1. Felste Learning Works, LLC August 2013
The 15-25-30-20-10
Method for Fast,
Low-Cost
e-Learning
K r i s F e l s t e h a u s e n
F e l s t e L e a r n i n g W o r k s , L L C

2. Felste Learning Works, LLC August 2013 22
Agenda
 Overview of the 15-25-30-20-10 Method
 Review of Case Study that Used the Method
 Group Application of the Method

4. Felste Learning Works, LLC August 2013 44
Why a Different Model?
When working fast and low-cost, you
need to:
 Be strategic about what is created.
 Be strategic about the tasks performed.
 Cut out “wasteful” activities that don’t
return maximum value.
The 15-25-30-20-10 Method is a strategic,
streamlined process for working fast and low cost!

5. Felste Learning Works, LLC August 2013 55
The 15-25-30-20-10 Method
Spend 15% of your time
identifying:
• The new skill/behavior
you want learners to
achieve and what that will
look like back on the job
(aka performance or
learning objectives).
• If applicable, the root
causes of the current
behavior.
15%
Analysis

6. Felste Learning Works, LLC August 2013 66
Is Training REALLY a Solution?
 There are 6 basic causes for why employees don’t do what they’re
supposed to do and training can address only ONE of them!
www.ispi.org; Updating [Thomas Gilbert’s] Behavioral Engineering Model, May/June 2003.

7. Felste Learning Works, LLC August 2013 77
The 15-25-30-20-10 Method
15%
Analysis
25% OTJ
Support

8. Felste Learning Works, LLC August 2013 88
The Need for After-Training/OTJ Support
 Research shows that impact of training is realized for only
~15% of training participants! (Brinkerhoff, High Impact Learning, 2001)
 Without follow up, salespeople will lose 80-90 percent of what
they learned in training within just one month! (https://sales-
alliance.com/customized-sales-training-programs/training-myths-facts/)
 1 year after training, trainees lose over 90% of what they
learned! (Arthur, W., Jr., Bennett, W., Jr., Stanush, P. L., & McNelly, T. L. (1998). Factors that
influence skill decay and retention: A quantitative review and analysis. Human Performance, 11, 57–
101.)

9. Felste Learning Works, LLC August 2013 99
The 15-25-30-20-10 Method
• Spend at least 25% of
your time figuring out
ways to support the new
skills/ behaviors once
back on the job.
• Maybe you don’t need
training at all!
• NOTE: Most business
problems cannot be
solved with training.
15%
Analysis
25% OTJ
Support

10. Felste Learning Works, LLC August 2013 1010
The 15-25-30-20-10 Method
• If formal training is
necessary, spend ~30% of
your time extracting the
content from SMEs and
writing and organizing it
WELL.
• See handout for tips for
creating content FAST.
• 2 issues to consider…
15%
Analysis
25% OTJ
Support
30%
Content, if
needed

11. Felste Learning Works, LLC August 2013 1111
What Depth of Learner Mastery Do You NEED?
 Most training does NOT need to create
“masters” of the new behavior/skill.
 If you have systems for
reinforcing/supporting the skill/behavior
back on the job, you only need to get
learners to the beginner level.
 Be strategic about what information you
really need to provide!
 If you need to compromise on content
development, compromise on the DEPTH of
the information provided.

12. Felste Learning Works, LLC August 2013 1212
What Quality of e-Learning Do You NEED to Build?
QUESTION: If you spend 160 hours creating one hour
of e-learning vs. spending 80 hours vs. spending 40
hours - what will be the difference in the return on
learner application and business impact?
 If you want real business impact, spend LESS time building
learning and MORE time creating ways to support learning and
behavioral change back on the job!
 Training without OTJ support does not add much value!

13. Felste Learning Works, LLC August 2013 1313
The 15-25-30-20-10 Method
• If training is necessary
(and maybe even if it’s
not), spend 20% of your
time creating ways for the
learner to apply and/or
practice the new
behavior/skill.
• Practice can be no-frills
and back on-the-job, if
needed.
15%
Analysis
25% OTJ
Support
30%
Content, if
needed
20%
Learner
Practice

14. Felste Learning Works, LLC August 2013 1414
The 15-25-30-20-10 Method
• Spend ~10% of your time
creating ways to assess
learner mastery and/or
evaluate business impact.
15%
Analysis
25% OTJ
Support
30%
Content, if
needed
20%
Learner
Practice
10%
Assessment
/Evaluation

15. Felste Learning Works, LLC August 2013 1515
Overview: Key Take-Aways
 Fast, low-cost projects present a unique opportunity for you to push
back on the business belief/assumption that training will solve any
problem.
 On fast, low-cost projects, invest your time in activities that will
yield high learner application of desired skills/behaviors back on the
job. Maybe you don’t need formal training at all!
 When you need to work fast, be strategic about the LEVEL of learner
mastery you really need to achieve – most training does not need to
produce “masters!”
 Be strategic about the level of e-learning you really NEED to build.
Developing high-quality CBTs/WBTs take a lot of time and resources,
and without appropriate OTJ support, will not yield a high ROI
anyway!

17. Felste Learning Works, LLC August 2013 1717
Situation
 Large, global company.
 Converting major job process to a new,
proprietary software platform.
 Small, global audience.
 Business did not request training support
from L&D until 3 weeks before it was
needed!
 Software developers had not yet
documented any processes or how to use
the platform.
 No test database available for development
or training – learners would have to
practice and master software OTJ.

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Design Approach
 Needed 6.5 total hours of learning.
 SMEs were available to lead virtual debriefs to review key points and
answer questions as needed.
 Almost abandoned idea of creating learning.
 What learners needed most was step-by-step procedures for
performing required tasks with screenshots and examples - loaded
into popular, well-used database for easy employee access.
 Idea was rejected as learners wanted CBTs and self-checks, and
management wanted to track completion.
 Decided to document procedures in Powerpoint that could be:
 Converted to text file for database loading.
 Imported into Captivate; add self-checks; publish as SCORM.

19. Felste Learning Works, LLC August 2013 2020
Phase 1 Training Development Approach
Day 1
 Worked with
SME to outline
content and
draft learning
objectives.
Day 2 Day 3 Day 4
 Recorded SME
via WebEx
performing all
tasks and
explaining all
concepts.
 ID then
transcribed
recording and
created step-
by-step
procedures
with
screenshots
and examples.
 Transcription
completed.
 Self-checks
added.
 Powerpoint
reviewed by
SME.
 Final changes
made to CBT.
 Published and
loaded onto
LMS.
 Content loaded
into searchable
database.
 Final changes
made to
Powerpoint.
 ID imported
slideshow into
Captivate,
added self-
check
questions,
published and
tested CBT.
 SME reviewed.
NOTE: Some modules went faster than this, some slower.
Record was 10 hours development time spread over 2.5
days for 45 minute CBT!
Day 5

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Unexpected Benefits
 When questions/requests for support came to Core Support Team (who
created software), they were able to answer 80% of questions by
providing links to the relevant training content in this database.
 Being able to provide these links greatly increased speed at which the
Core Support Team could respond to support requests.
 In addition, when employees searched the database for problem
resolution, search results led them back to the training content.

21. Felste Learning Works, LLC August 2013 2424
Case Study: Key Take-Aways
 In this situation we did NOT try to achieve learner mastery of required
tasks in training.
 As quality training was not possible, we focused on creating
performance support documentation that could be easily accessed by
learners when they needed to perform the task and used by the Core
Support Team for technical support.
 We did create low-quality CBTs in addition to OTJ support as learners
expected/ demanded CBTs to build confidence.
 Documentation is still used today, indicating the quality of the solution!
 AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: We did not create a formal method for
assessing learner mastery or evaluating business impact. The measures
were there, but not realized until after the roll-out.

23. Felste Learning Works, LLC August 2013 2626
Background
 You work for “KitchenWare,” a national company that sells
commercial kitchen appliances to restaurants and bars.
 KitchenWare has ~2,560 sales reps who work remotely and travel to
restaurants and bars in their assigned districts to sell products.
 The VP of Sales is the head of the sales division.
 You are the Manager of the Sales Training department; you report to
the VP of Sales.
 You have a staff of 5: 1 ID/PM, 3 Sales Trainers, and 1 Training
Coordinator.

24. Felste Learning Works, LLC August 2013 2727
Situation
 It is Friday a.m., 8/23. The VP of Sales calls you into her office. She
just came from a meeting with the President who is very upset!
 An analysis of 2013 product defects/returns revealed a 28%
defect/return rate of the B400 Commercial Blender by customers
who had purchased this blender to make drinks with crushed ice.
 This blender was not designed for this usage. It does not have the
power to crush ice continuously at high cycle times.
 Senior management has decided that the sales reps do not know the
features and functions of Kitchenware’s blenders, are not adequately
pre-qualifying customers, and are not properly matching the right
blender to the right commercial application.
 The VP of Sales wants you to drop everything and quickly put
together an e-learning program that must be ready to deploy to the
sales force on 9/16 (in 3 weeks)!

25. Felste Learning Works, LLC August 2013 2828
Analysis: Objectives and Root Causes
 It’s Friday p.m., (8/23). You’ve called a meeting with the following
people. What questions will you ask?
Ann, VP of
Sales
Mike, Blender Product
Manager
Hideo, Sub-
Regional
Sales
Manager
Sheila, VP of
Sales Operations

26. Felste Learning Works, LLC August 2013 2929
Design Your Solution!
 Design a comprehensive solution that
you (and any others that you reach
out to) can implement by September
16th that will help Kitchenware reduce
the defect and return rate of the
B400 Commercial Blender to under
5% over the next 6-9 months.
 What OTJ support system can you
build?
 What training will you build?
 How will you allow learners to
practice?
 How will you assess learner mastery
and evaluate business impact?

27. Felste Learning Works, LLC August 2013 3030
Key Take-Aways
 Fast, low-budget projects present a unique opportunity for you to push back on the
business belief/assumption that training will solve any problem.
 On fast, low-budgets projects, question the need to build training and instead invest
your time in activities that yield employee application of desired behaviors on the job
and high business impact!
 Be strategic about the depth of learner mastery you really need to achieve.
 Be strategic about the quality level of e-learning you really need to build.
 Get in touch with "how you sink your ship." Emotional responses, inability to focus on
what's most important, and rigid beliefs about how training must be developed (and
how long it takes) are the top things that keep you from being successful in these
situations.
 Stay calm and manage your emotions. Keep things in perspective!
 Don't let others misdirect you to build training when it will NOT solve the problem.
 Try different things. Don’t be afraid to experiment with cutting corners.
 Develop the ability to design and develop training in many different ways - build your
design and development repertoire!
 Judge success by tangible results (learner/business impact) instead of the bumpiness
of the ride.

28. Felste Learning Works, LLC August 2013 3131
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