DVSA

The specialist ERP training consultancy Optimum has developed and delivered SAP system training and materials for 2,000 users in a new, UK-wide government agency in just three months.

DVSA was created by the merger of the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) and the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA), one of which used SAP, with the other working on Oracle and Lotus Notes. The new body opted to migrate everyone onto SAP, taking the opportunity to upgrade the system and update its business processes. The users’ skill levels therefore differed widely, with some needing a complete training package and others just refresher training.

Optimum’s brief was to create a classroom-based training programme with a full suite of supporting materials including reference guides, quick cards, passive and interactive eLearning, plus trainer packs.

The training modules covered an introduction to SAP, navigation, HR and finance. The agency’s 2,000 users were spread across a number of UK sites so Optimum designed and delivered a series of classroom training sessions, which remote users could dial in to.

A critical element of the project was for Optimum to develop and host an online learning portal that would give all end users easy access to the training documentation in a centralised location. The client wanted key training materials to be made available to users ahead of the new SAP system going live so Optimum deployed the portal on a phased basis, uploading the highest priority documents first.

The materials on the portal were updated on a regular basis as the business processes and system build was finalised. Optimum provided training both on the self-service portal and the more complex accounting back-office system used by the client’s finance team.

To meet the three month training deadline, the knowledge transfer process had to be as efficient as possible but Optimum had limited access to the client’s system build, their core project team and the key users who were all under time pressures.

To make sure they delivered, Optimum’s team of eight consultants relocated, basing themselves at the client’s implementation partner’s site some two hundred miles away.

From there they could use screenshots of the new SAP system to develop the training programme and all the supporting documentation.

The consultants’ experience of designing complex ERP system training and the flexibility in the way they worked were crucial to the project’s success. Optimum reacted quickly as the client’s new system and processes evolved, adapting the content of the training and the materials to reflect the changes.

In addition, liaising through the client’s implementation partner meant three-way communication, which made the development phase more challenging. The training programme and the full suite of materials though were all finalised and delivered to schedule.

Joanne Harrison, Optimum’s sales and marketing director said: “We understand the challenges that businesses face when they’re migrating technology as a result of mergers or acquisitions.”

She added: “Effective end user training is absolutely critical to a successful implementation and our expertise meant we could play a key role in helping this client have a smooth transition to SAP across the business.”