5 Pitfalls To Avoid When Introducing A New Authoring Tool

5 Pitfalls To Avoid When Introducing A New Authoring Tool
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Summary: A new authoring tool is often the breath of fresh air that your eLearning team needs. They will be free of barriers that previously held them back, and able to make their big ideas a reality. Avoiding implementation pitfalls will help you harness this excited energy and make your new tool a success.

Introducing A New Authoring Tool? 5 Pitfalls To Avoid

Take a look at these 5 potential implementation pitfalls, and find out how you can ensure they don’t catch you out.

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1. Lack Of A Clear Vision

There are many reasons for switching to a new authoring tool. Maybe you want to equip your in-house team with development skills, so you can save costs on using agencies. Perhaps you want to accelerate course creation by facilitating easy updates and collaborative working. Or you might be on a mission to raise quality standards with new creative features.

Whatever your reason, clearly communicating the reasons why you’re switching is crucial. You’ll be able to preempt questions your team may ask and put resources together to reassure them.

An authoring tool comparison document can be hugely beneficial in helping you communicate the advantages of the tool, how it compares to the status quo, and why you selected it over alternatives.

Download the free authoring tool comparison template

2. Resistance From Stakeholders

You know why your chosen authoring tool is the best one for you, but your stakeholders, budget holders, eLearning production team and, possibly, your technical team might need convincing.

A powerful way to get everyone on board early is to collect resources that explain the benefits. Start by asking the provider of the tool if they have case studies and testimonials that you can share. Additionally, check out independent review sites such as eLearning Industry and Capterra for recommendations that demonstrate what can be achieved with the new tool.

3. Sink Or Swim

Upfront training will ensure your team gets up-and-running quickly, but it’s something that’s easily overlooked. When teams are left to 'sink or swim' without some quick wins early on, there can be a mismatch between their expectations and the initial reality.

Reduce the learning curve with a training plan – ideally, from your provider. This might involve coaching or consultancy on your first project, or access to a support team and help center. And don’t forget about you! Being confident in what the tool can do and how to deliver on that will help you support your team. With Elucidat, all of these support options are available, as well as a dedicated Customer Success Manager who works on your goals with you.

When you’re ready to get started with the tool, do some groundwork to empower the team. For example, creating communal style guides and templates to make things quicker for the team, or giving SMEs and reviewers access to the platform to support collaboration.

4. Questions Go Unanswered

Questions are an inevitable part of the change! But there’s no need to worry, as long as you preempt concerns and plan for how to deal with them. Here are two possible questions that may come from your team, along with suggestions for addressing each one.

How Can We Reduce Disruption To Production?

Select a couple of individuals that can 'champion' your new authoring tool before rolling it out to the whole team. Give them time to fully get to grips with the tool, and ensure any issues are ironed out before you give access to anyone else.

How Can We Maintain Quality And Consistency?

This one’s likely to come up if you’re moving in-house any content that was previously agency-created. If so, it’s key to set clear expectations, introduce the required standard at the start, and give your team enough time to succeed. Try to source some expert input for help with this. For example, the Learning Consultants at Elucidat can develop a custom prototype for your in-house team to use.

5. Forgetting To Recognize Success

When you’re in the thick of it, it’s easy to forget to reflect on why you purchased your new authoring tool, and how it’s going. Taking time out for this will help you:

  • check the tool is meeting its objective, and
  • observe all impact from the tool, including any unexpected side benefits.

Celebrate successes within your team to keep morale high. Why not create a best practice library to share great courses the team has created? This will highlight the brilliant work being achieved with the new tool. It’ll also come in handy for inducting new team members and maintaining quality.

The easiest way to identify success is to use an analytics dashboard to track engagement and improve further over time.

Don’t Go It Alone

When you’re embarking on your investment and implementation, remember that your authoring tool provider should be on the journey with you. Make sure you find out about the support available and consider investing in additional services to ensure your implementation is a success.