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Getting the whole company ready for each release

Employees were meeting new features around the same time customers did. I directed Version Readiness Training, a quarterly program that got more than 5,000 employees ready for each release.

Role
Directed the program as Team Lead
When
Launched in 2022
Scope
Company-wide, every quarter
Worked with
Product management, Customer Success
5,000+

Employees trained each quarter

~1month

From kickoff to a running pilot

Upcoming release Scope content with Product Build new content 4 to 6 one-hour sessions, recorded Completion by department Readiness report to management Each quarter Earlier quarters Final three quarters Release date Sessions during or after release Sessions ahead of release
The quarterly cycle, and the change in its final three quarters: sessions moved ahead of the release date, so departments could discuss features before customers had them.

The situation

Training tended to trail product releases, so employees were meeting new features around the same time customers did. I'd also learned from an earlier program of mine that two-hour live sessions with no recording don't survive a busy quarter.

What I did

  • Stood up a pilot with one Customer Success team in about a month, then directed the program as a mandatory, company-wide training.
  • Scoped each quarter's content with product managers based on what was shipping, and built new content every release cycle.
  • Delivered 4 to 6 one-hour sessions per quarter, all recorded and available afterward.
  • Tracked completion by department and reported readiness to management, so departments could talk through features before customers had them.

Result

More than 5,000 employees, over 90% of the company, went through the program each quarter. In its final three quarters, delivery moved ahead of the release itself.

Building or scaling customer education? Let's talk.

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