Making the Case for Synchronous Web-Based Software
By Lillian Swider

Want synchronous? Chances are you're not the only one in your organization. Looking beyond departmental boundaries is one way to lower the financial hurdles--and increase the technology's impact.

In order for workers to stay competitive in a fast-paced business environment, more organizations are discovering that learning and knowledge sharing needs to be a continuous experience that can be applied in real time, on the job. And they're finding that need to be increasingly difficult to fill in the face of dispersed workforces, clients, and suppliers.

So, what do you do when an executive in your organization asks you to "leverage" new synchronous Web-based technologies to improve communications and training? Let's say he or she is looking for the right tool to keep in touch with employees who need information and reinforcement and for keeping them in touch with each other for collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Finding such a tool may be the easy part. Ensuring that it will serve your organization well requires some thought, planning, and collaboration with other staff.

Synchronous software can be used in many ways across an organization. The chart below identifies some common uses and users.

There are a number of issues you need to keep in mind if you're asked to find a synchronous software tool that will be versatile enough to fill a number of needs and uses. Here are some key drivers.

Identifying the key players. Rule number 1: Always invite your information technology infrastructure expert to your meetings and evaluation demonstrations of products. Rule number 2: Make sure you're all talking to one another.

What other communication or learning technologies are being looked at in the organization and by whom? Is another arm of the training and development function investigating a learning management system that your synchronous product will have to be compatible with? It may be easier and quicker in the short term to purchase and use a synchronous product without including others in your decision--but not as easy to ensure that it will integrate with a larger system. If efforts aren't coordinated, your product pick may limit your LMS choices or you may have to abandon your selection in favor of another that will link to the larger platform.

For example, the IT liaison for several business units in a large pharmaceutical company was asked for help by a marketing executive who wanted to take advantage of the new company intranet. Specifically, he wanted to leverage synchronous technology for his sales force. The IT liaison researched and demonstrated the various synchronous software tools available and selected one. The tool proved its value almost immediately, helping speed information dissemination in virtual sales training meetings. The company found many other uses for the tool, from increasing interaction among district managers and their sales teams to using it to assess knowledge gaps and to provide refresher training.

However, the synchronous software chosen limited the LMS options that the training department could evaluate and consider for use across the organization because it hadn't been consulted by the IT liaison.

Identifying needs. I don't know which is harder--uncovering all project stakeholders or, once you identify stakeholders, figuring out what they want a synchronous product to do for them.

It's important to learn each organizational group's initial business issues, and it's critical to focus on the issue or problem they're trying to solve. For example, the centralized t&d function of a large human resources organization--which had three distinct training groups and three distinct business issues to solve--failed to communicate within their own department. For these training pros, the lack of communication among peers, the absence of management support for an effective roll-out plan, and the inability to "test pilot" to internal clients has caused the product to sit on shelf for more than a year. The lessons learned include needs for

• instructor training to create a successful transition to the synchronous environment
• discussions about what synchronous software will be used for
• implementation plan priorities
• clearly identified and understood internal client needs.

Initial funding. Budgeting considerations can be another hurdle. How will the bill be split? How will usage be tracked and charged back? Will the product be bought outright or hosted? If hosted, will the funds spent during the pilot hosting be applied to a future purchase? These are just a few of the questions that may crop up about money.

Scalability. Collaborative team projects, small meetings, and training are usually delivered to groups of fewer than 25 people. Large-scale events for hundreds of people can include conferences, customer, supply-chain, and investor relations meetings. You need to address this usage issue before you begin to look at products. It will narrow the field of potential products and make your job easier.

Features needed. People who use synchronous tools will have varying requirements, depending on whether they're using them for communication or training purposes. Some tools do one or the other well, and some tools do both adequately. You need to know the features required before you begin the evaluation process. Following are some issues to consider:

• Will methods to accommodate "no shows" be an issue? If so, then the ability to record the synchronous session and allow users to view it asynchronously will be a key buying feature.
• Will tracking certification and assessment data be a critical requirement? If so, when learners work offline, can the data from tests taken in the synchronous classroom link to other database systems or be retrieved by the LMS the next time they log on?
• Is one-way audio all you need? Will application sharing be required? Can data from class polls be stored in a database for analysis after the training or meeting?

Identifying required training. Who will need to use the synchronous product, initially? What skills do they have? What skills will they need?

Virtual meetings require preparation--winging it or making it up as you go won't cut it. They require a tight agenda and careful attention to staying on topic. How many meetings have you gone to and wondered why you were there? If someone doesn't have information to give or get from attending a virtual meeting, don't invite them.

With planning and forethought, selecting and implementing a synchronous product for your organization can make you a hero. Increased collaboration is one of the benefits of this type of technology--be sure to "role model" the behavior by collaborating with as many people as you can about which product is right for the organization. The downside may be a longer time before a decision, but in the end you will have selected a product that meets a broader base of needs and one you can grow into instead of out of.

Lillian Swider is president of LPS Associates in Cranford, New Jersey (www.Fast2Learn.com). The firm's expertise lies in helping organizations and trainers adopt e-learning.