Two key themes at ASTD 2001 were the need for training to demonstrate value and the lack of clarity regarding the role of training within organizations. A strategic plan helps organizations address those issues. Unfortunately, strategic plans are uncommon among many training departments. Here's some help writing a basic plan.

A strategic plan provides the training and development function, its funders and clients, and management with a shared understanding of learning’s role and value. It outlines the accountability of the training function, milestones, and how training will be designed, developed, and delivered.

A good strategic plan for e-learning will answer the following questions:

• How are training goals aligned with corporate goals?
• Who will receive training?
• What are the high-level training goals for each audience?
• What is the benefit of training for each audience?
• What factors are used to prioritize work?
• How will learning be designed, developed, and delivered?
• What resources are required to accomplish the plan, including headcount, services, hardware, software, budget, and so forth?
• What are potential threats to the plan's success?
• How will return on investment be measured?

The template

Before developing a strategic plan for e-learning, document the current state of training within the organization. (See "Taking Inventory.") It's also helpful to have converted at least one curriculum to include e-learning. Once you have a clear picture of the existing training function, it's time to start work on the strategic plan. Here are the key pieces you need to include.

Cover page. The cover page should mention team members who contributed to the development of the strategic plan.

Use the strategic planning process to bring together stakeholders within the organization. The core team for drafting the plan should be five to seven people from training, but the input should come from a much broader group.

Formal signers of the plan should include representatives from

• HR and training. If training and HR are separate functions, invite representatives from each group to participate.

• fragmented training functions. For example, it's not unusual for IT and sales to have their own training staffs. When multiple training groups exist, ask everyone to the table.

• core business. Training supports multiple lines of business, such as sales, operations, finance, IT, and call centers. Before starting the plan, have input from core business operations that will experience the most change and benefit from the new strategy.

• information technology. Even if e-learning is a minor portion of the learning strategy, support from IT is essential. Include IT as early as possible.

• geographically dispersed groups. Organizations with learners in remote locations should include representation for those groups.

In addition, a senior member of the team should manage the process. Although strategic planning is a group effort, one person should be named as issuer of the report. Do not delegate this task to a junior team member.

Be sure to display your company logo and any distribution restrictions. The cover page should resemble a legal document, making all parties feel accountable.

Executive summary. Summarize the training and development strategy in one page or less. Use bullets so the reader can scan the document. Include a call to action or a closing statement that asks the reader to do something, such as approve funding, increase headcount, or change corporate polices. One tip: Consider writing the executive summary last.

Introduction. Briefly describe the purpose of the document, and explain to the reader what he or she should look for.

Current state. From a high-level perspective, describe the current training and development function. Clarify any opportunities to improve the training organization's effectiveness. Write this section with care, you don't want to position the existing training department as valueless.

If you want to provide details such as organizational charts and curriculum maps, include them in the appendix.

Future state. Describe how the proposed training strategy will take shape, and explain how the organization will benefit from change. Be clear about timeframe. Try to stay within a six to 18 month window; committing to milestones and deadlines for a longer time period is difficult.

Issues to discuss include

• Audience. Describe key audiences and the kind of training each audience will receive. Point out whether certain groups will see a receive less training. Direct the reviewer’s attention to changes, providing a catalyst for discussion.
  
  Consider using tables to aid scanning. Organize the table with the level of detail that makes sense for your organization. The tables below offer a sampling of information to include.

Organization-Wide Training Program

Horizontal Training Program

• Design, development, and delivery. Keep the discussion at a strategic level rather than focused on tactical detail. Details are essential and interesting but may be overwhelming to the reviewer. Use broad brush strokes to lay out your plan.
  
  Answer the following questions when discussing design and development:

• What will be outsourced?
• What will be designed and developed in-house? Why?
• What will be purchased off-the-shelf?
• Are you purchasing libraries of courses?
• What is the advantage of this design and development strategy?

• Are you introducing e-learning, increasing self-paced instruction, decreasing instructor-led training?
• What percentage of your training uses e-learning rather than traditional classroom instruction?
• What is the delivery strategy: dedicated instructors, per diem instructors, or managers as facilitators?
• Is there a strategy for when to use e-learning rather than face-to-face instruction? What is the advantage of that delivery strategy?

• Milestones. Describe major accomplishments rather than details. These are items that become outward measures of the plan. (See the table below for examples.)

• Resources. Provide the rationale for budget requests, such as new or updated facilities, hardware and software, consulting and contract work, course libraries, and staffing and skill development activities.

• Budget. If asking for increased head count or additional funding, you'll need to include an estimated dollar amount. For comparison, offer information about the current budget. You may need to develop spread sheets or include them as an addendum. However, some organizations may choose not to include a budget section based on distribution of the strategic plan.

• Financial justification and ROI. There are three arguments for investment in new programs and technology: cost reduction, cost avoidance, and increased profitability.
  
  Cost reduction is the least complicated case to make because it's easy to demonstrate reduced travel, lodging, and meal expenses. You also can calculate the value of opportunity cost, which is how much money the company loses by having a worker away from his or her job.
  
  The case for cost avoidance is a little harder to make because it contends that the training program will help the company avoid expenses, such as costs associated with re-work or legal fees. A common example is sexual harassment training.
  
  Proving increased profitability is even more difficult. When making a case for increased profitability you must show a direct relationship between training and an increase in profits. For example, demonstrating that sales representatives who attend a training program sell more than those who don't attend the program. In another example, you may be able to show that workers on an assembly line can produce widgets faster and with fewer defects than those who don't receive training. The increased productivity of those workers leads to increased profitability.

• Risks and dependencies. Make a short list of issues beyond training's control that could cause the strategic plan to fail, such as purchasing equipment. For example, list whether the plan depends on remote offices buying PCs with sound cards. Failure to purchase the equipment could scuttle the use of e-courses that depend on sound.

Appendix. Use the appendix to add material that the reader may want to examine, including organizational charts, curriculum maps, curriculum inventory forms, budget spread sheets, and so forth.

Bottom line

Many organizations are too busy responding to internal customer demands to take the time to create a solid strategic plan for organization-wide learning. Whether building a training function from scratch, making a request for additional resources, or moving to e-learning, every organization will find documenting its strategic plan a constructive exercise.