Managing (and Leveraging) Managing (and Leveraging) InformationInformation

Rob Gnaedinger – PMP, CITPRob Gnaedinger – PMP, CITPDirector, International Trade ResourcesDirector, International Trade Resources

FITT: FITT: The Professional Path to Global The Professional Path to Global MarketsMarkets

• A Canadian, non-profit organization established by industry and government FITT develops international business programs, sets

competency standards, and designs the certification and accreditation programs for the Certified International Trade Professional (CITP) designation

We provide information to help individuals and businesses compete successfully in global markets

• World-class programs including Going Global Seminar Series & FITTskills courses leading to CITP/FIBP Professional Designation

• Close to 900 members in Canada and internationally• 400+ CITP’s in leadership positions in government,

corporate and entrepreneurial contexts• Annual Conference attended by the elite of the

international trade community

FITT ResourcesFITT Resources

FITTskills – International Market Entry Strategies

Going Global – An Introduction to International Trade Research

CITP Competency Profile

In the past, FITT has been a very paper-based organization

Portfolio managementPortfolio management

•“A portfolio is a collection of projects or programs and other work that are grouped together to facilitate the effective management of that work to meet strategic business objectives.”

Project Management Institute, Standard for Portfolio Management

FITT’s current projectFITT’s current project

Title: • International Skills and Knowledge Development for

SMEsDescription:• FITT will develop, by means of a pilot project, a

business case validating the creation of an e-learning package. The package will address, on a national basis, the skills development needs of SMEs involved in international trade.

Purpose:• The development of an SME learning package is to

provide a skills and knowledge development product that will be used for the purpose of increasing success in the global marketplace by being able to provide just-in-time information.

User scenariosUser scenarios

Clayton M. Christensen, Michael E. Raynor, and Scott d. Anthony, “Six Keys to Creating New-Growth Businesses”, Harvard Management Update, January 2003

•“Instead of designing products and services that dictate consumers’ behaviour, let the tasks people are trying to get done inform your design.”

Build a set of user profiles and user scenarios to understand the necessary information-using agendas:

•User profile – describe key characteristics of members of your user community•User scenarios – describe how the members use your information to get their jobs done

User expectationsUser expectations

Have user profiles and user scenarios changed?•Yes – although our existing customer base still exists, we are getting more and more demands for the creation of customized curricula to address specific knowledge gaps for SMEs

Are our current information development/distribution processes sufficiently able to meet those requirements with a sufficient ROI?

•No (current method of supplying customized information is far too manual)•Examples, EDC, BDC

Today’s information modelToday’s information modelYesterday Today…

Tomorrowoday….Tomorrow

FITT’s Body of Knowledge in

Int’l Trade

FITT’s Body of Knowledge in

Int’l Trade

Information is no longer viewed, and managed, as individual components of a portfolio. Rather, information is now viewed, and managed, as a compendium of existing,

available information (“Body of Knowledge”)

J3 initiativeJ3 initiative

The principle of dynamically providing FITT customers with concise information, when they need it, and in a manner

appropriate to their needs and requirements.

Providing businesses with:• Concise information (“Just Enough”) • When they need it (“Just in Time”)• In a manner appropriate to their needs (“Just For Me”)• Multiple means of access to FITT’s Body of Knowledge (FITT-BoK) :

Paper (classic textbooks, or customized deliverable) Dynamic and interactive websites (eLearning) mLearning, Webinars

Business Need Drivers:• Pulls FITT out of the context of publisher• Development engine of current, flexible, and practical content and

delivery mechanisms for business and educators

Just Enough – Just in Time –Just for Me

J3 initiative(continued)J3 initiative(continued)

Providing FITT customers with:A delivery system that provides on-demand access to FITT-BoK information. This initiative enables information that is:

• Easy to find (accessible)• Timely and accurate• Customizable – to audience type or to satisfy a specific

knowledge gap• Consistently formatted

Providing FITT with:• Effective use of technology to manage knowledge base• Content can be used and repurposed efficiently• Cost Efficiencies

Just Enough – Just in Time –Just for Me

J3 Value PropositionJ3 Value PropositionJ3 provides a foundation for:

•providing FITT customers with multiple means of access to FITT-BoK (in multiple forms) using a variety of media

•improving collaboration within FITT, and with its partners and suppliers to develop and deliver knowledge services

•expediting workflow from the point of origin (SMEs) through information development to a final deliverable

•Introducing technology that accelerates information development updates/changes, and tracks changes among various FITT-BoK outputs (FITTskills, GG, etc)

•managing knowledge electronically so that it can be used and repurposed efficiently

Giving FITT a competitive advantage by leveraging our greatest assets (FITT-BoK and associated Learning Objectives), and thereby

increasing customer loyalty and increasing market share

J3 – Cost EfficienciesJ3 – Cost Efficiencies

Cost efficiencies resulting from the implementation of this J3 Strategy are achieved by:

•creating an information development environment that is homogeneous across all of FITT (and its content providers), for the development/authoring of source materials

•streamlining information development by eliminating the creation of redundant information

•eliminating the distinction between information modules developed for FITTskills, Going Global workshops, and others

•enabling the reuse of information modules across all FITT content types (FITTskills, GG, others)

•enabling the development of information modules that can be used for the output of deliverables in all media (print, web, CD, etc)

J3 – Measures of SuccessJ3 – Measures of Success

J3 should drive new ways of measuring performance for FITT (as well as additional revenue models!).

In addition to metrics such as students trained and units sold, this strategy introduces the following measures of success:

• number of instances of information reuse• time to market for customized courseware• Requests for customized courseware• access to information for online students – eLearning,

mLearning

Today’s Information Today’s Information DemandsDemands

• Move from an ‘event’ to real time, on the job performance support.Including advances in networking to find subject matter expertise

FITT information flowFITT information flow

Leveraging the FITT-Body of Knowledge and associated Learning Tools to meet the diverse needs of business and educational partners.

Old information flow New information flow

Questions?Feedback?

Rob Gnaedinger – PMP, CITPFITT

rob@fitt.caTel: +1 613 230-3553 ext. 110