SAP Enable Now Implementation - Author Training

Let’s train!

Software implementation is a serious business. This also applies to a learning platform like SAP Enable Now. Successfully implementing Enable Now requires the right people to be involved, strategic decisions to be taken and certain prerequisites to be met. My Enable Now implementation strategy consists of 7 steps, which I would like to explain in 7 blog posts. Written from a consultant’s perspective and based on my personal experience.

SAP Enable Now Implementation Approach

This post focuses on Author Training. Enable Now has been scoped and configured based on decisions from the Strategy Workshop. We've built templates, demonstrated and validated them in the Validation Workshop. Now it's time to train authors so they can truly get started. Each content type has specific attention points to consider. Machine translation is an excellent tool, but has some sharp edges worth taken into account.

Focus

Perhaps an open door. But still. The goal of an Enable Now author training is to learn how to create content with Enable Now. The application for which you want to create content is in most cases S/4HANA, Ariba, SuccessFactors, or a similar product. In the author training, I therefore assume that everyone has a basic knowledge of the application in question. Not in-depth knowledge of specific Fiori apps, but I expect that people understand how to search for and navigate in a Fiori app. Unfortunately, I regularly meet participant in my Enable Now training who, when it's time for practice, raise their hand and ask how to log in to an S/4HANA system. Apparently it is their first time.

I always struggle with this, because I certainly don't want to lose them. But at that moment, I also don't have time to dive deeply into it and teach them S/4HANA. In a training that focuses on creating simulations or courseware, they can certainly switch to another application. But in an SAP Companion training, this is not the way to go. After all, that’s where the content is created from within the application itself. The minimum skill required for this is that people can navigate in a Fiori screen, can switch to another screen, and understand how the standard Help button (F1) works. In the sequence of planning the trainings, we therefore usually do the SAP Companion training last.

Classroom

Although SAP offers excellent self-study manuals, where people learn how to create content in Enable Now, I still prefer to train authors in a classroom setting. And I prefer to do this on-site rather than remotely. Call me old-fashioned, but for me that works best. Especially when we start practicing, I find it helpful if I can look over a shoulder when someone has a question or is lost in the application. Moreover, it gives me a good impression of where the questions or uncertainties are, so I can respond to them directly. To give everyone sufficient attention, I maintain a maximum group size of 6 to 8 people.

Knowing that an author normally needs about 2 days of Enable Now training, the most efficient way for me would be to plan 2 full consecutive days. The only issue is that participants have to process a lot of information in a relatively short time. Although it requires more flexibility from the trainer, I prefer 4 half-day sessions instead. And then spread it out over a 2 or 3 week period. It gives people time to process things slowly, practice a bit in between, and also catch their breath. Moreover, it is much easier to schedule between other project activities. Unfortunately, due to the time pressure on these other activities, reality is that relatively little practice takes place in between the training sessions.

Didactics

Creating good learning content is an art. Basically, anyone can record screens with Enable Now and make a simulation of it. But recording a meaningful simulation from which end users actually learn something is a different story. Creating good eLearning is even more challenging. And making effective quizzes requires distinct professional skills. There is a reason behind all these books about didactical stuff!

Usually, it are the key users who are the ones to create learning content. And not all of them are equally skilled for this. This is not to blame anyone, but a simple observation. By the way, the same applies for functional SAP-consultants. In the relatively short time that I have for author training, I can't do very much in this didactical area. But I do provide authors many practical tips. Always start a simulation with a click on the Fiori tile, don't record scrolling and browsing on a screen and blur sensitive information. Ensure that texts are clear and unambiguous for an end user. Start an eLearning with clear learning objectives, stick to the agreed templates and write texts that are understandable. A good quiz is more than a handful of multiple-choice questions. It has a certain level of difficulty and actually adds something from a didactical perspective. Using templates helps a lot in this area, but it's also up to the authors themselves to keep an eye on it. By incorporating not only a content review step in the workflow but also a didactical one, you can easily overcome this problem.

Conclusion

Not everyone is able to deliver a good training. Whether it's an SAP training, a process training, or a skills training. This applies to Enable Now training as well. Pay attention to a good structure of the training, customer-specific content, appropriate group size, and so on. What I think that is really important is that participants use the time to practice during training. You don't learn a lot from just listening. So, I also apply the classic structure of theory-demonstration-exercise in my Enable Now training.

Next time

Now that the authors are trained, they can start. If all has gone well, a content development plan should now be in place, so we know what content needs to be created, who we need for it, and where the priorities are.

Authors have questions, get stuck, and need guidance after the training. My next (and last) post will be about coaching.

Let’s Enable!

Transform an SAP project into a success that goes beyond time and budget. Make your SAP solution is truly adopted by your people. Enable Now is SAP's platform to accelerate the development of training materials and support effective training and support of employees. A foundation for creating and optimizing learning content. Not only for SAP, but for other applications as well. The knowledge and experience of Let's Enable guarantee utilization of the full potential of Enable Now.