By Holly MacDonald

When designing a training or learning strategy (or even a talent management strategy), think about what you will include and what you specifically won’t include.  Too many times those of us in charge of learning strategies come under pressure to train everyone on everything and keep loading it on.  To be strategic about learning, means excluding things that have low value or require too much effort to create and/or maintain.  Focus on things that align with your organizational strategy and employer brand.

Sit down at your desk and write two lists.  Ask some others in your organization to do the same (executives, managers, new hires, employee advisory group, etc):

1. Things that we should train on
2. Things that we should not train on

You may want to list what you currently train and analyze it to determine if your current offerings fall into the should or should not group.  It should give you a good understanding of where you are (over)committed and what gaps might exist.

Then you can break down your training into two categories:

1. Things that we should train in-house
2. Things that we can/should outsource

The result should be a more refined list of things that you can deliver on AND will make a difference in terms of your organization’s strategy.  Good luck!

Holly MacDonald is an independent consultant with well over 15 years of experience in the learning & development field.  Holly is a bit of a techno-geek and can often be found playing online.  When she steps away from her computer, she spends time outside: hiking, kayaking, gardening and of course walking the dog.  She lives on Saltspring Island and is a leader in the live/work revolution.