With the announcement of Kronos WFC version 6.2, a flood of organizations have been quick to upgrade. This makes sense, as there are a lot of new features that improve and integrate Workforce Timekeeper like never before. As training specialists, we spend a lot of time thinking about the training implementation for a new application, but what about an upgrade? How do you plan for that? Is it just like an implementation, but smaller? There are a lot of good questions there, let's try to answer them one at a time while understanding the goals for training for a new application upgrade.
What about a Kronos upgrade?
With Kronos, as with other software companies, upgrades come about annually. Some upgrades are small, and some are really significant. (v4.0 anyone?) The current version, v6.2 would probably veer toward the more significant side. The true merging of apps in one location, the introduction of the new user interface (ok, ok, I'll use the Kronos term, Navigator or NGUI) represent a new look and feel that will affect the way most users navigate in Kronos, and therefore is significant. But are you going to run with Navigator? Are you going to stay with the Classic interface? Will you use different interfaces for different users? It is possible that the upgrade is negligible for your employees and managers, but is significant for your administrators, help desk representatives and super users. So take some time and work through a needs assessment. This won't be nearly as in depth as one for a new implementation, but it is just as important.
How do you plan for the upgrade?
Once you know how the upgrade will affect your organization, you can attack your training plan and build a solution. Don't over do this. Remember that for some of your users there will be very little will change BUT THERE 
WILL BE CHANGE. For these users, change management is the key. They need to know what is going on, even if the impact on them will be minimal. Some users will find that a new task will be required of them, or there will be more information available to them. In these cases, a job aid will do, showing them the new functionality and what it can provide them.
For those users that will encounter more change, start with what you know, and work out. What I mean is that you should start with the curriculum that you already have, and build on it. Develop the necessary changes to the curriculum and move forward. Some training professionals like to do a comparison between the "old" way and the "new" way. I think this is a mistake. Only mention the previous manner of completing a task in class verbally, so that you can confirm that your participants understand what you are covering. It is a bad idea to put the "old" way of completing a task in your curriculum. You only create confusion. Confusion leads to frustration and that's never a good thing!
Rolling out your Kronos training!
Remember when rolling out the training that brevity takes the day, all day and every day. Your participants
are already familiar with the Workforce Central applications, and in most cases, the upgrade does not cause significant change, at least for most Managers and Employees. Along with the rule for brevity, you should focus on what your participants know. Work from screens they are familiar with. Then and only then, branch out to new features, making sure your participants understand the advantages of each. If you don't think these new features will be helpful, your participants won't either.
Good luck with your Kronos implementation (or upgrade)!
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