A good idea is about ten percent implementation, hard work and luck is 90 percent – Guy Kawasaki
Having a well- considered plan and one that is implemented effectively will go a long way towards the success of your strategy; we recommend that your plan is written to include these 5 key areas:
- Understanding the aims of the organisation
- Starting to consider the solutions
- Planning for the unplannable
- What does successful implementation look like – from many points of view
- Prioritising, backward planning and reviewing progress
Have a read of our previous blog ‘The 5 Keys to Successful Learning and Development Planning’ to read more about these steps.
OK so let’s assume the planning has been undertaken, all five areas have been considered, challenged and documented and you have a plan; it’s ready to start implementation, but what are the keys to successful implementation of your L&D strategy?
Resources
Using available resources is key to a successful implementation. Within an organisation there will be a range of departments, skills and knowledge available to you. Recognising what resources you can draw on will minimise problems and hiccups throughout the implementation.
Don’t stop at the people within the organisation, your team or even your colleague; look further afield within your external network (similar companies, head office, collaborating opportunities) and your peers who many have valuable input into the plan and their support is vital. Your role isn’t to do everything but act as the leader overseeing what is happening.
Delegating
Being able to delegate is essential – you need to be able to trust individuals to be responsible for aspects of the plan. There will be people within the organisation who are qualified, experienced, and available and understand what is required and can be left to implement aspects of the plan. A volunteer who recognises themselves in an area of work is ideal but delegate is a must if no one comes forward.
Outsourcing
There may be elements of the plan that can only be executed by specialists; not within your organisation. Sourcing of those is a crucial element to the success of your plan. Seek to learn about past experiences, past successes, ways of working and if they are the right fit for your organisation. Make sure you speak with the actual person that is carrying out the work as they will be a key cog in your team.
Automate
What can you set in place that will achieve the result and can actually move forward with little or no individual input? This may be then extended to continue to achieve results after implementation. Such as analysis and results of achievements. Further fine tuning and feeding into the strategy as a whole.
Buy-in
Implementing a plan needs a commitment from all concerned – not just the implementation team. Senior management who support the work and recognise the work required to achieve the outcomes should ensure a greater chance of success. You will never get everyone on side and routing for you but those key influencers will have a great deal of impact from their level. Focussing on this level within an organisation is key.
Obstacles
This is why we must engage with senior management – they can set the agenda, dictate the pace and influence both informally or formally. If they are not doing these things; the results can be disastrous. Coming down the organisation chart the heads of department also have influence on their departments’ role in the implementation. These relationships need to be good – keeping them up to date and requiring their input allows them to identify with the plan and move it forward in a timely manner.
People are only the tip of the iceberg when implementing a plan. There is always a downside and these obstacles/blockers/pitfalls need to be considered – risk assess them all. Consider technology, budgets, resources and timescales. Do the timescales involved throw up any issues; such as holiday periods, seasonal issues or shutdowns of suppliers?
Communication
Telling everyone about the plan, the progress, the outcome, and the results – keeping people involved up to date as the plan is put into action. L&D should embrace working with marketing and communications on a regular basis. Sharing of the plan, projects and tasks effectively and allowing them to input ideas of where they can help should be explored and used to the benefit of the plan at all times.
Make sure the plan includes communication on all levels, in different media and across all departments and partners.
The above points provide you with a high level overview of the stages we believe useful for implementing your plan. If you need assistance in any stage of your strategy then let us know, we have experienced learning and development consultants who will be able to help you.
Read more about you can successfully sustain this plan.
To chat further about your planning please do get in touch, call 0845 519 7408 or email info@optimuslearningservices.com
