Laying the Groundwork for a Resilient Business Through Learning

Build Business Resilience Through Learning

Step 1: Define your business objectives and risk areas

In a recent video, I shared six practical steps that small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) can take to implement a learning solution centered on a Learning Management System (LMS) like WorkPlan Learning to build greater business resilience.

Investing in learning and development is one of the most effective decisions a business can make to build business resilience.

To be truly effective, learning strategy needs more than good intentions.  It needs structure, purpose, and alignment with your business priorities and objectives.

Here’s a quick overview of the six steps:

1. Define your business objectives and risk areas
2. Choose the right LMS for your needs
3. Focus on priority learning areas that strengthen resilience
4. Empower managers to lead and track learning
5. Make learning continuous, not one-off
6. Use analytics to turn insights into action

In this article, we’re diving deeper into Step 1: Defining your business objectives and risk areas.

Identify the Gaps That Matter

To build a learning strategy that truly strengthens business resilience, you first need to understand where your organisation stands. That begins with identifying the specific challenges and capabilities that matter most. Two useful approaches in this early phase are asking structured diagnostic questions and, where relevant, using strategic tools like SWOT analysis.

The skills and risk areas you need to address will vary depending on your industry. For example, a manufacturing business might focus on safety compliance and technical certifications, while a professional services firm may prioritise digital skills, client relationship management, or regulatory knowledge.

A modern LMS like WorkPlan Learning can support this process by providing built-in forms and assessment tools that help identify skills gaps, gather manager insights, and track workforce capabilities. This data becomes the foundation for a targeted and effective learning strategy.

Ask the Right Questions

Start by asking three critical questions:

1. What skills or knowledge gaps exist across your workforce?

• Are employees equipped with the digital skills needed for emerging tools?
• Are frontline managers confident in leading hybrid teams?
• Is there a lack of knowledge around compliance requirements or industry-specific regulations?

2. What types of risks pose the greatest threat to your business? Consider both internal and external risks, including:

• Regulatory non-compliance
• Workforce turnover and succession gaps
• Rapid technology change
• Cybersecurity vulnerabilities
• Supplier or operational disruptions

3. Which teams or roles are most critical to your operations?

• Who are your key decision-makers or client-facing employees?
• What areas of your business would grind to a halt if certain people were unavailable?

These questions help create a clear picture of your organisational vulnerabilities and strengths, which in turn informs what your learning solution must address.

Use Strategic Tools Like SWOT Analysis

In addition to asking the right questions, tools like SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) can help structure your thinking, especially when aligning learning to broader business risk and resilience goals.

When applied strategically:

• It helps identify internal weaknesses (e.g., skills gaps, leadership gaps, outdated processes) and external threats (e.g., compliance risks, tech disruption, labour shortages) that learning initiatives can directly target.
• It can also highlight opportunities where learning supports innovation, new markets, or digital transformation.

For example, a SWOT might reveal a threat of losing clients due to undertrained staff. That threat becomes a learning priority: customer service training, onboarding redesign, or product knowledge microlearning.

Use Learning to Strengthen Strategic Priorities

Once objectives and risks are mapped out, the next step is to connect them directly to learning outcomes. Here are some ways make those connections.

• If your business continuity relies on regulatory compliance, ensure training programs are updated, trackable, and integrated into your LMS.
• If talent retention and development is a risk area, create clear learning pathways that support career growth and cross-training.
• If technology adoption is a challenge, provide microlearning modules that focus on digital skills, systems, and tools relevant to daily work.

Let Your LMS Do the Heavy Lifting

A modern Learning Management System (LMS) like WorkPlan can help you define and monitor business objectives by:

• Capturing employee skill data through assessments or learning histories
• Highlighting gaps with dashboards and team analytics
• Mapping learning to job roles and risk profiles
• Tracking compliance training to reduce legal and operational exposure

This approach transforms learning from a reactive “tick-the-box” exercise into a strategic enabler of resilience.

Learning without direction is like steering without a map
By defining your business goals and risks first, you ensure that every training initiative strengthens what matters most for your business.

In the next article, we’ll explore how to select the right LMS based on these priorities—and how to avoid getting overwhelmed by features that don’t serve your goals.

Follow WorkPlan Learning for more insights on building business resilience through strategic learning.

Part of the “Build Business Resilience Through Learning” Series
This is Article 1 of 6 in our series designed to help small and medium-sized businesses implement a learning solution that strengthens agility, capability, and performance.

Next Articles:
Step 2 – Choose an LMS That Aligns to Your Needs

Step 3 – Focus on Priority Learning Areas That Strengthen Resilience

Steps 4, 5 and 6 – coming soon.