They will also serve an important role once new program is launched to the franchisee community. 

Execution
Once the new system is created, how and when will the franchise roll it out and communicate it to franchisees?  Consider carefully the timing of the project’s roll out.  For example, if franchisees have a seasonal business, it is probably best to launch several months prior to or right after that seasonality bubble.  The timing of the rollout will affect the timing of the project start date so it’s important to consider up front.

Next, how will the organization train franchisees and key staff to use the new system once it’s completed?  The interface design should be extremely intuitive, but some initial training will likely be necessary for maximum impact and usage.

Franchisee Needs Assessment
A complete analysis of the users and their needs is also a good idea.  Often, franchisors do a company assessment, but fail to do a complete franchisee assessment, leading to poor execution and high frustration.

User Profile
Be clear on who the audience is.  Will the online program be for franchisees, managers or their teenage crews…or perhaps all of the above?  What is the computer skill set of the user?  Are they computer-savvy or do they struggle to use a mouse?  These answers will be key elements as the firm begins to design the training interface.

Learning Environment
Think through the design elements to be considered and whether the franchisees or other users will be utilizing the online courses.  Will they be in a classroom, a noisy office or perhaps a busy restaurant? The environment they train in and how much time they will be able to dedicate to the training will greatly affect their ability to learn. Therefore, this assessment is critical to consider while designing the program. 

Technology Needs
What technology will franchisees need to access to run the online training courses?  Will the requirements involve technology already in the franchise operations or will it require franchisees to upgrade their systems (hardware, software, broadband)?  Perhaps it may involve them buying new technology.  If an investment will be necessary, what will those costs look like and will that be a barrier to the rollout?

Perceived Value
Whenever a franchisor launches a new product or program, franchisees will ask the critical question, “What’s in it for me?”  How will franchisees derive value from the online program?  Will it save them traveling costs to the training center?  Will they be able to train faster and with higher quality? Will they have the ability to bring crew online and produce money for the business more rapidly? Identify the value upfront and ensure it is measurable, sustainable and communicated in the rollout package.   If the project doesn’t add value, perhaps it is not the right time to launch it.

Resource Assessment
Finally, identify the costs, technical needs and resources that will be required by the organization for the online training program. 

Budget
Costs for the initial project development and design can quickly soar out of control, especially when added onto the ancillary costs that may be involved.  A technology and resource assessment will help determine what the immediate and future needs are likely to be.  Additionally, if regular updates will be required for the courses, those design and possible maintenance fees will need to be factored into the long-term budget.  Finally, who will pay for the technology development?  Will franchisees be charged for access to help offset the costs or will it all be absorbed by the franchisor?

Technology
When performing your technology assessment, identify what the minimum technology system requirements are for the program. Will the new technology work with existing organization technology or will additional upgrades or purchases be required?  Can the system expand with the needs of the organization or is it limited in its capacity?  If using a third-party partner, what happens to your content should you decide to end the relationship?  Do you get to keep the content or is it lost and you have to start from the beginning?

Human Capital
Finally, what amount of staff time will be necessary for this project?  Can the organization manage with existing staff or will it require the hiring of new people? Who will actually be accountable for the project (training, operations, IT)?  How will users work cross-functionally to ensure all departments are involved in the project including franchisees?  How long will it take to develop the program and how will that affect staffing resources? 

If the franchise system can organize the output from the above assessments, it will be well on the way to making sound judgments regarding the new online training program.  If your head is spinning even faster, take a deep breath and tackle one section at a time.  Upfront planning efforts will pay huge dividends at the end of the project and increase the likelihood of the training program being a success.   

Nancy A. Bigley, CFE, is director of franchise services for Dunkin’ Brands Inc.  She can be reached at nancy.bigley@dunkinbrands.com. To discuss this topic further, visit the International
Franchise Association’s Technology Forum at www.franchise.org/techforum.