In this guide 6 sections
Plan training by role, not by module. List who uses which screens, train each role in small groups at its own desk in the days before go-live, and train two or three champions earlier. GullySystem’s Training and Adoption service runs this way. Keep someone on the floor through the first days.
Start with who does what, not with the menu
A training plan begins with a list of roles. Counter staff, stores, accounts, field staff and managers each touch different screens. Write down which tasks each role performs in a normal day, and in what order.
Then watch each role for part of a shift. Notes from the desk show where the new system enters the work and where it slows things down. They also show which steps happen under pressure, such as billing with a queue waiting.
This list becomes the backbone of the plan.
- Role name and the people in it
- Daily tasks in the order they happen
- Screens each task uses
- Language the role works in
- Busy hours, when nobody can leave the desk
Fix timing, group size and language
Hands-on sessions belong in the days before go-live, once configuration is frozen. A session held a month early is mostly forgotten. Screens may also change in between, so people learn steps that no longer exist.
Keep groups small and limited to one role. Everyone sits at a keyboard and types from the start. In a large hall, people at the back watch instead of practising.
Run sessions in the language spoken on the floor. Managers may prefer English. Train them separately.
Prepare practice data and job aids
Load a practice copy of the system with the business’s own customers, items and rates. Exercises then look like real work. A clerk who bills a familiar customer in practice recognises the screen on the first morning.
Write a one-page card for each routine task, with screenshots and exact steps. Print it. Keep it beside the screen. Short recordings of each task help field staff who cannot attend a session.
- Practice environment loaded with real masters
- One card per routine task, per role
- Recordings short enough to watch on a phone
- Editable source files kept by the business
Train champions ahead of everyone else
Pick two or three people per location and train them earlier, in more depth. Choose them for respect among colleagues rather than seniority. Often it is the person others already ask.
Give champions time for the role. A champion with a full workload and no release from the desk stops answering questions quickly. Their handbook should list common questions with the answers.
Plan the first week, not only the sessions
Habits form in the first days of live use. Arrange for someone who knows the system to stand at the counter, the stores and the accounts desk. Every question and stumble gets written down.
Set a route for small fixes, so an irritation raised in the morning is reviewed that evening. Book a refresher some weeks later, when people have real questions. Keep an induction pack for later joiners.
Training cannot rescue a screen that adds work. If one step fails in every session, review the configuration before teaching it again.
- Named support person for each desk
- Issue log with an owner for every fix
- Refresher date booked before go-live
- Induction pack handed to supervisors
Role training plan sheet
A one-page grid with a row for each role and columns for tasks, screens, language, group size, session date and champion. Fill it in after watching each role at work. Empty cells show what is still undecided.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
How long before go-live should staff be trained?
Role sessions belong in the last days before the switch, after configuration is frozen. Champions are the exception. They are trained earlier, so they can help colleagues on the first morning.
Can the software vendor’s standard training replace a plan like this?
Not on its own. Standard sessions usually walk through every module in turn. They rarely use your data, your roles or your language, so a role-based plan is still needed around them.
How many people should attend one session?
Usually six to ten, all from one role and each at a keyboard. Larger groups turn practice into watching.
What if staff still avoid the system after training?
Find the reason before retraining. The task may take longer in the software than on paper, or a field may block saving. Fix that first. A shorter session can follow.