Business driven learning solution

• US 20040002888A1
• Filed: 10/07/2002
• Published: 01/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services GmbH (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Draper, William Christopher Jr., Allen, William Mark, Stovall, Thomas Kenneth, Hubbell, John R.
• Application Number:
  US10/265,156
• Publication Number:
  US 20040002888A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/18 Book-keeping or economics
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/02 of the type wherein the student is expected to construct an answer to the question which is presented or wherein the machine gives an answer to the question presented by a student
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/04 characterised by modifying the teaching programme in response to a wrong answer, e.g. repeating the question, supplying a further explanation

Abstract

Disclosed are learning solutions and related methods for managing the learning and training needs of an organization in a manner that is responsive to dynamic business timelines, goals and strategic objectives. The learning solutions and related methods employ modules of interrelated and interdependent business processes for the identification and prioritization of learning needs, the selection of learning approaches, the development of learning content, the coordination and delivery of learning instruction, and the overall management and administration of learning efforts. Also disclosed are networks of learning platforms that together implement the learning solution by providing electronic tools and information sharing capabilities needed by a learning solution services provider to efficiently implement and manage learning efforts according to the business desires of a complex learner organization. Embodiments of the inventions disclosed utilize the tracking and reporting of various performance metrics to enable allocating of learning effort charges as expenses to internal business units or external business organizations so as to enable cost-responsive outsourcing of a organization'"'"'s learning needs.

Claims

1. A method for aligning employee learning efforts with strategic business goals and priorities of an employer organization, said method comprising:

identifying business goals and strategies of the employer organization;

said business goals and strategies having priorities relative to one another by said employer organization;

designating business tracts and initiatives for sorting potential learning efforts of said employer organization into, said tracts and initiatives correlating to said goals and strategies;

reflecting said relative priorities of said goals and strategies by assigning budget allocations to said tracts and initiatives;

receiving requests from said organization for learning efforts to train said employees; and

sorting said requests into tracts or initiatives;

selecting appropriate learning effort approaches for each received request, said appropriate learning effort approaches being subject to said budget allocation for said tract or initiative into which each said learning effort request is sorted.

2. The alignment method according to claim 1, wherein said designating of tracts and initiatives comprises creating a learning blueprint, said blueprint assisting in said sorting of said requests.

3. The alignment method according to claim 2, wherein said learning blueprint details said budget allocations for said tracts and initiatives.

4. The alignment method according to claim 2, wherein said learning blueprint is revised as necessary to reflect significant changes in said business goals, strategies, and priorities.

5. The alignment method according to claim 1, further comprising delivering instruction according to said learning effort approaches.

6. The alignment method according to claim 5, wherein said delivering of instruction comprises synchronous training and asynchronous training.

7. The alignment method according to claim 5, wherein said delivering of instruction is performed according to a mechanism selected from the group consisting of instructor led training, virtual classroom training, and self-paced training delivered via computer.

8. The alignment method according to claim 5, further comprising recording performance metrics during delivery of said instruction.

9. The alignment method according to claim 8, wherein said performance metrics are utilized to track and allocate appropriate costs to requesters of said learning efforts.

10. The alignment method according to claim 8, wherein said method is outsourced from said organization according to a learning services agreement, said agreement detailing minimum service levels, and said performance metrics are utilized to gauge whether said method is producing learning efforts meeting said service levels.

11. The alignment method according to claim 8, wherein said performance metrics are of types selected from the group consisting of learning-output metrics, learning-performance metrics, and learning-impact metrics.

12. The alignment method according to claim 1, wherein selecting said appropriate learning effort approaches comprises creating a learning effort plan, said learning effort plan detailing budget allocations, initial content design requirements, and delivery timelines for meeting said requests.

13. The alignment method according to claim 1, wherein selecting said appropriate learning effort approaches comprises creating an initial action proposal for each said request, said initial action proposal describing a proposed mode of delivery for necessary instruction and a proposed mechanism for obtaining content for said necessary instruction.

14. The alignment method according to claim 13, wherein selecting said appropriate learning effort approaches further comprises estimating a cost for developing and delivering a learning effort according to each said initial action proposal, and comparing each said estimated cost to an associated budget allocation.

15. The alignment method according to claim 14, wherein said initial action proposal is modified until said estimated cost satisfies said associated budget allocation.

16. The alignment method according to claim 14, wherein said cost is estimated according to a cost schedule detailing a standard set of charges for learning effort tasks performed at the request of said organization.

17. The alignment method according to claim 1, further comprising obtaining and managing suitable learning content for implementing said appropriate learning effort approaches.

18. The alignment method according to claim 17, wherein said obtaining of suitable learning content comprises developing content according to budget restraints, initial content design requirements, and delivery timelines associated with said learning effort approaches.

19. The alignment method according to claim 17, wherein developing said content comprises either purchasing said content or creating said content.

20. A solution for providing an outsourceable learning services for training the members of an organization, said solution comprising modules of interrelated and interdependent business processes, including:

a business strategy alignment module containing related processes for recognizing and prioritizing business driven learning needs of said organization and implementing learning efforts to meet said needs;

a content management module containing related processes for designing, procuring and managing learning content necessary to implement said learning efforts;

a delivery module containing related processes for coordinating solution resources to provide instruction to said members; and

a learning administration module containing related processes for managing the availability, delivery and results of learning efforts in relation to said members.

21. The learning solution according to claim 20, further comprising a business management module, said business management module containing related processes for assessing whether said solution is meeting the business goals, strategies and priorities of said organization.

22. The learning solution according to claim 21, wherein said business management module assesses whether said solution is meeting the business goals, strategies and priorities of said organization by:

receiving performance metrics regarding operations of said learning solution from said content management module, said delivery module, and said learning administration module;

comparing said performance metrics against predetermined minimum service levels; and

revising the operations of said business strategy alignment module, said content management module, or said delivery module in an effort to have said performance metrics meet said predetermined minimum service levels.

23. The learning solution according to claim 22, wherein said predetermined minimum service levels are operational requirements agreed upon in a service level agreement between said organization and a learning services provider.

24. The learning solution according to claim 22, wherein said performance metrics are of types selected from the group consisting of learning-output metrics, learning-performance metrics, and learning impact metrics.

25. The learning solution according to claim 20, wherein said business strategy alignment module recognizes and prioritizes business driven learning needs of said organization by:

identifying business goals and strategies of said organization and assigning relative priorities thereto;

receiving requests from said organization for learning efforts to instruct said members; and

selecting appropriate learning effort approaches for each received request, said learning effort approaches aligning with said business goals and strategies of said organization according to said relative priorities.

26. The learning solution according to claim 25, wherein said business strategy alignment module designates business tracts and initiatives for sorting potential learning efforts of said employer organization into, said tracts and initiatives correlating to said goals and strategies;

and assigns budget allocations to said tracts and initiatives reflecting said relative priorities of said goals and strategies, wherein said tracts, initiatives and budget allocations facilitate selecting appropriate learning effort approaches for each received request.

27. The learning solution according to claim 25, wherein said designating of tracts and initiatives comprises creating a learning blueprint, said blueprint facilitating aligning learning efforts with said prioritized business goals and strategies of said organization.

28. The learning solution according to claim 27, wherein said learning blueprint details said budget allocations for said tracts and initiatives.

29. The learning solution according to claim 27, wherein said learning blueprint is revised as necessary to reflect significant changes in said business goals, strategies, and priorities.

30. The learning solution according to claim 20, wherein implementing learning efforts to meet said needs comprises estimating a cost for developing and delivering a proposed learning effort to satisfy requests by said organization for training, and comparing each said estimated cost to an associated budget allocation.

31. The alignment method according to claim 30, wherein said proposed learning effort is modified until said estimated cost satisfies said associated budget allocation.

32. The alignment method according to claim 30, wherein said cost is estimated according to a cost schedule detailing a standard set of charges for learning effort tasks performed at the request of said organization.

33. The learning solution according to claim 20, wherein said content management module procures and manages learning content necessary to implement said learning efforts by developing content according to budget restraints, initial content design requirements, and delivery timelines provided by said business strategy alignment module.

34. The learning solution according to claim 33, wherein developing said content comprises either purchasing said content or creating said content.

35. A method for providing an outsourceable learning services for training the designated students of a learner organization, said method comprising:

said organization creating a service level commitment between a learning services provider, said service level commitment detailing minimum service levels of learning efforts to be provided to designated students by said service provider at the request of said organization;

said learning services provider prioritizing requests for learning efforts received from said organization according to business strategies and goals of said organization, identifying learning effort approaches to meet said requests, obtaining learning content for said learning effort approach, and delivering a learning effort containing said obtained learning content to said designated students;

wherein

said obtained learning content and said delivered learning effort are compared against said minimum service levels so as to ensure that said minimum service levels of said service level commitment are met.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein said prioritizing of requests and identifying of learning effort approaches to meet said requests comprises aligning of said outsourceable learning services with said business strategies and goals of said organization.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein said aligning with said business goals and strategies of said organization comprises said learning services provider periodically identifying business goals and strategies of said organization and assigning relative priorities thereto.

38. The method according to claim 37, wherein said business goals and strategies are identified by designating tracts and initiatives representative of areas of instruction needed by said organization.

39. The method according to claim 38, wherein said tracts and initiatives are embodied in a learning blueprint, said blueprint assisting in identifying learning effort approaches to meet said requests.

40. The method according to claim 39, wherein said learning blueprint details said budget allocations for said tracts and initiatives.

41. The method according to claim 39, wherein said learning blueprint is revised as necessary to reflect significant changes in said business goals, strategies, and priorities.

42. The method according to claim 35, wherein said obtained learning content and said delivered learning effort are compared against said minimum service levels by receiving performance metrics regarding operations of said learning solution, comparing said performance metrics against said minimum service levels;

and revising actions of said learning services provider in an effort to have said performance metrics meet said predetermined minimum service levels.

43. A learning solution support network adapted to facilitate information sharing among a learning services providing entity, said network comprising:

a content development platform, said content development platform containing electronic tools for receiving input relating to the compiling of instructional materials and generating output comprising learning content;

an electronic delivery platform, said electronic delivery platform containing electronic tools for delivering instruction to students, said delivering of instruction including asynchronous computer-delivered instruction and synchronous virtual classroom instruction, said delivered instruction incorporating said learning content;

a learning administration platform, said learning administration platform containing electronic tools for storing registrar information regarding said students and said instruction and catalog information regarding said learning content; and

a resources synchronization platform, said resources synchronization platform containing electronic tools for scheduling and allocating the utilization of learning resources in the delivery of said instruction and in the development of said learning content.

44. The learning solution support network according to claim 43, wherein said electronic delivery platform is in electronic communication with target students to deliver appropriate synchronous instruction as scheduled or asynchronous instruction upon demand.

45. The learning solution support network according to claim 43, wherein said electronic delivery platform is adapted to record performance metrics during delivery of said instruction.

46. The learning solution support network according to claim 45, wherein said performance metrics are of types selected from the group consisting of learning-output metrics and learning-impact metrics.

47. The learning solution support network according to claim 43, wherein said electronic delivery platform is adapted to connect remote students electronically to an instructor operating through a virtual classroom environment.

48. The learning solution support network according to claim 43, wherein said resources synchronization platform schedules delivery of instruction according to a mechanisms selected from the group consisting of instructor led training, virtual classroom training, and self-paced training delivered via computer.

49. The learning solution support network according to claim 43, wherein said resources synchronization platform provides an electronic interface for allocating the utilization of constrained learning resources subject to relevant instructor and student availabilities.

50. The learning solution support network according to claim 49, wherein said resources synchronization platform organizes allocation and scheduling information into sortable scheduling and usage reports that allow learning administrators to make and/or modify schedules and resource allocations for learning content delivery.

51. The learning solution support network according to claim 43, wherein said resources synchronization platform is adapted to compile and output reports detailing performance metrics data, said data measuring the development of learning content and the delivery of instruction to said students, said performance metrics data being useful to assessing whether learning requirements of a learner organization are being met.

52. The learning solution support network according to claim 51, wherein said performance metrics data is collected electronically from said content development platform, said electronic delivery platform, and said learning administration platform to create said reports.

53. The learning solution support network according to claim 43, wherein said content development platform is adapted to accept external instructional content from third party sources and compile that instructional content into learning content compatible with said electronic delivery platform.