A lot of preparation goes into executing smooth and effective training. This preparation includes validating system readiness, verifying the roles, putting together multiple forms of training materials, creating and maintaining a stable training environment with valid data, and so on.
Ensure that the system is ready and stable enough (testing complete) prior to training a larger audience. You also need to gauge the business's readiness for training and help them prepare; the following are some tips to do so:
- If a smaller group is being trained prior to UAT, the expectations may be different, as the system has not been tested as yet, and you may want to communicate the known open issues. However, when training larger groups, try to do it post-UAT, when the system is stable enough and the processes have been finalized.
- Create a forum for the users to participate in, and get more hands-on experience from, training through go-live. Arrange a Lunch 'n' Learn or other such team activities that will encourage more practice. From my experience, business leaders who encourage their teams to do extra practice after training, and take the initiative to drive it, will have fewer issues to deal with, post-release.
- Have a process to capture and respond to bugs/queries that are raised in the training. Most likely, you will find some critical items that were not known before.
- Let every user be configured with their to-be production security role. Avoid the use of the system admin role during training. Of course, roles should be tested prior to doing this.
- Use the business process flows at the beginning of every session. Give a 10-thousand-feet-high walkthrough of the overall business process, and of the piece that you plan to show, before getting into the application and the details.