Schering Health Care draws the lessons of experience : Software roll‐out achieved smoothly, despite time pressures

Purpose – Examines the experience of the HR department at Schering Health Care in the UK in rolling out new software to help business managers to track sales activities. Considers the training activities associated with the software. Design/methodology/approach – Highlights the challenges facing the company's HR development team, and the ways in which these were overcome. Findings – Describes a three‐hour “train the trainer” session for the Schering HR development team, the development of an 80‐page training manual, and the delivery of 28 hours of classroom training for the 135 employees who would need to learn the new application. Practical implications – Highlights the benefits of learning from experience. Originality/value – Demonstrates how the company managed to achieve a smooth roll‐out of the new software, despite considerable time pressures.