Learning has taken center stage for most of the companies these days. These are the reasons why the operational manages can pose problems for the project:

• High costs:

But, sometimes, there can be resistance from the employees’ side. An improper needs analysis could be one of the reasons.

Also, operational managers might disapprove of the project because they feel too many resources are getting spent on it.

Therefore the learning project manager then ensures that the project is created after considering the resources and time suggested by the other managers.

Hence, they must have a say in the project before it is finalized. It’s because they can only approve the budget.

The Learning department must meet with the operational managers before it fixes the project costs. It can be easily implemented when they approve the budget for the project’s costs. For example, the sales manager does not favor getting a training program from outside to avoid expenses. Hence it’s better to introduce a simple sales coaching program by seniors so that the sales managers don’t oppose the training efforts. It’s better to take the operational managers into confidence because, in the end, they are held accountable for any learning costs.

• Lack of results:

The KPIs of the learning program are also important because it can help the operational managers meet their goals.

The primary metric of any program is that it makes employees apply what they have learned in the program. The purpose of the operational managers is to see that the employees’ behavior has changed.

For example, if it is a sales program, employees should meet their sales goals after attending it. The operational leaders should provide roadmaps for such learning programs. The employees must be able to finish the training in the required number of days with predefined test performance. If the performance does not improve after training, the operational managers are also responsible because the program was improperly created.

• Improper schedule:

The training timetable must also be implemented per the wishes of the operational managers because when the training is too lengthy, projects can’t be started on time. For example, if the sales training for production is not completed on time, it can’t be sold. The sales department finds it tough to meet its goals due to not selling the concerned product.

When the employees are attending training, they are not working. This means that the training should be concise and goal-oriented. When the training includes content that includes extra details, it can prove to be a waste of time for the company, and the learning department might have to face criticism for the same reason.

The teams’ performance during the learning program must also be measured carefully; otherwise, it’s impossible to have the training implemented in the right manner. For example, how the employees must attend the training must be indicated.

If the employees are not attending the training per the scheduled hours, it wastes company resources. The attendance of employees can be decided in coordination with the operational managers. The training should not be implemented when a business has its peak season. It should be implemented when there is a slow season for the company. This means that although employees might be cutting down on work to attend training, they are not reducing too much productivity because it’s a lean period.

• Testing of the project:

The various operations managers should also test the project to ensure it yields the desired results. When they test the project, they know whether it meets the expected objectives. Therefore, various operation managers, such as Finance, HR, and sales, should be included in project implementation. Once the managers provide the feedback, changes can be made to the learning program as per their feedback.

When the Learning project manager consults the operation managers, he earns their respect, and the project meets the least resistance. If the project does not meet the objectives, it can be stopped from implementation.

Lastly, just like the cooperation of the operational managers, there should also be help taken from the IT team. The IT managers can only help a company decide how to implement the LMS. It should also have a proper bandwidth so the required employees can access the LMS simultaneously. It’s a tough task to start a learning program in the company; hence the IT team must be enrolled.