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Compact, Standard, or Comprehensive?
By the scope of a training course, we mean in this article how much time we take to convey a given set of content. The right amount depends on many factors that you have to weigh up yourself, including:
- Group size: With 5 participants you are of course faster than with 10 or even 15.
- Group composition: How good is the prior knowledge? And how large are the differences between the participants? Addressing basic questions and answering expert questions at the same time takes time.
- What is the goal: Should the participants be able to get started right after the training without any fear of the unknown? Or may the participants also take some time afterwards to get into the topic?
- Exercises: How much time is there for exercises? These take up a relatively large amount of time, but they are also important for a quick application of what has been learned in practice.
- Customer examples: If the customer or individual participants have already implemented specific topics, these can be discussed in the training. You learn best from your own examples, of course.
The decision about which scope of a training course is the right one for your team is something our customers have to make themselves. We offer the following categories, which can of course also be individually adapted:
Compact courses
Short and concise saves costs
The goal of the Compact courses is that all participants have heard the basic theory on the topics.
Examples
- SQLScript Basics: 8h
- SQLScript for BW consultants: 14h
Characteristics
- few exercises
- lecture-style teaching
- Only recommended for smaller, homogeneous groups
- No examples from the participants
- Advanced participants
- Peripheral topics may be dropped
Standard courses
The golden mean
Most courses are booked as Standard courses. These offer a good compromise between cost and benefit. Our open training courses also assume this scope.
Examples
- SQLScript Basics: 12h
- SQLScript for BW consultants training: 21h
Characteristics
- more exercises
- designed for about 10 participants
- Where possible
- additional topics or
- real-life examples from the participants or
- group work
Comprehensive courses
Thorough preparation
The goal of the Comprehensive courses is that afterwards all participants have both theory and practical experience so they can get started with the discussed topics right away.
Examples
- SQLScript Basics: 16h
- SQLScript for BW consultants training: 25h
Characteristics
- Many exercises
- Discussion of examples from the participants
- Also for groups with different experience levels
- Additional topics, e.g. performance
- Group work on the more complex topics (AMDP, BW transformation routines)
An important factor - the content
Sometimes team leaders ask: Couldn't you also include the topic of performance and execution plan analysis in the training? Of course we can, and we are happy to take all of this into account during planning. But additional content takes time. If, however, the time scope of a training is already fixed, then this means that we have to take something out on the other side. Either from the content or from the exercises.
On the other hand, there is often enough the situation that some topics are not relevant for a customer, because certain scenarios do not occur. Accordingly, these topics can be kept brief or left out. Here, a good coordination of the topics for the training in advance is important. And before every online training we also hold a short preliminary meeting about 1 week beforehand with all participants. Here, among other things, we also ask about the participants' prior experience and expectations. This gives us a good picture of the group and allows us to prioritize topics if necessary.
Regardless of the scope of a training - it is your time
Whether Compact or Comprehensive - we always try to provide the maximum benefit for the participants within the booked time. Our goal is therefore not just to convey the planned material. If individual topics are already known or not relevant for the participants, then we are happy to skip them and replace them with more suitable topics, real-life examples, or further exercises.
The feedback from our participants
At the end of our courses, we regularly ask the participants for feedback. And if there is ever something to criticize, then it is usually the following points: We would have liked to have a bit more exercises or time for the topics. That is why we want our customers to decide themselves about the scope of a training. Because you can best weigh effort and benefit against each other.
