ROBOTICS · 2 HOURS
Preparing a Team for Automation
Preparing a Team for Automation teaches team leaders, operations managers and HR partners to plan for everyone whose work will change when automation arrives. You finish with a preparation brief that states what each group must be able to do, which routines will stop and what is still undecided, so trust survives the change.
About this course
When a robot or other automation arrives, the work of many people changes, including some who never touch the equipment, such as maintenance technicians, shift planners, and the team upstream. Preparation often goes wrong because the list of affected people is written from memory, training attendance is mistaken for ability, and managers either avoid saying what will stop or promise things that have not been decided.
This course teaches you to list everyone affected, write what each group must be able to do as something a supervisor could watch, name what stops in plain words, and separate what is decided from what is not. You finish with a five-part preparation brief that a colleague could use to run the change if you were away.
What you will take away
- You will be able to list the groups directly affected by an automation, the groups indirectly affected, and the people who believe they are affected.
- You will be able to write capability statements, such as starting the palletiser in the order on the shift card, that a supervisor could watch and judge.
- You will be able to name in plain words the tasks and routines that stop, without hinting at decisions about roles that have not been made.
- You will be able to write a message to the team that says what is decided, what is not, and when people will know and who will tell them.
- You will leave with a signed preparation brief that includes a first-weeks plan with a named person and date for each group, covering nights, maintenance, and who to call after the supplier leaves.
Who this course is for
- Team leaders whose team will work with a new robot, conveyor, or other automation and who need to prepare every shift for the change.
- Operations managers who know which automation is coming, roughly when, and which process it touches, and who are accountable for how the first weeks go.
- HR and learning partners who support a change programme and want preparation built on observable capabilities rather than a training calendar.
- Managers who must speak to a worried team about automation and want to be honest about what is decided and what is not.
What you will do
Each lesson teaches one part of the method, works through a realistic example, and ends with a check on a case you have not seen. The course closes with an assessment and then the piece of work you sign.
- 5lessons with a worked example and a check
- 8scenario questions in the course assessment
- Signedthe preparation brief, with a record anyone can verify
- 2 hoursat your own pace, with progress saved
- 01
Lesson
Who is affected
This lesson distinguishes people directly affected by an automation, whose daily tasks change, from those indirectly affected, and explains why people who believe they are affected also need recording. You see how walking the flow at a distribution site changes a first list, then mark groups for a factory palletiser correctly.
- Directly affected
- Indirectly affected
- People who believe they are affected
- The mistake to avoid
You mark 4 statements from a realistic case and receive an explanation for each one.
- 02
Lesson
What they must be able to do
This lesson explains what a capability statement is, something a supervisor could watch and judge, and why understanding the robot or attending training does not qualify. You see a vague draft for pickers rewritten, then mark statements for maintenance technicians as something you can watch or not yet something you can watch.
- A capability is something you could watch
- What a capability is not
- Each group needs its own statements
- The two labels in this lesson
You mark 4 statements from a realistic case and receive an explanation for each one.
- 03
Lesson
What stops
This lesson explains why every automation stops tasks and routines, why people notice whether or not they are told, and how naming what stops differs from hinting at job losses. You compare two drafts for a packing team, then choose the paragraph that says plainly what will stop.
- Every automation stops something
- Why you name it plainly
- What naming it is not
- The two labels in this lesson
You compare two versions of the same piece of work, choose the stronger one, and see the reasoning behind the answer.
- 04
Lesson
What you will not pretend
This lesson separates what has been decided by people with authority from what is still open, and explains why well-meant promises about undecided matters do lasting damage. You see a team leader's message corrected after checking with the project and HR, then mark each sentence of a welding cell message.
- Decided and not decided
- Why kind promises do damage
- The honest alternative
- The two labels in this lesson
You mark 4 statements from a realistic case and receive an explanation for each one.
- 05
Lesson
The first weeks
This lesson turns capabilities into a first-weeks plan with a practice date, a person who watches, and a call route for each group, and shows why a training calendar is not enough. You compare two palletiser plans, then edit an inspection system plan to cover the night shift and the period after the supplier leaves.
- What a first-weeks plan contains
- What it is not
- The groups that get left out
- Dates, people, and the call route
You repair a flawed draft so it meets the standard the lesson sets, and your revision is checked against it.
- 06
Course assessment
The course assessment
This lesson brings the five moves together, works one change at a laundry through all of them, and explains how the assessment is set. You then answer eight situations you have not met before, each with feedback on every option, and you need six correct answers to pass.
- The method in one place
- Plain words and honest limits
- The first weeks, and how the assessment works
You judge 8 new workplace situations, with feedback on every option, and need 6 correct to pass.
- 07
Final work and signed record
The preparation brief
This final lesson explains the five parts of the preparation brief and how each part is checked, using a distribution site brief as a model. You write the brief for a real change your team is facing, so a colleague could prepare the team from it, and sign it as your record.
- What the brief is for
- The five parts
- Choose a real change, and keep it shareable
- How the brief is checked
You write the preparation brief for your own work, part by part, and sign it as your record.
GOOD WORK.THE PREPARATION BRIEF, SIGNED.
WHAT CHANGES
What the course changes for you and your organisation.
- 01
Nobody affected is left off
The course makes you include indirectly affected groups such as maintenance, planners, and night shifts, which are the groups most often missed. Gaps in the list are found before go-live rather than on the first morning, when someone in one of those groups is left without support.
- 02
Trust kept through honest messages
You learn to avoid the kind reassurance that turns into a broken promise when shift patterns or grades are later decided differently. A message that says what is not yet decided, and when people will hear, gives the team something to rely on.
- 03
Evidence that people can do the work
The first-weeks plan names who will watch each group carry out each capability and by what date. Your organisation then knows who can clear a jam or isolate the cell, instead of knowing only who attended a training session.
- 04
Skills decide the outcome
Make UK reports that a lack of technical skills is the most common barrier to automation, cited by 46% of UK manufacturers in 2023. A clear preparation brief helps an employer plan who must learn what before the equipment arrives, so the change keeps the trust of the people it affects.
QUESTIONS
Questions about Preparing a Team for Automation
- What is Preparing a Team for Automation about?
- When a robot or other automation arrives, the work of many people changes, including some who never touch the equipment, such as maintenance technicians, shift planners, and the team upstream. Preparation often goes wrong because the list of affected people is written from memory, training attendance is mistaken for ability, and managers either avoid saying what will stop or promise things that have not been decided. This course teaches you to list everyone affected, write what each group must be able to do as something a supervisor could watch, name what stops in plain words, and separate what is decided from what is not. You finish with a five-part preparation brief that a colleague could use to run the change if you were away.
- Who is Preparing a Team for Automation for?
- Team leaders whose team will work with a new robot, conveyor, or other automation and who need to prepare every shift for the change. Operations managers who know which automation is coming, roughly when, and which process it touches, and who are accountable for how the first weeks go. HR and learning partners who support a change programme and want preparation built on observable capabilities rather than a training calendar. Managers who must speak to a worried team about automation and want to be honest about what is decided and what is not. No specialist background is assumed, and every term is explained before it is used.
- What will I be able to do after Preparing a Team for Automation?
- You will be able to list the groups directly affected by an automation, the groups indirectly affected, and the people who believe they are affected. You will be able to write capability statements, such as starting the palletiser in the order on the shift card, that a supervisor could watch and judge. You will be able to name in plain words the tasks and routines that stop, without hinting at decisions about roles that have not been made. You will be able to write a message to the team that says what is decided, what is not, and when people will know and who will tell them. You will leave with a signed preparation brief that includes a first-weeks plan with a named person and date for each group, covering nights, maintenance, and who to call after the supplier leaves.
- How long does the course take, and how is it taught?
- The course takes about 2 hours and is studied online at your own pace. It has 5 lessons, each with a worked example, a practice exercise, and a check on a new case, followed by a course assessment of 8 scenario questions in which you need 6 correct to pass. Your progress is saved to your account.
- Do I get a certificate?
- Yes. When you pass, you sign a record that names you, the course, and the preparation brief. Anyone you share it with can verify it online and download it as a PDF. The record confirms what you completed and does not claim compliance with any regulation.
- How much does it cost, and when can I start?
- The course costs £99, paid once by card through Stripe. Access begins as soon as payment is confirmed, and you can save a sign-in to return to the course from any device.
- Can my organisation train a whole team?
- Yes. Individuals can buy any self-paced course online, and organisations can book trainer-led courses for teams, in person or online, through the Experrt Academy.
More robotics courses are listed on the self-paced robotics and automation courses for non-engineers page.
THERE IS A NEXT CHAPTER.
Start today, and finish with
the preparation brief your organisation can use.
Checkout takes an email address and a card, and access begins as soon as payment is confirmed. When you finish, you sign a record that names you and the preparation brief, which anyone you choose can verify online. The record confirms what you completed and does not claim compliance with any regulation.