Online Benchmark Centre launched by Towards Maturity to help Learning & Development deliver results faster and smarter
The internationally recognised benchmarking practice Towards Maturity has launched its online Benchmark Centre at http://mybenchmark.towardsmaturity.org for learning and development professionals who need to accelerate their organisations' performance through effective use of learning technology. Building on the success of its ongoing Benchmark Study, an internationally recognised longitudinal study based on the inputs of 1,200 organisations and 3,000 learners over the last 8 years, this new dynamic, web-based resource supports continuous improvement within the L&D workflow. Organisations are able to review their current processes, compare with established good practices and use expert resources to develop and refine action plans via 24x7 access. The site was officially launched in front of 130 L&D professionals at this year's Learning Technologies Exhibition and Conference (26-27 January 2011).
The internationally recognised benchmarking practice Towards Maturity has launched its online Benchmark Centre at http://mybenchmark.towardsmaturity.org for learning and development professionals who need to accelerate their organisations' performance through effective use of learning technology. Building on the success of its ongoing Benchmark Study, an internationally recognised longitudinal study based on the inputs of 1,200 organisations and 3,000 learners over the last 8 years, this new dynamic, web-based resource supports continuous improvement within the L&D workflow. Organisations are able to review their current processes, compare with established good practices and use expert resources to develop and refine action plans via 24x7 access. The site was officially launched in front of 130 L&D professionals at this year's Learning Technologies Exhibition and Conference (26-27 January 2011).
Use of the Benchmark Centre is free, with a reasonably priced annual subscription giving access to richer functionality via premium membership to save time and deliver ongoing benefits , including templates, expert guides, action planning tools and 6 personalised feedback reports per year to help track progress.
A pilot group of more than 400 organisations who contributed to the 2010 benchmark survey have already received personalised reports which enable them to compare their own progress against the benchmark. With the launching of the new Benchmarking Centre they and new users of the site are now able, having identified areas of priority focus for improvement, to build a tailored action plan with dates and times, which can export to Microsoft Outlook. Going forward they are then able to monitor and quantify the results of their actions. In addition, the system provides personalised support, tips, resources, and areas to think about.
Extensive user testing within the pilot group has helped steer development, and initial user feedback has been highly positive. Fae Longman, responsible for IT training at CMS Cameron McKenna LLP said 'I really welcome the new Towards Maturity Benchmark centre - it is intuitive, easy to use and packed full of useful resources. But it differs from other online sites as the centre helps you act on your benchmark results by providing recommendations for next steps and an action planning area that keeps you on track'
Towards Maturity's Managing Director, Laura Overton, who recently featured at number four in the list of the UK's top 'E-Learning Movers and Shakers', said 'We are finding that more organisations than ever are looking at learning technologies to help deliver responsive solutions to pressing skills and performance issues. Now more than ever, we need to build on established good practice to achieve our goals faster and smarter. We know from the wealth of positive feedback we have received about our work to date that many organisations are already deriving a great deal of value from our benchmarking research - and now we have a tool that places benchmarking within the heart of planning workflow, where it can become a strategic and practical resource for L&D.'
The Towards Maturity Benchmark Centre was developed by the Red E Toolkit team, a partnership between Schemeta and Gooii.