For many companies, SharePoint is a significant investment in time, money, and human resources. Often, those investments provide little return when the SharePoint platform is not fully utilized. What can companies do when a return on investment isn't achieved? In some cases, it may require a bit more investment in a solution that can enable end users to master SharePoint – a performance support system.
To make sense, the decision to invest in a performance support system (PSS) should be made based upon financial logic. The investment must support the cost of the PSS solution itself and protect the investment already made in SharePoint.
Getting Returns From Performance Support
As work performance becomes more quantifiable through data, and analytics enable precise measurement of users' interactions with a performance support tool, we have the means to calculate the ROI of a PSS implementation. First, the total monetary benefit should be derived from anticipated outcomes such as:
Second, you estimate the total costs of deploying a performance support tool. These costs typically include:
Once you have established outcomes and costs, you can calculate or estimate figures for each of these categories.
Metrics to Analyze
The value of SharePoint is lost when end-user uptake is poor. But how do you measure that value? Which metrics make sense to include in your calculations? From SharePoint training costs to productivity increases with a PSS, there are multiple impact areas that can be calculated and evaluated. Most of the impacts can be categorized within three business areas – training, IT, and productivity. Examples of metrics include the following:
Training Impact | IT Impact | Productivity Impact |
| Average cost per course | Average IT support cost per hour | Work lost to training time |
| Knowledge lost following training | # of support calls per hour | Total annual productivity loss |
| Total annual training cost | Average weekly support costs | Weekly productivity loss due to searching for help |
| Number of trainees | Incremental server cost maintaining SharePoint and legacy systems | Incremental time-to-mastery reduction leading to increased output |
Real-World Returns With Performance Support
If you're considering a move to support end-user SharePoint performance, it might be helpful to see some actual returns. There are a number of examples where performance support/e-learning initiatives have provided substantial returns for companies. For example, Cigna, Herman Miller, and Deloitte have all experienced improvements in several key business areas by deploying a performance support system:
According to the American Society of Training and Development, overall spending on employee training in U.S. organizations is $164 billion, and the average employee receives 30.3 hours of learning per year. The average cost to train each employee is $1,195. These statistics mean that you can’t afford to spend time or money on training that doesn’t produce results.
Fuel Employee Success
