Internal staff training application

Challenge

The Procurement and Supply Chain Management (PSCM) dept sponsored the production of an online training tool to help staff further enhance existing skills or help them attain new ones.

BP wanted to retain, improve and inspire their workforce. To do this, they wanted to build an internal training tool which empowered individuals to enhance existing skills, recognise knowledge gaps and to get the required training. The application accesses BP’s internal org chart application, that identifies the individual, where they sit within the organisation, their superiors, peers and subordinates. Thus, ensuring staff receive the correct training to seek a new career direction that is contextual to their position within the organisation—using their current skills and competencies to help them along the path to a new career within BP.

Our approach

We carried out a UX Discovery & Research, and functional prototyping phase which involved, removing assumptions about what and how users will use the training tool. This type of application was the very first tool of its kind within BP, so we had to gain buy-in from business sponsors and global SME’s. We worked with local SME’s to help guide the vision, alongside a delivery team based in India. We were managing multiple user-lead workshops where we held card sorting, observation and interview sessions. The output of these sessions drove the production of testable wireframes and prototypes. We iteratively improved the prototypes through subsequent usability workshops. We shared our outcomes with the off-shore delivery team to ensure visibility, collaboration and consistency. We also provided another tier of quality assurance in the staging environment.

Outcomes

We created fully annotated documentation of each prototype which was sent to the delivery team to produce the final application. BP now has a tool which integrates existing org chart data and competency-based tools to help staff set out their career path. Staff are now empowered to see options based around their current role, training required, and any knowledge gaps they may have. The tool suggests types of training, whether online or classroom-based.

The successful delivery of the application was made in time for the Town Hall hosted by the Procurement and Supply Chain Management VP. User engagement with the app was greater than expected.

Benefits

Enrolled users have a personalised experience showing personal training required, completed training and the capability to request 360 feedback from peers or teacher regarding current and post-training competencies. All information is then summarily sent to the manager of the individual taking the training for validation and accreditation that they have successfully undertaken the training, and have the requisite competencies to apply for new or more senior roles within the organisation.

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