E-Learning Service Providers Can Transform Your Business In These 3 Ways

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Did you know that job unhappiness is at a record high this year? In their State of the Global Workplace: 2022, Gallup revealed that almost 60% of the global workforce feels emotionally uninvolved and detached from work. 19% of respondents reported feeling downright miserable in their jobs. Companies lost about $7.8 trillion to low employee engagement in 2022! Statistics like this are very concerning. When employees feel detached from the work they do or they experience negative emotions at the workplace, it can have a significant impact on their productivity. By extension, it can derail the achievement of your business goals. One of the main reasons for low employee engagement and higher employee stagnation is poor quality L&D programs and the absence of qualified E-learning service providers. [/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Learning and Development – The Move from Physical to E-Learning”][vc_column_text]During the Covid19 pandemic, many companies could not give their employees the learning they needed to help them gain desired professional growth. According to the research from the Association for Talent Development, investment in L&D came down to, on average, $1267 per employee in 2020 – which was significantly lower than 2019’s $1308 per employee. According to a Gartner survey, almost 40% of respondents felt they didn’t have the right capabilities and solutions to develop powerful and impactful skill development experiences. But, the absence of L&D tech did not douse companies’ desire to maintain a focus on critical upskilling and competency building. Throughout 2020 and 2021, companies brought in qualified E-learning service providers with the expertise, the learning management software, and the online assessment systems necessary to provide a compelling L&D experience to staff. Studies into the effectiveness of e-learning from 2021 and 2022 showed that these online learning sessions were, in most cases, equal to or surpassed the effectiveness of physical training sessions. Of these virtual, E-learning service providers enabled sessions, 55% were live online training, and the rest were self-paced. Today, most organizations have shifted to completely virtual L&D offerings or some form of a hybrid setup through the help of technologically-savvy E-learning service providers. As HR leaders head into 2023, they have plans for innovating for success. They hope to do this through more focused leadership development, robust change management and organizational development, and improved employee experiences. More companies will partner with E-learning service providers to achieve this in 2023. But what benefits do LMS and E-learning service providers offer which make them so integral to the future of employee development and engagement?[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”3 Major Ways E-Learning Will Boost Profits and Revolutionize Your Business”][vc_custom_heading text=”E-Learning Helps Employees Acquire the Most Current Job Market Skills” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left”][vc_column_text]E-learning helps employees engage their mind and their senses. It offers them an opportunity to sharpen rusted skills and to learn new ones. Studies show that the average lifespan of a skill is 5 years. Plus, each year, the competencies and skills needed by employees for a particular job increase by 10%. E-learning service providers can make available the most current tools and assessments employers need to help train their employees correctly. When your workforce is skilled in the correct skill sets, it automatically improves their job performance. Even if employees are on Performance Improvement Programs, you will be better equipped to give them the right training for the future.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”E-Learning Keeps Employees Tech-Savvy and The Company Tech-Driven” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left”][vc_column_text]Industry 4.0 is upon us. E-learning service providers can help companies equip themselves with the technological skills and agility necessary to respond to the changing industry landscape. Most e-learning systems support multi-type content playlists, from static text to AR/VR experiences. Companies can create job-specific simulations that allow teams to learn how to be more effective, productive, and successful on the job. They can test knowledge gained through training using a variety of engaging formats, from multiple-choice quizzes to interactive puzzles. Apart from this, e-learning technology can help businesses get to market faster. E-learning service providers can support teams in product development and quality analysis by providing the most conducive platform to test their offerings. For example, the same AR/VR simulations can be used by employees to try out newly released product features or experiment with workplace tools. This can help them make quick design and functionality decisions and reach customers faster than competitors. What makes the LMS software by e-learning service providers all the more powerful is that they are often cloud-based. Now, training module creators can collaborate more easily on the cloud. Plus, they can quickly share updated content with the audience as their needs change over time.  In fact, Deloitte research shows that SMEs and start-ups that use cloud-based technology (such as LMS) can grow 26% faster and experience about a 21% increase in profits.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”E-Learning Can Improve Training Effectiveness While Reducing Company Errors and Mistakes” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left”][vc_column_text]Speaking of technology, these tech-centric e-learning service providers can help high-risk industries by giving their employees intensive scenario-based training. Take industries like safety/security services, chemical formulation, or oil & gas. By working with a multitude of AI-generated scenarios and AR/VR-enabled experiences, teams can learn the exact procedures and processes to follow when dealing with various situations in real-time. This can save companies from making expensive mistakes resulting from regulatory non-conformance, safety issues, and legal battles. Additionally, through e-learning, employees can stay abreast with industry changes and developments. They can also become cognizant of how their company is currently responding – and how they should respond – to these changes. Poll/quiz-based or case-study-centric self-paced training modules can be particularly powerful in these situations. This, too, can help the organization work smart and avoid errors. Finally, e-learning service providers can play a pivotal role in meeting compliance requirements. This could be in the form of helping employees learn about important operations regulations (such as GDPR) or workplace protections (such as Sexual harassment protection rights). Since non-compliance with any local or international regulations can result in millions of dollars worth of damages, not to mention the financial loss incurred due to loss of customer patronage, timely e-learning can prevent major problems. [/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Choosing the Right E-Learning Service Providers Can Make a Profound Difference for Your Company”][vc_column_text]Before we talk about e-learning service providers, let’s discuss this: Did you know that job unhappiness is at a

Should You Implement an LMS Yourself or Hire a Provider?

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]An LMS is a kind of software application, also known as a learning management system, that helps educators manage and track the progress of students’ learning. It provides a platform for educators to share resources, manage assignments, and track student performance. The LMS market is projected to become a US$29 billion industry by 2026. LMSs enable educators to create and administer tests, manage student files, and communicate with students and parents. In other words, a good LMS can make your job as an educator much easier and more efficient. When choosing an LMS, it’s important to consider your needs and preferences. Some features you might want to consider are the system’s capabilities, how easy it is to use, and the number of features it offers. They can either be implemented independently or accessed by hiring LMS providers. [/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”What is the Use of an LMS?”][vc_column_text]An LMS is a software system that helps educators manage and check the progress of students’ education. It provides a user-friendly platform for administrators to monitor and track the academic resources and assignments for students, as well as communicate with students and their families. LMSs are commonly used in schools, colleges, universities, and other educational institutions. They are a great way to keep an eye on students’ progress and evaluate the progress of your courses. They also make it easy to create and manage course materials and can help you monitor student grades and attendance.  In addition, LMSs can help you create online forums and discussion boards, which can be a great way to connect with your students and provide them with valuable feedback.  Finally, LMSs can help you manage your online course content and promote it through social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. So if you’re looking for a way to improve your teaching skills and track student progress, a learning management system is a great option.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Building an LMS By Yourself Vs. Hiring LMS Providers”][vc_column_text] Expertise: Although one can build an LMS on their own, it won’t be as perfect as what is required to run it perfectly. So, expert LMS providers would definitely help in this case and perfectly fulfill the requirements you have from the LMS.  Cost: The second argument that comes up is the cost of making an LMS. Building an LMS is a strenuous affair. You need a solid plan, a tie-up with an LMS design partner, find the MVP, choose the UX, test the LMS solution on users, and more. All of these can pose problems if you do not have the know-how of the process. In contrast, professional LMS providers have all of these at their disposal. They can conveniently understand your LMS requirements and provide cost-optimized solutions.  Time: This is an important aspect of an LMS. You would be spending a lot of time creating an LMS, and there is no surety that it would fulfill your needs. In contrast, LMS providers have adequate expertise in creating LMSs in time.   User Experience: This is one of the most important aspects that must be perfect. This can be best provided to users when an expert works on it. So, an LMS provider is the best choice to give your users the best experience.  [/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Should You Implement an LMS Yourself or Hire a Provider?”][vc_column_text]When it comes to LMSs, there’s a lot of confusion among business owners. On the one hand, many believe they can build their own LMS from scratch. However, this is not always the case – and in some instances, it can be very difficult and time-consuming to create an LMS from scratch.  Instead, hiring LMS providers to create and manage a professional LMS for you is often more cost-effective. There are several reasons why: For one, a provider will already have experience creating and managing LMSs, making the process smoother and easier.  Providers typically have access to a wide range of features and capabilities you may not be able to explore by yourself.  LMS providers have proven capabilities in course management, online learning, and student tracking. In addition, they typically offer various customization options, allowing you to tweak your LMS to reflect your specific needs. So if you are looking for an LMS that meets your specific needs, a provider is the best option you could go for. This would ensure that all the needs and requirements associated with the LMS are fulfilled by the LMS provider itself, and there would be no stress for the management. [/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”How to Choose the Best LMS Provider?”][vc_column_text]LMS providers make your system more effective and relevant to your business’ needs. So, hiring an LMS provider can be a great way to improve your business processes and drive ROI. Although there are many LMS providers in the market, finding the best one isn’t always easy. The best LMS provider is the one that allows you to manage and circulate your training and educational materials seamlessly. They help you improve productivity and ensure your employees or students get the right training materials.  Presently, reputed LMS providers like Hurix provide customizable white-label systems with perpetual Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). It is also wise to choose an LMS based on Moodle architecture, as it is open-source, enabling your LMS to be more customizable. Moreover, check whether the LMS is mobile and intranet compatible or not. The best LMS must provide convenient integration capabilities with third-party tools and external systems.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Conclusion”][vc_column_text]Now that you know the top differences between building LMS and hiring LMS providers, you should be able to make an informed decision. Hiring LMS providers is often the best option rather than creating one on your own. Choosing an LMS provider can be less costly and non-time-consuming, making it important to seriously consider this option. When choosing an LMS, it’s important to evaluate your business needs. Do you need a platform that’s easy to use? Is storage space a priority? Is customization important to you? Once you’ve determined your needs, you can connect with the best LMS provider and explain your needs.

Why Your Company Should Invest in a Modern and User-Friendly Training Management System

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A lot of corporate offices and educational institutes rely on management systems to educate and train their employees/students. Training management systems (TMS) and learning management systems share a thin line and complement each other.  Consequently, both of them might seem similar to each other, but there is a crucial difference between the two.  Learning management systems (LMS) only manages eLearning for its user, whereas a training management system (TMS) handles both learning and instructor-led training. There are a lot of other things a training management system can do, like administering, delivering, reporting, analyzing, scheduling, booking, attendance tracking, and much more.  If you are looking to invest in a training management system and are still confused about your decision, you are at the right place. Let us begin with the basics to allow you to make an informed decision. [/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”What is a Training Management System?”][vc_column_text]A training management system, also known as training management software, is a two-in-one system used by multinational companies, corporate offices, and educational institutes to manage their employee training requirements and back-office administrative duties.  Each department in a company has different administrative and training needs. It would be a waste of time to train employees of different departments through a singular training module. At the same time, making a different set of training modules for each department manually can be an extremely time-consuming and exhausting task.  This is where a training management system comes into play.  It can organize, schedule, moderate, and run multiple sets of training modules at the same time. You will also not have to worry about menial tasks like classroom booking, attendance marking, other class-related communications, etc., as the training management system will take care of everything. The management system market is expected to grow from USD 14.43 billion in 2021 to USD 40.95 billion in 2029. The global pandemic of COVID-19 played a huge role in its expansion.  Hence, if you are planning to invest in a modern and user-friendly training management system, now is the right time.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Features of a Training Management System”][vc_column_text]A training management system comes with numerous features and capabilities. Some of the main features you will find in all training management systems are:  Online Registration System  Imagine this. Your company just went through a major hiring process, and you have more than 500 new employees. All of them must undergo new employee briefing and orientation followed by a detailed orientation from their respective departments.  How much time will it take to register them for training manually? The probability of wrong enrolment or other confusion is also high during the manual registration process.  Keeping this in mind, training management systems offer an online registration system. The new employee can log into the portal and register themselves for all the mandatory and other additional training modules they might want to attend. This will be followed by automatic attendance tracking and report generation after the training has been successfully conducted.  It will also allow the employees to build their trust and comfort in the company through a smooth and convenient onboarding and training process.  Course Management  Training management can organize and run multiple courses and training modules at the same time. Additionally, through its course management system, the admin can also add and create new modules whenever necessary, along with being able to alter the existing ones.  Through the course management feature, it is also easy and quick to enroll new participants anytime, depending on the onboarding and off-boarding process. The attendance of the users will be automatically marked, and their progress can be tracked with the click of a few buttons.  Third-Party Integrations  In case there are some functionalities the training management system does not offer, then that gap can be filled through third-party integrations. For instance, you can easily integrate your TMS with accounting partners and payment providers to streamline your monthly payroll.  Some other basic third-party integrations almost all TMS offer are Adobe Experience Manager, Canva, Google Chrome, Google Slides, HubSpot CRM, Microsoft Word, Shopify, etc.  Automated Communication There are numerous reminders you might have to send to your employees each day. With a training management system, you can set up automated communications through emails and SMSs. You can set the template and time for each reminder to be sent out.  Additionally, you can also make different emailing groups according to the different departments of your company.  These management systems also offer numerous pre-made templates for each email you send. You can customize these templates as and when needed. Some common categories of pre-made email templates are reminder emails, meeting alert emails, motivational emails, etc.  Finance and Accounting  A training management system is built to increase productivity by automating necessary routine tasks. Accounting and financing is one such mundane task that must be looked after every day with great precision and focus.  As a result, a training management system provides various features related to finance and accounting, like price agreement templates, automated payment reminders, payroll management, cancellations management, payment tracking, invoice generation, customer credit line management, and much more.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Additional Benefits of a Training Management System”][vc_column_text]Some more advantages and benefits of a training management system are:  Increases both employer and employee productivity  Sets in place a streamlined training management process for employees  Enhances employee engagement with the company  Supports and promotes a healthy corporate work culture  Allows both online and offline employee training capabilities  Automated scheduling and tracking Regular reporting analytics training  Regularly takes employee feedback for improvement  Saves precious money and time [/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Closing Thoughts”][vc_column_text]Hope the information mentioned above has been beneficial in helping you decide whether it would be wise to invest in training management software. There are numerous training management systems available in the market. Make sure you do proper research and closely look through all the features before making a final choice.  You can check out Hurix, a digital platform offering exceptional management system services since 2000. Some of its existing key customers are Sage Publishing, Philips, FedEx, Deloitte, Ikea, and many more. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][/vc_row]

How to solve your training effectiveness problems with LMS?

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Increasing the effectiveness of training programs while allocating training resources is one of the top priorities for any organization. The simple reason for this is the fact that a training program that is optimized to save time and cost benefits both the learners and companies in the long run. However, gathering training data and ensuring its effectiveness can be a challenging task for most organizations. This post explores the challenges you might face in tracking training data, some proven solutions for overcoming those challenges, and key steps for evaluating training effectiveness. How an LMS Can Help You Resolve Your Training Effectiveness Problems An LMS can cater to a range of training effectiveness challenges and offer multiple benefits to both learners and organizations. Let’s look at them in detail here: Irrelevant Training Material When it comes to organizational learning and training, learners are most excited about the relevance of training in their day-to-day work or its applicability to their respective career goals. However, training content that is not updated or relevant can lead to no results in terms of both employee upskilling and alignment of learning with overall business objectives. How to Tackle this? Regardless of the time learners spend on training – daily, weekly, or annually – make sure to perform content audits regularly to identify which learning material is relevant and which needs updating. Leveraging a robust learning management system enables you to store all your training content efficiently and revisit it when needed to make updates. To further improve the relevance of your training material and ensure that it is up to date, you can personalize the same by using LMS features that enhance the overall learner experience. Among these include: Leveraging individualized learning paths Categorizing learning outcomes into essential/must and nice-to-have for individual roles undergoing training. To engage your learners more with nice-to-have content, you can use techniques such as gamification through rewards, badges, and points. Conducting post-training/learning feedback surveys to determine the effectiveness of the content as well as what learners found most useful and identify the areas of improvement. Focusing on content targeted by the learner role or content that is localized to their specific region or country. High Training Costs One of the significant problems most L&D programs face is the high costs associated with them and proving training ROI, especially when you don’t have anything more than qualitative data and anecdotal evidence of the impact of your training program. How to Tackle this? One of the best ways to manage the costs associated with a training is to move your training online. This not only eliminates the need for travel and venue costs but also cuts down on facilitation costs. You can do this by leveraging a high-performing and cost-effective LMS from a renowned vendor. As a part of the L&D team in your organization, you can choose the training material/workshops where classroom training is essential and upload the remaining material as learning nuggets on your LMS. The idea here is to strike the right balance and ensure that you move most of your content to an LMS, thus saving costs and also allowing your trainers to spend quality time with learners on the more important engagements. Busy Employee Schedules Employees often find it challenging to take time out for training due to hectic schedules. Besides, traditional learning involves a lengthy process of bringing all learners and experts under one roof and making arrangements for learning resources. How to Tackle this? An LMS can be a great tool here as it helps solve the problem of hectic employee schedules through the quick distribution of knowledge to various stakeholders using a micro-learning approach and delivering content in small, nugget-sized chunks. This can be anything from infographics, short videos, checklists, GIFs, and more. Since an LMS is easy to develop and also has different content formats as well as an interactive approach, it also reduces the time required to internalize the knowledge. The shorter duration of each course also means it’s a much simpler and faster way to retain bite-sized information. Another important consideration here is to optimize your training for smart or mobile devices as it allows learners to access the content anytime, anywhere. A Dispersed Workforce Another common challenge related to training effectiveness is a dispersed workforce struggling with the logistical difficulties of traditional learning. For instance, arranging a simple training course for your team can involve bringing several experts from around the world to a different location, getting all the resources ready in one place, booking a space, and more. This can both reduce the effectiveness of training and also make the delivery of these courses unpredictable. How to Tackle this? An LMS or learning management system, because of its online accessibility, can resolve all of these issues. Since no physical presence is required for these courses and the learning process simply requires employees to log into the software or upload relevant courses, it helps maintain consistency in distributing knowledge. You can do this by: Using various social tools such as webinars, online forums, video conferences, etc., to unify the teams spread across the globe Clearly state your training goals from the beginning so that everyone in the team has set expectations of the training as well as the expected outcomes. Leveraging training to build two-way communication where webinars and online forums offer a space to ask questions, raise concerns, or share individual experiences. Lack of Engagement When it comes to learning and development, every employee has their own learning pace and retention power. Lack of employee engagement is a common challenge that an increasing number of organizations face in a traditional learning setup, where learners often have to adapt to a standardized learning pace. How to Tackle this? The fact that LMS courses are self-paced is a huge advantage as it allows individuals to learn as per their own schedules and choose their unique learning pace. Apart from this, a good learning management system also gives you the benefit of

Why you should upgrade your LMS?

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Steve Jobs said: Learn continually. There’s always “one more thing” to learn. This quote epitomizes the state of learning in the world of work today more than ever before.  Automation, AI/ML-powered technology, and hybrid workplaces have accelerated the pace at which changes in roles and skills evolve in the modern world.  Continual learning empowers professionals and businesses to stay relevant, and to facilitate this process, businesses must build capabilities to deploy learning in a faster, more effective, and scalable way.  The first Moodle or Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment was introduced in 2000, enabling learners to download the application and start learning instantly. Since then, Learning Management Systems (LMS) have evolved significantly, adding new features and functionalities.  However, most organizations are still operating with an outdated legacy LMS that is not learner-friendly. Hence, they are unable to harness and deploy learning at the pace at which the future of work is evolving.  Limitations of Legacy LMS  Most legacy LMS comes with several limitations, thus hindering the learning curve in organizations: Incompatibility with mobile phones Cannot be customized by organizations Low on scalability  Not user-friendly for admins Data vulnerable to security attacks Limited data analytics and reporting capabilities  On the other hand, learning in 2022 is a real-time, highly intimate, interactive, and collaborative activity that is facilitated by learning on the cloud.  Impact of an Ineffective LMS Learnability has a high premium in the workplace of the future. Considered to be a combination of curiosity, habit, and the practice of learning, a high learnability quotient enables professionals and teams to perform better and bring innovation to their work. A superior LMS activates all three attributes of learnability. On the other hand, the cost of a redundant LMS has a domino effect on business outcomes:   When employees struggle with new roles, this can bring on demotivation, which leads to a higher employee turnover.  It results in low productivity, which impacts business outcomes driven by teams.  Inefficient work can result in increased expenditure due to loss of customers and even lawsuits.  Companies lose their competitive edge when workers cannot keep up with the shifts in the market, thus leading to the loss of consumers and clients.  8 Advantages of the New-Age LMS Organizations operating with a legacy LMS must consider upgrading their existing LMS with immediate effect to nurture a competitive edge in their workforce.  Companies that see this as an investment and not a cost will be able to turn around any lacunae in learning. This, in turn, enables businesses to enhance employee performance, lower attrition, foster change management, and go to market faster with new projects.   Here are 8 advantages delivered by the modern cloud-based LMS:  It is Accessible Everywhere Cloud computing has changed the nature and texture of online learning engagement, enabling users to access the LMS anytime, anywhere. Learners can refer to online learning resources on-demand, giving them the flexibility to learn based on real-time needs.  Expedited Course Creation  With skills, knowledge, and roles changing so fast, organizations must be able to add new courses to their curriculum with ease and speed. A modern LMS is equipped with tools that enable this capability. Hence, the turnaround time for new programming has come down significantly. Companies can create courses using several content formats, including video content, interactive content, audiobooks, collaborative assignments, webinars, and online lectures.  Ease of Management Admins can manage courses, add and manage users, and run daily learning schedules with ease from a unified dashboard. Another key advantage of an upgraded LMS is the analytics and reporting capabilities, which admins can leverage to keep track of learner trajectories. This enables admins to change training tracks and also understand which resources and tools are working for learners.  Delivering a User-Friendly Experience Admins, trainers, employees, customers, and clients, are all users of the LMS. A cloud-based LMS offers a seamless user experience that is engaging and easy to navigate because of the well-designed interfaces that enable multiple user profiles to use one platform. This enables multiple stakeholders to collaborate and find solutions within the desired time frame.  Integration with Multiple Tools Interconnectedness is a core value in today’s online world. Hence, an LMS needs to enable ease of integration with tools that are used by the users daily. These can include file hosting services, customer relationship management systems, content management systems, online shop platforms, calendars, webinar integration, and team management systems. Seamless integrations offer an uninterrupted, enhanced user experience.  Enables Scalability As businesses scale, the number of users of the LMS will also grow. This means that the LMS must be able to accommodate new users and provide a seamless experience without the entire system crashing down! Data security must also factor in, with various safeguards installed to secure it.  Live Conferencing Functionalities  In an era where video conferencing and live sessions are the norms, an LMS also offers a facility that enables organizations to connect various stakeholders within one platform. For instance, employees can easily engage with trainers, experts, and guest speakers for live sessions, demos, and other learning activities.  Round-the-Clock Maintenance and Support A robust Moodle-based LMS system comes with complete and comprehensive maintenance and support. Ensure that your LMS partner has a dedicated team that can provide Moodle-specific expertise to address all concerns and saves precious time on any difficulties.  In Conclusion  By upgrading their LMS, a company is not merely replacing a functional tool with a more sophisticated one – they are also investing in building a culture of learnability, a core value of the future of work. All stakeholders can continually build their skills, knowledge, and digital savviness. Moreover, they can do it on-demand, find solutions in real-time, and raise their productivity and commitment to excellence.  Upgrading your LMS does not need to be an overwhelming and expensive process, provided you partner with the right LMS platform provider.   If your startup or business is looking to access a state-of-the-art LMS designed to equip your teams with the right learnability tools, Hurix Digital is geared to

Why Does Your Organization Need a Business Analyst?

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In today’s competitive market space, businesses looking to achieve desired success are required to take advantage of every tool and resource within their reach. They also need to constantly work on organizing discussions between the business users to understand their business requirements for change and then communicate the same to the IT staff so they can work on fulfilling the expectations of various stakeholders. This is where business analysts come in! Business analysis is essentially a combination of deriving deeper insights from data using specific techniques and performing different tasks to identify the needs of a business, followed by recommending necessary changes and offering solutions that generate value for the stakeholders. This blog aims to explore business analyst skills, business analyst job descriptions, and why your organization needs a business analyst. Who is a Business Analyst? A business analyst (BA) is a person who narrows down the gap that exists between information technology (IT) and the business by using data analytics to assess different processes and make data-driven recommendations to executives and various other stakeholders. Involved in various problem-solving techniques, BAs employ a range of statistical and interpersonal skills such as SQL and visualization tools such as Tableau, Excel, and R in a business setting.  Why Does Your Business Need a Business Analyst? Some of the top reasons why your business needs a business analyst services are: A. Performing Feasibility Studies BAs can be instrumental in conducting feasibility studies for an organization. A feasibility study is primarily a process of determining whether the potential idea of a project/system is feasible or not. For instance, by performing a feasibility study, BAs ensure that a project is technically/legally/economically feasible. With this study, BAs also aim to systematically and objectively assess as well as identify both the strengths and weaknesses of an existing business or proposed idea. By conducting feasibility studies, business analysts also ensure that your organization gets the benefit of: Identifying new opportunities Improving project teams’ focus Narrowing down the business alternatives Offering valuable information for a go/no-go project decision Identifying a genuine reason to undertake the project Enabling decision-making on the project Enhancing the success rate by evaluating multiple parameters B. Performing Risk Assessments and Preparing a Mitigation Plan Risk assessment is one area that businesses use to spot areas of uncertainty that could affect value. The process of risk assessment helps in the analysis of those uncertainties along with developing and managing the associated risks. One of the key focus areas of business analysts’ job description when working for an organization is to understand such risks associated with a project, assess them, and properly manage them by preparing a mitigation plan to help support project success. If BAs find that adequate controls have not been put in place, they create plans for mitigating, avoiding, or modifying these risks. Besides, business analysts also ensure that risk management is performed regularly and throughout the project’s lifecycle. To ensure this, they work in collaboration with various stakeholders to help identify new risks and constantly monitor identified risks. C. Identifying and Defining New Business Opportunities Identifying business needs and defining new business opportunities is another critical business analyst skill that can do wonders for your organization. The several ways they do this are: Conducting market research or identifying new business opportunities brought about by the actions of a vendor/competitor Deriving the opportunity from a strategic goal or initiative of the organization Identifying a requirement or an opportunity from a complaint made by a business user about an existing system issue and/or performing a subsequent root cause analysis Deriving an opportunity from an enterprise analysis activity such as SWOT Analysis, Capability Gap Analysis, or Product Feasibility Analysis D. Writing a Detailed Business Case Business analysts’ job also involves writing a detailed business case for your organization. It primarily outlines an opportunity as well as a recommendation to invest the business resources and how to take advantage of it. Put simply, the business case written by a BA acts as a marketing or sales brochure for the business/project idea. The primary purpose of a detailed business case is to sell a viable solution for an identified/defined business problem or new product to the company. Some of the ways writing a business case can help your organization include: Offering insights into the viability of your project, solution, or idea Prioritizing projects Supporting a feasibility study E. Act as a Communication Bridge Between Different Stakeholders A business analyst serves as the communication bridge between the various stakeholders involved, including the business users and the technical IT people. Apart from contributing significantly to the success of IT projects in your organization, there are several other benefits of having a dedicated business analyst, as they: Prepare detailed reports on project scoping, planning as well as management in terms of both costs and schedule Deliver a clear scope of a project from a business perspective Elicit the real business requirements of users and effectively manage the expectations  Improve the overall quality of design for the proposed IT system in a way that meets the user requirements F. Strategizing BAs in an organization are also responsible for strategizing and creating new models that support key business decisions. They achieve this by collaborating and working closely with different teams, including financial reporting and IT teams, to establish a range of initiatives and strategies aimed at improving processes and optimizing costs. To be able to achieve this, BAs display a strong understanding of both regulatory and reporting requirements along with an experience in areas such as budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis, coupled with an understanding of key performance indicators. To Conclude  From an organizational perspective, the business analyst job description is constantly evolving. This is mainly because an increasing number of companies today rely on data to assess and advise their business operations. However, it is important to remember that every organization might have different issues that business analyst services can address, and you need to hire them to resolve your business’

A New Approach for the Emerging Hybrid Workforce

A New Approach for the Emerging Hybrid Workforce Two years have passed since the pandemic pushed us inside our homes. Offices around the world shifted to remote work to account for the months of lockdown. Now, things are getting back to normal and many organizations are asking employees to join the office. However, not everyone wants to go back to constricted cubicles or travel for an hour to reach work. Many still want to work remotely and maybe attend the office one or two days a week. That is giving rise to a hybrid workforce that will change how we work. Naturally, such a change in working patterns is bound to bring in challenges. CEOs and managers would need to adapt and think out of the box to maintain productivity. Let’s explore how you can make that possible.   What is a Hybrid Workforce? Remote work became a norm across industries during the lockdown. At that time, nobody thought we would be attending to our duties from home for such a long time. As a result, employees became used to sending emails and coding from home. However, now the time has come to return to the office. Yet, not all employees or employers want work to happen in a brick-and-mortar office. Over 50% of private and government employees would prefer to work remotely for 3 or more days in a week. Additionally, 52% of employees want a more flexible working model, according to McKinsey. Therefore, it is evident that we are experiencing a disruption in how we work. Employers will now have to adapt and be flexible if they still want to attract top talents. So, we are likely to see hybrid working models coming up that blend remote and in-office work. Such working models are going to become more common as that’s what employees expect. The population of employees working under a hybrid working model is a hybrid workforce. They work from home for the majority of the days and attend the office only to collaborate or brainstorm. The Emergence of a Hybrid Workforce How we work is changing fast. Employees are demanding more flexible working models and employers are looking to accommodate their demands. Most of them are happy, as flexible working boosts productivity and employee satisfaction. It also saves them significant overheads that bring down the cost. As a result, 66% of leaders are thinking of redesigning their workspaces to suit hybrid working models. Moreover, business leaders are spending on technology to make sure distance doesn’t become a barrier. They are also going over the foreseeable challenges that come in the way of implementing a hybrid working model. In addition, they are considering the hiccups that they might experience to accommodate a hybrid workforce. The situation needs a complete change of approach and thinking from scratch. You need to evaluate what you learned from remote working and how to blend it with in-office work. The process and steps will vary based on businesses and industries. However, you can still make an effort to ensure you can provide a smooth journey for your hybrid workers. We will explore how you may change your approach and welcome a hybrid workforce with open arms. The Right Approach to Make Hybrid Employees Work Productively A well-thought approach and right planning can go a long way to make your hybrid workforce excel. The first step is to take a hard look at how your employees worked and what’s changed after the pandemic. This approach will give you vital clues to form meaningful insights to make informed decisions. You can then take the steps below to improve the outcomes: Bring a Change in Leadership Mindset Not every employer is comfortable with remote working. They fear losing control and productivity as employees don’t work inside the office. Additionally, they worry working from home won’t be feasible in the long run. However, that is a mindset issue, says George Penn, vice president, advisory, Gartner (HR). He feels leaders should really dig into research and numbers to understand how hybrid work enhances engagement. Moreover, he suggests business leaders focus on outcomes. Worrying about time spent is not the right way to make the most of a hybrid workforce. Instead, you need to set your goals and connect with your employees. Additionally, companies should try to foster a culture where hybrid work is welcomed. It is necessary to go beyond hours worked and look at the productivity of hybrid work to understand its benefits. Penn says organizations that are aligned with the labor market will emerge as leaders. Companies that excel at talent management should also find the change easy. Form Emotional Connections Working from home for extended periods can bring down motivation and productivity temporarily. Employees might not be able to form meaningful connections with their managers or supervisors. As a result, they might not be able to fulfill their objectives, which, in turn, would hamper business performance. For this reason, employers should inspire and form meaningful connections with their employees. It is also the reason 40% of CEOs in Canada want to instill a culture based on values and purpose. Additionally, you should try to establish a common objective that your hybrid workforce can work towards. It also pays to align your organization’s mission with a broader goal that impacts the community. For example, you can tie your mission to conserving the environment to make your hybrid employees relate. Other examples of broader goals include well-being, social justice, eradicating poverty, and more. Moreover, you can make your hybrid workforce relate to your customers. This is essential as working remotely may not provide your employees a chance to meet clients. You can take cues from your marketing team and create customer personas to overcome the challenge. It allows you to create a picture of the ideal customer that you want to target. Employers can also form meaningful connections through ways like storytelling and face-to-face meetings. Empower Your Hybrid Workforce Many companies have already implemented a hybrid working model. They are

Why Do You Need End-to-End Testing?

In end-to-end testing, the entire software product from beginning to end is tested to make sure that the application (flow) behaves as required.  End-to-end testing verifies if all components of a system are able to perform optimally under real-world scenarios. Mainly, end-to-end (E2E) testing is used to test the software system from the end user’s perspective by simulating the real user scenario. It is also used to validate the system and its components for integration and data integrity. Software systems are increasingly complex and interconnected with a number of subsystems, so much so that in case any one of the subsystems fails, the entire system could crash. Such a huge risk can be avoided by conducting end-to-end testing. Technological advancements enable modern software systems to allow interaction among subsystems. Regardless of the subsystem being the same as or different from the main system and regardless of the subsystem being within or outside the organization, subsystem failures can adversely affect the entire system. Such system risks can be avoided by: verifying the system flow, expanding the test coverage areas and detecting bugs involving the subsystem. Thus, end-to-end testing has been widely adopted because of: Expanded test coverage Guaranteed correctness of the application Reduced time to market Reduced cost Detection of bugs An end-to-end testing lifecycle comprises four components: Test planning: This component decides the key tasks, associated schedule, and the required resources. Test design: This component concerns the test specifications, test case generation, risk analysis, usage analysis, and scheduling tests. Test execution: This component is all about executing test cases and documenting testing results. Results analysis: This component is about analyzing test results, evaluating, and performing additional testing if necessary. Methods of end-to-end testing Horizontal E2E testing It is a commonly used, well-known method. Horizontal testing brings in the user’s perspective by confirming if a user can navigate through a system easily; if the system works as required; and if there are any unexpected bugs or exceptions. It occurs horizontally across the context of multiple applications and takes place in a single Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).  Vertical E2E testing Vertical end-to-end testing occurs in layers: that is, the tests happen in sequential, hierarchical order and every component of a system is tested from start to finish in order to ensure quality. Vertical end-to-end testing is typically used in a system without UI or the UI has a high technical skill-cap. Drawbacks of E2E testing in contrast to today’s software testing In software testing, smaller tests are performed at a faster pace and end-to-end testing is used only for final integration and pre-release evaluation. An example is the Testing Pyramid of software testing that is compared with end-to-end testing. At the bottom of the testing pyramid, there is unit testing. It addresses smaller pieces of the system or code and is, therefore, faster and more efficient than end-to-end testing. A bug spotted in an end-to-end test could be anywhere in the system and would take longer to fix but one that is found in a unit test would need far less time to fix. Integration in the middle section tests how multiple units operate together with a proper flow of information. It is similar to vertical end-to-end testing as it tests the underlying framework of the user interface. The final/top portion of the Testing Pyramid involves a small amount of end-to-end testing (or UI testing) where the system is tested horizontally as a whole. Therefore, most part of the testing is unit testing followed by integration testing which is further followed by end-to-end testing. Despite its strengths, end-to-end testing is no longer widely used in software testing. It has been supplanted by other testing methodologies. The latest software development cycles tend to employ some form of Agile Development such as DevOps which is a fast-paced, team effort approach to software development. As it turns out, end-to-end testing is too slow for Agile methods of software development. At Hurix, we recreate real-world user scenarios, so that the system is validated for data integrity and integration and ensure the end-to-end testing is done with maximum efficiency.  To know more about Backend Testing solutions from HurixDigital, please write to us at marketing@hurix.com.

Why Localization Testing Must Be Your Top Priority?

The main goal of a mobile application developer or marketer is to increase the app’s visibility and exposure. This translates to an increase in the app’s monthly active users (MAU) and finally the revenue. To maximize or optimize the application’s reach, it should be customized to serve different users located in different places with different tastes and preferences. This customization is possible through mobile app localization. Mobile app localization enables access to a global market. It increases app downloads, lends a competitive edge, and enhances sales. Instabug cites a study by Distomo, which showed that localizing apps resulted in 128% more downloads per country with a 26% increase in revenue for each country added via app localization – all this within a week of releasing the localized app. Let us walk through the mobile app localization process and discuss the different steps and the important aspects that need to be focused on during the process. What Is Mobile App Localization? Localization is the customizing of the app to work in languages other than the default language. Localization includes different spoken variations and dialects of the same language, referred to as locales. In localization testing, the native mobile app is tested on iOS and Android devices with various language and localization settings. A locales is a combination of the language and the country/region that it is spoken in. For instance, English as spoken in the United States versus Canada or the United Kingdom; or Spanish in Spain, Mexico, and Argentina.  Locales are often named using two letters referring to the language, followed by two letters referring to the country. For example:  en_UK: English — United Kingdom en_CA: English — Canada en_US: English — United States Where the language is not spoken in any other country, only the language code is used. For example:  fi: Finnish lt: Lithuanian Why localize mobile apps? It is clear that making the app in English might suffice to gain exposure to an international clientele, but it is not possible to tap into huge markets that are mostly non-English speaking. Non-English speaking countries of Europe and East Asia have been dominating in terms of app downloads and revenue: they constitute 50% of the countries/regions in the top 10 for downloads and revenue in iOS App Store, and 80% of the countries within the top five for downloads and revenue in Google Play. Mobile app localization customizes your app based on different demographics, thereby attracting new audiences and opening new doors to the hitherto unexplored markets. This will boost the overall growth in terms of MAU and revenue. Differences between Mobile App Localization and Mobile App Internationalization Some of us confuse mobile app localization with internationalization, deeming them to be the same thing. But, while they are dependent on each other, they are two separate processes. The process of customizing your code to be ready for localization and to be modified and released in multiple languages is Internationalization. While localization is the customizing of the content, internationalization is the customizing of the code. Internationalization always needs to be one step ahead of the mobile app localization process because the code needs to be ready to manage/handle the localized content when it is created. Localization need not be planned ahead of the development process but internationalization does. More often than not, it becomes very difficult to modify the code for internationalization after it has been created. The process begins with the development and ends in the release:  Development – Internationalization – Localization – Testing – Release. Mobile App Localization testing: Pointers Here are a few pointers while planning a mobile app localization Mobile app internationalization: Make the mobile app localizable by internationalizing it first. If the app’s content is hardcoded, it cannot be localized by changing the content according to different locales. In fact. internationalization can be undertaken in parallel with the development process, as it won’t impact the development process in any way and is very handy when the app is being localized. Selecting the target markets: While localizing enables one to expand the app everywhere, localizing for a new locale comes at a price: so, it is important to select the target markets in order to maximize the return on investment. So, conducting market research to see which regions and countries the app should be expanded to is critical.  Check the app analytics: If the app has already been released and has an existing user base, then the app’s analytics can guide the decision to expand to newer territories. One can see where most of the users come from based on countries and expand even further.  Read the app reviews: Be alert to what people say about the app. For instance, if many users from the same region love the app, it might be a good idea to expand there. If there are complaints from existing locales, that would help too in the decision-making on expansion. Research competitors’ moves: Checking the moves of the competitors can help in decisions on expansion. Once it is clear as to where (in which markets) their performance is superior, that can be factored into the decision on the market expansion. Different markets: Different countries and different markets with different phone manufacturers with different screen sizes. They might have customized OS versions or have only certain OS available. All these details need to be gathered ahead of time to ensure that the users won’t face any issues once the localization is done. Incremental progress is advised: Each additional market that the app expands into will come at a cost. So, it is advised to focus on one at a time, mastering that market before starting on a new one. Incremental growth, with one market at a time is advised, instead of launching in multiple markets at once. Regional expansion is advised: Try and expand into regions that share the same characteristics as the default locale of the app – like the date format, alphabet, numbers and currency. For instance, if English is

Types Of Installation Testing and How To Do It?

The installation of an application is crucial, and any flaw in the installation can result in the user discarding the application. Hence, application installation testing is needed to ensure a smooth installation.  Application Implementation testing, otherwise known as Application Installation Testing, tests the mobile application’s successful installation across different mobile phones, gadgets, models, and OS. Application Installation Testing is usually carried out before the application first interacts with its customers. It is the last phase of the software testing life cycle (STLC). It ensures that all the components of your application are fully coordinated. Application uninstallation is just as important. After the application is uninstalled from the handheld device, it is critical that all related files are also deleted, and this is ensured by application uninstallation testing. Listed below are several types of mobile application installations: Silent installation Attended application installation Unattended mobile installation Network mobile installation Clean mobile installation Automated mobile installation Things to check before performing Application Installation testing: The various operating systems the application supports The type of installation that the application performs The OS on which the application has to be tested Here are the steps to carry out application installation testing successfully: Check for existing applications and validate if the application checks for it too. Check if the installers draw all the instructions properly. Cancel/stop the installation process midway to check if the system returns to its original state. Manually check the disk space and validate whether the application installer has calculated the disk space appropriately.  Confirm the application’s responses in case of low disk space. Check if the application returns an appropriate error message when the device has low disk space. Test for changes that take place in the registry during the application installation process. Perform application uninstallation testing that ensures all related files are deleted once the application has been uninstalled. Test cases for Application Installation testing Typical test cases while performing Application Installation Testing are as follows: Account for all the requirements and consider test cases for all the workflows. Include test cases to verify if the old version of an application is already installed and, if so, have a test case to verify the installation of the application on the same path. Have test cases that check for disk space available for installation and include cases to test the disk space before and just after installation. Test for inadequate disk space and the corresponding error message. Include Test cases that verify if your application prompts an appropriate error message in response to an error during installation. Include a test script for checking the changes in the registry. Include test cases for a forced stop of the installation. Include test cases for both custom installation path and default installation path. Test for a low RAM condition and the corresponding error message. Test application installation when there is high security and the firewall is on. Test how the application installs while another application of a similar type is running concurrently. Test the installation process under varying network speeds. Test the installation during multiple concurrent installations. Include test cases to check the time taken for both the installation and the extraction process to be completed. Have test cases to test the path of extraction of the application. Include test cases for the uninstallation of the application and have test cases to check if all related files are deleted at the time of uninstallation. Also, have test cases to check uninstallation behavior when stopped midway. Test for patch installation and update installation. Have test cases to check the reaction of the installer when a newer version of the app is present and the user is installing an older version. Include test cases for different interruptions like an incoming call or a message, low battery, plugging in the charger, etc. Include test cases to check the installation path both in SD card and phone memory. At Hurix, our quality assurance team ensures that your application has been installed correctly, with all the necessary modules and requirements, so that it can perform the task required flawlessly.  To know more about more solutions from HurixDigital, please write to us at marketing@hurix.com, or visit our website Hurix.com