A Smart Group is:
A mechanism in Bridge that allows for the use of imported user data to automate affiliation with a group as a means of (1) automating delivery of specific content to those learners and (2) reporting.
Learn how to create a smart group.
An Enrollment is:
A required training for a learner that will show up on their Transcript with a status (not started, in progress, completed, etc.).
Learn more about content visibility for learners in Bridge.
There are a few key components to making smart groups, well, smart.
ONE. Know Your HRIS.
Smart groups can be leveraged with manual user provisioning, but at the epicenter of their success is consistent and continuous provisioning from the HRIS, your single source of truth.
Smart groups can only be created when a value exists in a specific field that will be the identifier(s) for that group. There are not “either/or” options, only the “is/is not” option. Smart groups can be created even if only a single user with that value in that field lives in Bridge, and that group will remain intact even if the user with that value is modified or ceases to exist. Once created, the smart group will live on until terminated manually.
TWO. Know Your Content Library.
When you understand the technical components above and how that relates to the provisioning of users inside Bridge, then you can forward plan for the delivery and visibility of your content. You can find a sample content management spreadsheet here. Begin with the end in mind. Knowing the breadth of your content will allow you to backward plan what groups will see what content.
THREE. Layer Accordingly.
Think about the granularity in which you will want to expose content to learners as it’s important to avoid double enrollments.
As an admin, I want content to be exposed in this way:
-
All Learners
- Categories: Sleigh 101, Sleigh Hot List, Professional Development, Diversity and Inclusion, Exploring Bias
-
Manager (Y/N)
- Y: Manager Training Category
- Y: Manager Training Journey
-
Location
- New York: New York Non-Harassment Course
- California: California Non-Harassment Course
-
Location + New Hire
- Maine + New Hire (Y): Maine New Hire Checklist Course
For example, Stephanie Manager has these values in three custom fields:
- Location: New York
- Manager (Y/N): Y
- New Hire (Y/N): N
Stephanie Manager would see this on her Learn landing page:
For example, James Learner has these values in three custom fields:
- Location: Maine
- Manager (Y/N): N
- New Hire (Y/N): Y
James Learner would see this on his Learn landing page:
For James, the “4. Manager Training” category would not be exposed like it is for Stephanie since he is not tagged as a manager.
Some common “layers” of smart groups outside of the auto-created manager groups include:
- Location, location + role
- Franchise, franchise + role, role
- New hires, new hires + department, department
All managers in Bridge will have a manager group auto-created, which will include all of their users. It will not include the manager in the group. If you would like to expose content to a manager AND their direct reports, another group would need to be created.
FOUR. You Are the Algorithm
Think of Bridge like you’d think of Facebook or Instagram or any other social media platform. By itself, Bridge doesn’t intuitively know what to feed specific users. It needs your help! When you define what you want learners to see and when, through smart groups and through smart group enrollments, you create the experience for your learners. You enhance their ability to find content and feel like the platform is working for, not against, them.
Intentionally exposing content as recommended and via categories to specific groups enhances the learners’ experiences. It creates a pathway where the mass dumping of content may actually cause less usage. Putting in share links to content in internal newsletters on your company intranet can also be really helpful.
FIVE. Know Enrollment Behaviors.
In examples where learners may frequently be migrating through smart groups, it’s important to understand what happens when a learner transitions between smart groups.
Learn more about what happens to enrollments when learners change groups.