How to Create Training Materials

Workday Training: Embrace a Team Approach Often, organizations tackle training in isolation, leaving the “change management” team to handle all training documentation. However, I believe that your functional users are the best resources for creating content for training guides. Given Workday’s configurable nature—especially its user interface—your functional users have valuable insights into the tasks and their specific configurations. Here’s an effective approach I recommend: 1) Build an Intuitive User Experience: Avoid having users navigate tasks by searching, unless they are power users. Searching is too advanced to start out learning Workday and requires users memorize tasks. I recommend build custom dashboards. 2) Involve Functional Users: Have your functional users create much of the content for your guides. They should proxy as someone in your target audience for the job aid and create a recording (securely especially if you’re using data of an actual user). During the recording, they should walk through the entire task and potential questions users might have. 3) Documentation Creation: Share the recording with someone on the training team who excels at creating documentation. This person can compile cohesive guides filled with screenshots, either using the video for visuals or by simulating the task with another user in the tenant. 4) Review Process: The documentation creator should send the guide back to the functional user for final approval. Trying to find one person to do all of this is difficult. There are people good at both (including several of us on the Legato team), but it’s not that common. Also, I like to really prioritize the time of the functional user who definitely has a lot more testing they need to do and not the time to do job aid design. For more advice like this, make sure to join our newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gZ-smcGc Training and User Interface design is a passion of our team at Legato Strategic. To learn how we can help empower your team, message me or fill out our inquiry form: https://lnkd.in/gcfv3Uxw #WorkdayStudent #LegatoStrategicConsulting

Actual SOP writing hack that works: (I do this for every technical document I write) Ask yourself: "If I were doing a task or training, would I finish reading this?” If the answer is no, then rewrite. Here’s how: - For a new SOP, create a process flow first. - State a clear scope and purpose for application. - Use risk-based approach based on product phase. - Integrate clear, actionable steps that are easy to follow. - For easy skimming, use headings and subheadings. - Use Notes to clarify rationale behind key steps. - Don't forget roles and responsibilities. Bonus: Build a revision history section to document and track changes. (Hello, auditor) Stop writing SOPs as if they are only internal documents. If you couldn't explain it to a regulatory inspector, or train on it, who would? P.S. Repost this → help other technical writers ♻️

Turnover is inevitable, but the loss of institutional knowledge doesn’t have to be. When employees leave, they often take critical knowledge with them. One of the best ways to safeguard that knowledge is to document workflows and SOPs. Unfortunately, this often gets postponed due to a lack of capacity. So here are three easy steps to get it done faster and more effectively with AI: 1️⃣ Pick a process that is most in need of a documentation upgrade. Think of a critical one that solely relies on one person or often causes bottlenecks and frustration. 2️⃣ Record 1-2 virtual training sessions with AI assistants. Tools like Otter. ai, Fireflies. ai, Zoom, and Microsoft Copilot can transcribe discussions in real-time and generate written notes after the meeting. All you need is the trainer sharing their screen and walking a trainee through the process. 3️⃣ Use the transcripts from those meetings to generate SOPs with AI synthesis tools. It’s all about the prompts. Here’s an example of a basic one: "Create an SOP draft from this transcript, focusing on the key compliance steps discussed. Organize the information under headings: Introduction, Procedure, Risks, and FAQs." And voilà ✅ While this is an efficient way to document processes, keep in mind the potential challenges of working with AI, such as handling sensitive and proprietary information. By following these three steps, you'll not only have training videos and written manuals, but you'll also build a system that makes knowledge transfer seamless. Now your turn! Have you tried using AI for process documentation? What was your experience?