Finding the Features: A MacArthur P. Chanute Story
I wasn’t even done with my first cup of joe when the door opened quickly. The sun caught the fading gold leaf on the glass that said “MacArthur P. Chanute. Private Eye” and sun dots danced around the room.
Then she appeared in the doorframe. Tall, perfect posture, and immaculately dressed. She confidently strode across the office to my desk. Before I could say anything she took a chair, sitting ramrod straight. She looked directly at me…
“I understand you help people,” she paused, “That you are a man who can find things.”
Pausing myself to take a sip of coffee and lean back in my chair, I replied, “Yeah, I’ve been known to find things. For a price.”
“Very good. I need to hire you immediately.”
I told her my rates, and she agreed without haggling or even hesitating.
“What do you need found?” I asked.
“Features,” she said. “Features and functions.”
I finished my coffee. Getting up, I poured myself another and got her one as well. Then we talked.
Her name was Lisa Marie. Evidently, her parents were big Elvis fans. She’d just taken a new job at one of the big corporations in town as their VP of Training & Development.
I knew the place…over the years had quite a few clients that worked there. They always had nice things to say. The pay was good, the benefits were decent, and overall a top-notch joint.?But things are not always what they appear to be.
Turns out that about 5 years ago, the company bought Learning Management System. It was top of the line…fully integrated into their ERP, so it was linked into HR, payroll, logistics, and even accounting. Online and classroom courses could be set up, scheduled, supplies ordered, completion certificates put into personnel files, and they could even enroll customers and charge them. Like I said…top notch.
When they bought the LMS they sprung for support too. Training for admins, customized guides, personalized logos, automatic software updates… the whole nine yards.
So for about 3 or 4 years, everything was just peachy keen. Trainers, students, and leaders were all happy. But time changes things.
Software updates. Hardware changes. Revised procedures. New legislation. Changing environments. And then there was the biggest factor…personnel turnover.
In the 5 years of using the LMS, those who were originally trained had moved on; gone to other jobs or other companies Over the years they began creating shortcuts in the LMS. They had to make workarounds when new computers were issued or Operating Systems were updated. When new federal laws changed how personal data had to be handled, the workers jury-rigged something to handle that too. After 5 years there were quite a few patches and duct tape on the ole LMS. And when the admins trickled out, they took their LMS tribal knowledge with them.
Nobody trained their replacements. There were no plans to do so. All the workarounds were scribbled on scraps of paper or stuck in somebody’s head. No documentation existed.
As Lisa Marie started her job, she went around to see how things worked and learn about her team. What she found was a bunch of good people, that were struggling with something they didn’t know how to work. Everyone knew there were features and functions in the LMS that could make their lives easier, but nobody knew what they were, how to use them, or what workarounds had been made. That’s when Lisa Marie came to my office.
From her story alone I had some ideas that could help and told her to come back in a day or two. And I went to work…
When we next met, it was at my favorite diner across the street from my office. She was already in a booth, sitting perfectly upright and sipping tea. I didn’t even know they served tea. Sitting across from her I caught Madge’s eye and ordered a cup of joe. I asked Lisa Marie if she wanted anything to eat. She said she was fine with the tea. I could tell she wanted to get down to brass tacks right away.
Pulling out a report from my satchel, I put it on the table and slid it to her. She looked at me quizzically.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“What you were looking for,” I replied.
She flipped through the pages…and I think I caught a faint glimpse of a smile on her lips.
“It’s not what you were expecting…is it?” I asked her.
“No. No it’s not.” She responded, “But I think it will do nicely.” She paused, and read a bit more. Then looked up and said, “I think I will have something to eat.”
Calling Madge over, I ordered a slice of apple pie. Lisa Marie asked for crumpets to go with her tea. I was shocked when Madge said fine and went to put the order in. I wasn’t sure what a crumpet was, and was shocked the diner had them. Guess we were getting gentrified.
We sat in the booth and discussed the report. It wasn’t much to it:
Contact Information: Some names and numbers of various folks who might help with the training, providing future updates, and other LMS insights. Sort of a starter kit for an LMS support group.
Lisa Marie’s team was going to have to put in some work to get up to speed, but she was good with that. The following week she called to have me meet her at the diner. She gave me an update on well the team was doing; how they had a handle on things once again.
She also told me that she included an LMS review session in her department’s annual retreat. Every year they were going to review updates to the system and share their expertise. This would keep everyone current and avoid the loss of tribal knowledge if some team members left.
As a thank-you, Lisa Marie bought me a crumpet. It wasn’t bad with a cup of joe.