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Case 1: Deloitte Consulting
Company Facts and Figures
Industry: Professional Services
Scope of Services and Products: Management consulting services
Estimated Number of Employees: 20,000
Year e-Learning Introduced: 1996
Offices and Locations: 34 countries
Estimated 2002 Revenues: US$3.5 billion
Web Site: www.dc.com
Number of e-Learning Programs in Entire Curriculum: 3000+
Introduction
Deloitte Consulting, as a global management consulting firm, relies on the knowledge and experience of their people to deliver value to their clients. Companies hire consultants because they need access to specific knowledge, ideas, and best practices. Therefore, keeping their consultants ahead of the knowledge curve is not just a strategic business objective—it is a strategic business imperative.Deloitte Consulting has more than 20,000 professionals in 34 countries. Given their global scope and size, highly mobile audience, and need for rapid deployment, Deloitte Consulting uses e-learning to help meet their learners’ needs. Deloitte Consulting’s overall e-learning strategy integrates custom content development, partnering with leading content providers, live e-learning, and an enterprise-wide learning management system.One example is Deloitte Consulting’s SAP e-Learning Program about SAP AG’s new product suite, mySAP.business suite. The mySAP.business suite is an e-business platform that contains a family of e-business solutions, services, and technologies that companies use to manage their entire value chain across business networks. Deloitte Consulting offers consulting services to its clients on the mySAP.business suite platform and products through a core technology practice area including more than 5,000 practitioners. With the release of SAP’s extended enterprise product suite, Deloitte Consulting needed to bring practitioners up-to-speed and provide strategic business information regarding the Deloitte Consulting practice area—fast.
Why e-Learning?
Deloitte Consulting selected an e-learning approach because they needed to:
Deliver 10 to 14 hours of learning to 5,000 mobile learners worldwide in less than six months
Rapidly deploy the learning content as time-to-competency/market was a critical requirement
Minimize the time needed for the training to reduce the time away from clients
Provide a continuous learning environment that includes periodic updates to content
To meet the unique learning needs, the program combined vital Deloitte Consulting specific content related to the firm’s vision and strategy for Deloitte Consulting’s SAP consulting practice area with the key information about SAP’s new strategies, markets, and products (see Figure 14-1).
Figure 14-1: Overview of Deloitte Consulting’s SAP e-Learning Program
How Was the Program Aligned with the Business?
Deloitte Consulting developed the SAP e-Learning Program to support one of its strategic business objectives in their core technology consulting arena:
Be a worldwide leader in SAP implementation and new SAP solutions
Providing learning for its consultants is a principal tool in supporting this strategy. The decision to develop the program was initiated by the top global executives in Deloitte Consulting’s technology practice. They identified the learning need and worked with the learning organization to develop the program concept.The drivers and objectives led to an e-learning program design that encompasses three levels of learning packaged within a flexible structure with variable content paths.
Key Business Drivers
Rapidly tool and retool practitioners who were highly skilled with prior SAP product sets with the skills and knowledge needed to implement and consult on the new platform to bring value to clients–including an overview of the product suite as well as detailed learning on areas of specialization
Educate practitioners about SAP’s strategies, vision, and market positioning
Build awareness of, and focus on, the Deloitte Consulting practice vision and related strategies
How Was the Program Designed?
The SAP e-Learning Program is a Web-based, self-study program. It combines custom developed content specific to Deloitte Consulting with standard learning modules developed by SAP AG for use by their clients and partners to learn about the technical platform and specific solutions within the mySAP.business suite product.
Program Structure—Three Levels of Learning
The program contains three learning levels. Level 1 (see Figure 14-2) focuses on the Deloitte Consulting Practice Vision and Strategy and contains:
Figure 14-2: Interface for Deloitte Consulting’s SAP e-Learning Program
An introduction to the e-learning program
An update on Deloitte Consulting’s related practice vision and strategy
A discussion of the business strategies from each global region’s perspective (Americas,
Europe, and Asia-Pacific-Africa)
Key related messages from the firm’s top executives including the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), global technology practice leaders, and the Chief Learning Officer (CLO)
Media and Tools
Content was custom developed in
Macromedia Flash 5.0
A game called IES Quest developed in
Macromedia Flash and was a fun approach for reinforcing the learning objectives for Level 1.
Multiple media types are used to present information and media types were selected based on the source of the information and the potential level of maintenance required for the content type. Included are:
Videos
Audio clips
Macromedia Flash screens
PDF files
Links to Web sites
Assessments were developed in Saba Publisher to measure learning achievements and to act as the completion milestone for each level of the program.
Licensed standard content from SAP on the product technology was used in an e-learning format as a recorded session presented through InterWise, a distance learning tool.
Level 2 provides an overview of the entire mySAP.business suite product including the technology platform and SAP’s product strategies. The SAP product suite is an enterprise-wide and extended-enterprise solution. Previous versions contained function-specific applications, and practitioners generally specialized in a product area within the overall platform. The new platform, mySAP.business suite, while continuing to provide function-specific areas, is more highly integrated and collaborative. Practitioners now needed to expand the scope and depth of their knowledge on the platform overall. This was one of the key learning objectives of Level 2 of the e-learning program. Level 2 contains:
A definition of mySAP.business suite, an overview of the product suite, and its position in the market
An introduction to SAP’s policies and the drivers behind the product strategy
An overview of the product’s technical infrastructure
Perspectives from Deloitte Consulting leaders on the product and underlying technologiesLevel 3 contains the Solution Overviews organized as eight learning modules, one for each component in the mySAP.business suite product suite. Learners select the modules for their specialization from the eight areas covered. They are also encouraged to explore other modules to expand their mySAP.business suite solution knowledge base.The content in this level continues the combined perspectives, including Deloitte Consulting- specific content and standard learning content from SAP. In addition, there are links to key external content and Web sites, such as industry analysts, and also links to related supporting materials, such as articles, white papers, and presentations.The content in the Level 3 modules is presented in such a way that the learner can select their own path. The interface points out the required components and describes the optional content with context on how it may apply.
Distributed Development Process—Saving Costs and Time
The development team for this project included:
1.0 project manager
2.5 instructional designers
3.0 developers
0.5 other roles such as technology infrastructure designers
One business approach that the development team used to maximize resources, reduce development costs, and strategically deploy development expertise within the project team was to use contract resources to build a portion of the course.The contract resources had technical expertise in the tools used on the project including the Macromedia suite, graphics tools, and related programming tools. The contractor’s significantly lower costs per hour for development allowed the project team to deploy internal technical resources to lead the high level design and use the contracted resources for the time intensive development tasks. With a difference of between 60-80% cost savings per hour, the team was able to shorten the development timeline and reduce costs overall.
Figure 14-3: Resources and Time for Deloitte Consulting’s Development Process of the SAP e-Learning Program
How Was the Program Deployed?
Deloitte Consulting deployed the SAP e-Learning Program online through its firm-wide learning portal. The backbone of the learning portal, called the Learning Channel, is the Saba learning management system.Deloitte Consulting uses a tool they developed called Learning Pathways (see Figure 14-4), accessible through the learning management system, to illustrate curricula and provide guidance on recommended learning within their overall catalog of courses. They packaged all modules of the SAP e-Learning Program in a Learning Pathway to demonstrate how to progress through the three program levels, including Level 3 which has a variable path depending on the learner’s specialization.
Figure 14-4: Learning Pathways
Learners use the SAP e-Learning Program Pathway to access and launch the modules, and to track their completion status. This mechanism also provides a structure for management reporting.
Learner Requirements and Management Reporting
For the SAP e-Learning Program, the primary learners must complete all three levels of the program and the secondary learners must complete Levels 1 and 2 of the program within a six- month period. To reinforce the learning requirement and to monitor progress, a weekly summary report is generated through the learning management system to identify the number of learners who have:
Completed each program level (Levels 1, 2, and 3)
Completed the entire program
Started the program
Deloitte Consulting’s learning leadership monitors the participation and results through the management reports. In addition, the top leaders in the technology consulting practice area also review the reports and actively monitor the progress against the completion goals on a weekly basis. This level of leadership commitment in managing the results reinforces the expectations of the learners and demonstrates the strategic importance of the program.Another motivator that Deloitte Consulting implemented is the policy that learners cannot attend SAP classroom learning until they complete the SAP e-Learning Program. This provides an incentive to complete the program for learners who need to drill-down to additional levels of detail on mySAP.business suite and also better prepares the learners for the next level of training.
Communications—Launching the Program
To launch the program, a detailed communication plan was developed that included multiple levels and types of communications. The first level of communication prepared the global learning organization and the global technology consulting practice with the information they needed to support the program implementation and launch. This included communicating the program structure, purpose, objectives, approach, and requirements. A variety of materials were also prepared to launch and market the program with the learners.
"I found the SAP e-Learning Program extremely helpful in getting me prepared and giving me the background for the… [classroom course]. Having more programs that "copy" the SAP e- Learning Program structure will benefit staff at, I believe, a relatively low cost to the firm."
Marketing Approach
Program launch presentation at every local office
Global leadership e-mails direct to learners explaining the requirements and purpose
Announcements on the Firm’s intranet portal front page
Regional leadership e-mails direct to learners offering regional perspective on requirements
Posters in all 34 local offices promoting program
Established "grass roots" champions at the local level to monitor participation and encourage participation through positive peer motivation
What Was the Business Impact of the Program?
Although Deloitte Consulting is only partially through the targeted lifecycle of the SAP e- Learning Program, the business impacts of the program from both the learner perspective and firm leadership perspective can begin to be identified through the comments and feedback received so far.
Learner Perspective
The SAP e-Learning Program includes an evaluation to capture the feedback from the learners regarding their experience with the course and the relevancy of the content in the course to their jobs.
In considering the statement, “This course will help me do my job,” 81 percent indicated that the course will help on the job (see Figure 14-5).
Figure 14-5: Learner Responses—Help Do Job
In considering the statement, “My learning objectives for the course were met,” a total of 89 percent indicated that their objectives were met (see Figure 14-6).
Figure 14-6: Learner Responses—Objectives Met
In addition, comments submitted through the evaluation and other channels highlight the learner’s perceptions related to the impact of the course. Some of the impacts highlighted are that the course:
Provides an efficient method for keeping up to speed in a rapidly changing landscape
Helps differentiate Deloitte Consulting from its competitors
Better prepares learners who are planning additional classroom training, thus maximizing the investment in the subsequent classroom experience
Learner Perspectives
81 percent indicated that the course will help them with their job.
89 percent indicated that their learning objectives were met.
"… [This program] differentiates us from our competitors…"
"…extremely helpful in getting me prepared and giving me the background for the [classroom course]."
Firm Leadership Perspective
As stated, the program is still early in its lifecycle. However, some of the currently identifiable impacts from the leadership perspective at this point include:
The course was developed and deployed to more than 5,000 learners in 3countries.The process for developing and deploying the program as e-learning extended the learning opportunity to a much larger group than could have been trained through a classroom approach from a cost, time, and logistical perspective. In addition, the learn- ers were exposed to a broad set of content, including the customized Deloitte Consulting content. The estimated cost savings in using this approach are projected to be approximately 70 percent.
Investing in the development and deployment of this program demonstrated commitment and investment by Deloitte Consulting in the professional development of its people. This is important to the firm for knowledge building in this core consulting area and is a particularly important aspect in attracting and retaining highly talented consultants.
Deloitte Consulting’s SAP consulting practice is high- ly rated by external evaluators of the consulting industry, including Gartner, Inc. In addition, in 2002, SAP AG confirmed Deloitte Consulting as a Partner at the highest level of accreditation in all countries around the world. Although these achievements cannot be directly attributed to the impact of the SAP e-Learning Program, it is clear in this case that learning, and specifically programs like the SAP e-Learning Program, is an invaluable tool in pursuing the stated business strategies.
One learner summarized the impact of the program by saying:
"I think that initiatives like this help us to differentiate ourselves from our competitors.The speed of change within the SAP landscape should require us to repeat this sort of update on a yearly basis. The way of e-learning proves to be a good addition to classroom learning to me…"
Summary
Purpose: To provide a self-study e-learning opportunity for Deloitte Consulting technology consultants to learn about the:
New mySAP.business suite platform and products
SAP strategies and markets
Deloitte Consulting practice strategies and vision for the related consulting practice
Program Structure: 10 e-learning modules grouped into three learning levels:
Level 1: Practice Vision and Strategy
Level 2: Product Overview
Level 3: Solution Overviews (eight modules)
Also Included are custom-developed modules and vendor modules and materials.Number of Learning Hours per Learner: 10 to 14Total Number of Hours of Learning in the Program: 45Number of Learners:
2,500 primary users world-wide
2,500 secondary users world-wide
Completion Requirements:
Primary learners are required to complete all three levels of the program in six months (for Level 3, based on their specialization, learners choose at least one of the eight modules)
Secondary users are recommended to complete Levels 1 and 2
Media Used: The program includes these media types:
Custom developed interface and content in Macromedia Flash 5.0
Recorded Interwise courses purchased from vendor
Video and audio clips
Adobe Acrobat files
PowerPoint files
Assessments created in Saba Publisher
Deployment Mechanism: Deployed online through the Firm’s learning portal, which is based on the Saba learning management system for registration, course access, and tracking. Marketing approaches included:
Program Launch presentation at every local office
E-mails direct to learners and regional leadership
Announcements on the Firm’s Intranet
Posters in all 34 local offices promoting the program
"Grass roots" champions
Lessons Learned
To participate in the program, learners navigated to Deloitte Consulting’s Learning Channel and selected the SAP e-Learning Program Pathways. The team indicated that it would have been helpful to automatically register the target audience to reinforce the learning requirement. Using a "push" approach to distribute the learning content rather than a "pull" approach may have helped increase the initial participation in the program.
Budgeting the SME time needed for the project was a challenge. Although the number of hours estimated was accurate, the time extended over a much greater period of time than was projected.
Building a game took more hours than planned due to design issues and considerations around the database functions and firewall requirements.
Deloitte Consulting practitioners are highly mobile. Often practitioners are accessing the program through slower speed dial-up connections. Although the team tested the design for performance for variable connection types, they would also consider creating offline viewing options for future development. They did provide the course on CD for offline use to learners with connectivity challenges.
