DRAFT

Training is necessary to equip users. You, as IT specialists, are available for questions that may arise at any time. But you're not available all the time and if you were, it wouldn't necessarily be wise to repeat the same thing 50 times to answer the same questions. This is where creating IT resources that are available all the time to end users makes sense.

To get started, it's important to identify the information that needs to be accessible all the time. These can be IT procedures, such as “how to change your password”, “how to connect to the network remotely”, “how to access your Google account via a browser”, etc. The important thing is to identify the needs of the users and this can be done in different ways. For example, by listing frequently asked questions, or by asking users what information they want from IT.

It may also be a good idea to create summaries of training courses given to users, so that they can refer to them easily. For example, if you are doing an IT orientation for any new user, it would be a good idea for them to be able to refer to the orientation later (they have to store a lot of information when they start).

Once the needs have been identified, the resources must be developed. Make sure to produce quality documentation that is concise (users don't have much time), clear (even for non-IT specialists), with enough screenshots. Prefer a step-by-step format and try out the steps yourself to test the comprehensibility of the procedures. Have them tested by a representative sample of users.

This documentation should be made available in formats that all users can read, such as PDF. This question is linked to the next one.

Where should this documentation be placed so that it is easily accessible? You can also imagine a FAQ section on your intranet, with a bookmark present by default in their browsers. If you think that a video format would be more appropriate, you can also test this medium and check with a panel of users which media is best accepted.

You should also remember to keep this documentation up to date should your technology change internally or if external service providers update their products.

Subsequently, you may want to develop an online training curriculum, coupled with a discussion forum for your users. The time investment may seem daunting, but once registered it will save you a great deal of effort, as you will no longer have to train each employee individually.