What are the benefits associated with training? Generally, training is supposed to provide people with the capacity to perform a particular function. Theoretically, the better the training is, the better the function is performed. Performing a function better is usually measured by the time required to successfully execute tasks, the number of mistakes made per thousand operations performed, and the ability of the student to extend these skills into new and more complex operations.
When implementing a costly new Unified Content Strategy(UCS), it is important to understand the perceived benefits of the existing training development organization. Careful thought must be given to the affect the UCS will have on achieving those benefits. When this is understood, any additional benefits can be added to the equation - but it is important to note that the legacy benefits are a given, while any benefits from innovation must be carefully examined and justified.
Collection of metrics and the evaluation of that data is an important function of Performance Engineering. Measuring time sensitive tasks before, during, and after training provides a simple measure of performance. Unfortunately, like almost any simple measures of performance, it isn't worth much out of context. Without an understanding of the context, it is impossible to attribute any change to training. One important reason why many training development people neglect this kind of in-depth analysis of results in context is that they know how to do what they are doing well and don't want to know if they will be required to do something different. Performance problems are almost never solved by training alone, just as they are almost never solved without training.
The adoption of a UCS that incorporates an XML repository does not directly impact the quality or effectiveness of training. It is an investment in indirect benefits. Given the same resources, UCS allows you to accomplish either a) the production of more training hours per development hour OR b) the production of higher quality training for the same development hours.
If your organization needs to provide more training of the current or better standard, then you need to describe how the UCS will create efficiencies within the development cycle that produce a higher volume of deliverables per unit time. An example of this kind of need would be a training department supporting a sales organization. Things change so fast in sales that the training is never able to keep up. Implementing the right UCS can provide you with many different Just-in-time training options that are not feasible for manual systems.
If your organization needs to provide a higher quality standard of training, the UCS can allow your training designers to spend more time conducting analysis and evaluating curriculum while spending less time in the production and publication of the results. An example of this kind of need would be a training department for a medical equipment manufacturer. In this setting, accuracy and effectiveness of the training is as important as the QA of the hardware. The right UCS can provide an accurate and reliable information path for training, as well as the ability to leverage successful training methods more quickly into different training.