Entrepreneurship in Software

Scenario
You just secured a position as the human resource generalist for a software startup company known as Sparkles Software. Sparkles Software is privately owned by the chief executive officer (CEO). You have been hired because, in the past 12 months, the company has experienced significant revenue growth that is projected to continue in the next two to five years. Sparkles Software has a small sales force that is made up of the CEO’s college friends. The CEO provided some training opportunities to the sales force; however, many of those efforts have either been stalled or not executed well after the company started to build up a client base.
As the human resource generalist, you are responsible for all human resource strategies and tactics, and you report directly to the CEO. The CEO has shared plans to double the size of the sales force in the next year and wants to be sure everyone on the sales team has the appropriate skills to be successful. The CEO wants you to develop a sales training plan for the existing sales employees and new hires. These new hires have the same sales skills as existing employees in order to meet future goals of the company. The plan should include three sales training courses. A recent survey was completed at the organization, which identified sales training skill gaps and training needs for the sales employees. Some highlights from the survey included:
• Sales managers identified that more than half of their workforce has not completed the Sales 101 training.
• Sales managers stated, “New employees seem to be lost on the Salesforce software and do not have time to take Salesforce training.”
• Twenty-eight percent of the sales team members have completed only one sales training.
• The sales representatives shared that they have not had any soft skills training (customer service training, active listening training) and do not have time for mandatory training, given the workload.
• The sales representatives shared that they do not feel comfortable with the amount of time they have for training and development; therefore, they always feel they are behind on their sales knowledge.
Directions
For this milestone, you will develop a memo based on the organizational needs in the above scenario.
Specifically, you must address the following rubric criteria:
Plan Overview
Use this section to introduce your training outline in a paragraph.

1. Explain the role of the learning and development plan for supporting human resource and manager partnership, using examples to support your claims.
2. Describe how the proposed plan will address organizational needs. Consider the following:
   A. How will the proposed training lead to greater efficiency?
   B. What specific needs will the training address?
3. Analyze survey data for identifying training needs and skills gaps. Consider the following:
   A. What does the survey data imply for consideration in the learning path?
   B. Does the survey data suggest specific skills gaps that need to be addressed?
   C. Does the survey data bring any other questions to mind that would support further development of the training?
   Learning Pathway
4. Describe at least four learning objectives for consideration in the training, based on needs. Consider the following:
   A. What learning plan is well suited for this type of training and why?
5. Discuss pros and cons of using learning management systems (LMSes) for training and development. Consider the following:
   A. Is cost an additional factor?
   B. Are there benefits to be weighed against the potential cost?
   C. What timing considerations are appropriate for this audience for each training?
   What to Submit
   Submit your memo as a 1–2-page Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. Cite at least two sources to display where research was used. Sources should be cited according to APA style.