Training: 10 signs that you need planning software

Training planning: signs of software failure

Your training planning and your teams deserve dedicated software.

There are signs that can't be mistaken. If you're juggling Excel files, incomplete tools and the unexpected, it may be time to ask yourself, "Do I really have the right tools to plan my training courses?"

In fact, the fact that you're reading this article is a sign in itself.

Double booking, lack of visibility, poorly managed skills, urgent requests that are impossible to integrate... if these situations speak to you, it's because your current tools are no longer sufficient.

In this article, we take a look at 10 signs or situations that prove that you - really - need to adopt the right software to plan your training courses.

You lack real-time visibility of your resources

Most planners will tell you that they are unable to know quickly whether a room, trainer or piece of equipment is available, which complicates both initial planning and last-minute adjustments.

Let's take a concrete example: a trainer withdraws from a training session at the last minute. You're left juggling dozens of Excel files or an AI-less TMS, unable to spontaneously suggest qualified and available replacements.

Risks : 

• Time wasted looking for alternatives.
• Unsuitable choice of replacements.
• Double bookings or scheduling errors.
• Cancelled sessions, frustration among trainers and learners.

You never know where to find the information you need

Without a dedicated solution, accessing information becomes a real obstacle course. Information is scattered: multiple Excel files, contradictory versions, misplaced notes, data retained by a trainer... Every planner spends an inordinate amount of time tracking down simple data, doubting its accuracy.

It's even worse when departments operate in silos (which is unfortunately often the case), each with its own training perimeter, but with shared resources such as campus classrooms.

Risks : 

• Planning errors
• Decisions slowed down and time wasted
• Difficult collaboration between teams.
• Poor or under-utilized resources due to lack of overview

The solution: planning software that centralizes all information: resource availability, room characteristics, equipment pooling and trainer skills. All available in real time, with access to information according to the rights defined when setting up your project.

You encounter many logistical problems

Human error is a concept that runs throughout this article. Why is it so? Because the planner is always asked to do better, with the impossible. Without a tool, logistical bugs become inevitable: two sessions on the same room, or learners informed too late (or not at all) of changes. And as long as you operate without an intelligent solution, these errors will continue to creep into your training courses.

Risks :

• Cancelled or postponed sessions.
• Additional costs to correct errors.
• Frustration among participants and teams.

The solution: software that checks in real time for logistical conflicts (double booking, incompatibility of resources, etc.) when placing activities, that limits double or even triple data entry, and that notifies the people concerned in the event of changes to schedules.

You have the impression that you are short of rooms or trainers for your training courses

When training needs increase, it's easy to get the impression that there's a shortage of rooms, trainers or equipment. Yet, in many cases, these resources exist, but are poorly allocated or under-utilized due to a lack of optimized planning.

This can be as much due to inappropriate allocation of resources (allocation of a 50-seat room for a group of 20) as to poor management of the granularity of the training project (critical equipment booked for a whole day when the session only lasts two hours).

Risks :

• Under-utilization of existing resources
• Unnecessary expenditure on external services
• Limited training capacity

The solution: software that optimizes the use of resources according to their characteristics and with a fine granularity to enable greater flexibility. Most of our customers have discovered that they were under-utilizing their resources and, thanks to Adesoft, have been able to plan far more training sessions!

Your teaching models are increasingly complex and your teams are overwhelmed.

Learning paths are becoming more complex (integration of asynchronous distance learning, blended learning, increasing number of small-group sessions, etc.) and, with them, their planning.

Your teams are constantly juggling the pedagogical model, the availability of resources and their characteristics, as well as day-to-day contingencies. They spend a considerable amount of time doing, undoing and then redoing the initial planning, to the detriment of higher value-added activities.

Risks :

• Considerable time lost planning complex routes
• Logistical errors that degrade the learner/trainer experience
• Frustration for planning teams, who have to deal with the impossible
• Modifications to the curriculum for non-teaching reasons

The solution: software that models your teaching models and automatically schedules sessions, taking into account the type of session (hybrid, e-learning, classroom...) and real-time constraints. Your teams can also create their own duplicable models to increase efficiency, while easily tracking sessions to be planned, scheduled and cancelled.

You're unable to manage training requests as they come in.

Even a well-conceived half-yearly or annual plan can be quickly disrupted by the arrival of urgent requirements, or even simply by needs that arise as we go along.

While more and more companies are adopting best practices, such as continuous training and the " time to competency " trend, this nevertheless requires a flexibility that only AI-enabled scheduling software can offer.

Risks :

• Destructuring of initial planning and loss of time
• Delays in meeting training needs
• Inability to meet training demand

The solution: software that uploads training requests to a dedicated space on the planning interface, providing clear visibility of the sessions to be scheduled. Thanks to AI, activities are placed within constraints (either manually or automatically) without disrupting existing schedules. Connected to your TMS, teams can easily choose whether or not to schedule new sessions, based on registrations managed directly in this system.

You need to manage several campuses and training sites

Whether your campuses are located in the same city, in several cities or internationally, multi-site management remains a challenge. Each site has its own constraints:

• Own or shared resources
• Special opening hours, even special closing days
• Travel time to be taken into account for trainers moving between several campuses

With ill-adapted tools, every adjustment carries a risk: an incorrectly estimated travel time, a session scheduled at the wrong time... Not to mention the sharing of information: often, teams on one campus have no visibility over the planning of others, leading to booking conflicts for shared resources.

Risks :

• Conflicts over the use of shared resources
• Poor management of travel time
• Errors due to specific campus opening times or schedules
• Under-utilization of resources and loss of profitability

The solution: software that manages site specificities (schedules, attached resources), logistical constraints (travel time, maximum number of trips over a given period, etc.), resource availability and pooling, and centralizes information to guarantee a solid planning vision.

You need to manage your trainers' skills and authorizations

We often talk about the skills of employees, but all too often we neglect those of trainers. Whether it's a question of authorizations (a critical element) or the skills required to deliver training, the skills pool of trainers is an essential element in the planning of activities.

Risks :

• Sessions cancelled or non-compliant due to lack of an authorized trainer
• Lack of visibility on skills development needs
• Loss of teaching quality due to irrelevant allocations
• Mistaken perception of a lack of trainers

The solution: software that integrates a skills matrix for each trainer, enabling qualified resources to be assigned automatically or manually to each session. Thanks to this centralized view, you can quickly identify gaps in skills or multi-disciplinary skills, and anticipate any necessary upgrades. For each adjustment, you have a real-time list of available and qualified trainers for your training courses, facilitating your planning.

You wish to open your rooms to booking

The rooms you use for training can also be useful for organizing meetings, events and even training courses outside the scope of the planning department. The problem is that without a tool to centralize room occupancy, chaos can quickly ensue, leading some organizations to limit these rooms to training purposes only.

Risks :

• Conflicts of use between services and loss of time managing adjustments.
• Sessions cancelled or postponed due to lack of confirmed availability.
• Frustration among trainers and learners.
• Under-used rooms and unnecessary external rentals

The solution: software with an interface designed for your employees (and trainers), enabling you to reserve rooms, equipment and certain human resources, as well as organize meetings between colleagues. Offering a complete overview of resource availability in real time, occupancy conflicts are automatically detected. You can book rooms with peace of mind, with or without third-party validation.

You want to plan your training activity for the months and years ahead

Anticipating the evolution of your training needs is essential to support the growth of your business. However, without a dedicated tool, it's impossible to simulate the impact of an increase in your training volumes or a strategic change. How many trainers should you recruit? Are your premises sufficient? Which modules need to be adjusted?

Risks :

• Strategic decision-making without reliable data
• Failure to anticipate human and material resource requirements
• Stunted growth due to undersized infrastructure
• Unnecessary investment and loss of profitability

The solution: software that models scenarios to estimate medium- and long-term training capacity and identify resource requirements (trainers, rooms, equipment) to absorb an increase in activity.

Adesoft, the right solution for your planning needs

If these situations speak to you, it's time to act. Adesoft's solutions go far beyond resolving these issues. They enable you to move from planning that's been imposed on you, to an organization that's under control and optimized. Our ADE Entreprise software incorporates unique features designed to meet your day-to-day challenges - challenges that other tools leave unanswered.

Because you deserve better than cobbled-together Excel files or unsuitable solutions.

Would you like to regain control of your schedules?
Let's talk about it and find out how Adesoft can make your life easier.