Optimization of
Digital Learning Strategy
About GMF
A unique program of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), the Green Municipal Fund (GMF) government initiative aimed to support the growth of sustainable initiatives across municipalities in Canada.
Key Features
- Digital learning strategy
- Detailed content audit
- 12-month practical action plan
The Challenge
How do you take the “next step” when you don’t know what direction to go in?
This was what GMF was facing in trying to fine tune their learning strategy for the digital age.
With a strong learning team in place, GMF was already doing good work, but they needed to futureproof the organization and stay ahead of their learners (who also happened to be their customers) to ensure they were delivering the value they needed.
Excellence in learning delivery, a strong technology infrastructure, and a clear, practical roadmap for success were critical for GMF as they shifted from being a broker of information to a partner for success. But what that looked like and how that applied to the big picture was where they needed help.
Our Solution
Reimagining a “Learning Strategy” is a daunting task for any organization. That’s why the first goal was to situate the challenge in a highly practical way. Resisting the temptation to get lost in the “strategic” weeds meant looking at GMF’s learning strategy through the lens of two hands-on projects already in the works that would yield tremendous benefit for their organization. This would help position the strategy in a high-application context, ready to put ideas into action — straight out of the gate.
SwissVBS worked with GMF to lay out a concrete vision for the team built on clear, measurable goals with clear ties to the organizational impact. This was followed by an audit of the status quo, which looked into what was working well and what could be improved, both in the short and long term.
Harnessing a user-driven learning unit and increased data-driven learning design, SwissVBS provided a concrete action plan — 30 recommendations in all — clearly mapped out by priority and capability on a 12-month roadmap.
Furthermore, a series of resources focused on capacity-building were made available to GMF’s learning team, which added value to their ongoing conversations as they continued to execute the recommendations in the months to come. A clear action plan was put in place, with pathways to get there in a tangible way.
“In a digital learning context, we asked SwissVBS: ‘Can you help us unearth what it is that we do well, so that we can make space for the things that we might want to do better in the future?’”
Carmen Bohn, Senior Advisor, Knowledge and Sector Development
Results
The findings and recommendations of the engagement instantly breathed new life into the organization, sparking curiosity, gaining alignment and building excitement around a new vision for digital learning for the organization built on data-driven design and increased user-centric experiences.
With a recent renewal of funding, the framing of the strategic conversation couldn’t have come at a better time — especially with increased opportunity for greater strategic investment.
GMF now had a clear path ahead for managing both the short and long term, not only to help their internal team build capacity to execute on high priority items, but also with a clear vision for what may be required externally to meet their goals.
“Since circulating this with the larger team, our learning strategy is definitely gaining tremendous momentum. Everyone is nodding their heads with excitement and applauding this work. This is definitely resonating and we thank SwissVBS for their great work.”
Carmen Bohn, Senior Advisor, Knowledge and Sector Development
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