1. Contracts

• Paperwork: Getting the paperwork right before implementation begins protects both sides and prevents delays down the line, covering commercial terms, scope, data, and the internal ownership that will carry the project forward.
• Confirm Internal Project Ownership: Identify who owns the implementation internally. This is typically a Project Sponsor (a senior stakeholder who sets the "why" and approves decisions) and a day-to-day Implementation Owner (the admin who will configure and manage the platform). 

2. Strategy Planning

• Define Success Metrics: Set measurable criteria for what success looks like — registration rates, engagement levels, competency improvement, and business outcomes such as customer satisfaction scores or compliance pass rates.
• Establish Cognexo KPIs: Agree the competency benchmark that defines whether a learner is on or below KPI. This threshold drives below-KPI identification, boost campaigns, and any reactive workflows. A common starting point is Improver 6-9. Confirm this with your CSM at the kick-off session.
• Build a Success Plan: Develop the steps, timelines, and resources needed to hit your KPIs.
• Plan Your Campaign Roadmap: Identify the topics you will launch with and map them to a delivery timeline. Agree which topic takes priority at launch — typically aligned to a product launch, regulatory change, or business objective — and plan future campaigns in advance. This ensures content is ready before it is needed.

• Agree Which Pillars to Activate at Launch: Cognexo has four pillars: Develop (knowledge reinforcement), Broadcast, Assess, and Survey. Most clients launch with Develop first and introduce the others organically as engagement builds. Discuss with your CSM which pillars are appropriate from day one — there is no need to activate everything at once.
• Implementation Demo: Conduct a full walkthrough of the platform so all key stakeholders understand what users and managers will experience from go-live.

3. Branding

• Branding Guidelines: Establish logo usage, colours, and branding elements. Note that Custom branding can extend beyond logos — it can include adjusting platform language and tone of voice to match your organisation. Discuss the scope of branding customisation with your CSM.
• Review and Approve Branding: Ensure all materials meet your guidelines before the account is configured.

4. Setup Account

• Account Name: Assign a name for the company or branded portal.
• Set Feedback Email: Configure a default email address for user feedback.
• Notification Time: Set the time at which daily question notifications are sent to users.
• Go-Live Date: Establish the official launch date. Consider key business dates — avoid busy trading periods, plate change months, or major holidays where your users will be under pressure.
• Mobile App Status: Enable or disable app features and pillars as required for launch.
• Bank Holidays: Input relevant public holidays so questions are automatically paused on those days.
• Configure Planned Pauses: Identify key periods beyond bank holidays where questions should pause — for example, peak trading periods, product launch rush weeks, plate change months, or the festive shutdown. Configure these in advance so delivery stops automatically without manual intervention.
• Set Competency KPI Benchmark: Agree the minimum competency level (e.g. Improver 6) that defines whether a learner is on or below KPI. This threshold drives below-KPI identification and any reactive workflows or boost campaigns. Confirm this at the kick-off session.
• Leaderboard Structure: Set up performance tracking by team, department, region, or other grouping. Users see their position anonymously; managers see named leaderboards for their team.
• Delivery Days: Define the days on which questions are delivered (e.g. Monday to Friday).
• Daily Question Volume: Set question limits for full-time employees.
• Part-Time Question Limits: Adjust daily limits for part-time employees and toggle their working days so they only receive questions on the days they work.
• Trivia / Challenge Days: Select days for fun trivia or challenge questions to boost engagement (e.g. Trivia Fridays).
• Welcome Note: Write an introductory message for users explaining what Cognexo is, why it has been introduced, and what they can expect.

This is an example of standard wording - Great Learning starts here.

You'll now receive regular questions on the areas your company has set. Each question will feature a minimum of 4 multi choice options; just click on the correct answer. Once received your answers must be completed within 24 hours.

You'll receive immediate feedback together with your current score and updated personal performance profile.

Happy learning from the Cognexo™ Team! 

5. Training

• Identify Training Needs: Determine requirements for different roles — platform admins, content authors, managers, and end users each have different needs.
• Schedule Training: Plan and set dates for training sessions. 45 minutes per audience group is typically sufficient. Schedule separate sessions for different audiences rather than combining roles in one session.
• Deliver Training: Conduct sessions to ensure knowledge transfer. For managers and admin users, focus on the Intelligence Portal and line manager dashboard. For content authors, cover question creation and the GenAI tools. Allow time for Q&A within each session.

6. Users

• Define Users: Identify all users who will receive questions, and separately identify those who require platform admin or manager dashboard access only.
• Design Your Tag Structure: Tags are the labels attached to each user that determine how you can filter reporting and build campaign audiences. Agree your tag structure with your CSM before the user file is prepared — it is difficult to restructure after launch.

• Define Manager Dashboard Access: Identify which users require Intelligence Portal access (rather than just the learner experience) and what scope they should see. Restrict access by region, team, or tag where appropriate. Configure this before go-live so managers can log in from day one.
• Identify Part-Time Employees: Tag part-time employees and configure their working days so they only receive questions on the days they work.

7. IT + Testing

• Complete Whitelisting Early — Critical: If your users sit within a corporate network, or if you have a retailer or franchise network with varied IT setups, whitelisting checks must be completed well in advance of go-live.

• Set Up Integrations: Configure any required integrations — Microsoft Teams client, Azure AD sync for automated user management, or HRIS connections. Raise integration requirements with your CSM at the kick-off session.
• Azure AD / HRIS Integration (if applicable): Synchronise with your identity or HR system for automated user data. Only request the fields you need — typically email, employee ID, line manager, and a small number of tags to segment your data. Discuss the minimum required fields with your CSM.
• Identify Test Users: Select a small group of internal users to test the platform before go-live.
• Conduct Testing: Ensure functionality with test users — including question delivery, registration emails, and manager dashboard access. Run a dummy user upload in a UAT environment before the live import.

8. Topics + Questions

• Brainstorm Topics: Generate topic ideas with subject matter experts. Align topics to your campaign roadmap agreed in Strategy Planning. Prioritise the topic that needs to be live at launch.
• Create Topics: Develop and categorise topics within the platform.
• Assign Topic Owners: Designate a responsible owner for each topic who will review and maintain questions over time.
• Use GenAI to Accelerate Question Creation: Cognexo's AI tools can generate an initial question bank from source documents. Upload transcripts, spec sheets, press releases, or training materials directly into the GenAI builder. All AI-generated questions enter Draft status and must be reviewed by a subject matter expert before activation. Aim for a minimum of 40-60 questions per topic at launch — the algorithm does not need a complete bank from day one.

• Draft Questions (Standard Types): Create initial questions for review. Standard question types (Multiple Choice, True/False, Yes/No, All That Apply) can be authored in bulk using the import template.

• Content Review Process: Before activating questions, add them to a test user's stack so they can be answered in the platform as a learner would experience them. For clients with subject matter experts who are not platform users, have your internal admin share their screen during review. Questions remain in Draft status until approved and should only be activated once signed off.
• Finalise and Activate Questions: Move approved questions from Draft to Active. Ensure you have sufficient questions live before go-live.
• Configure Reactive Workflows (if applicable): Define and implement workflows triggered by user behaviour — for example, notifying a line manager when a user falls below KPI, or enrolling a user in a learning pathway when they repeatedly answer a topic incorrectly.
• Set Delivery Schedules and Audience Targeting: Target question delivery to specific audience groups using tags. Confirm that your campaign structures are in place before go-live.

9. Go-Live

• Send Launch Communications: Brief users on what Cognexo is, why it has been introduced, and what to expect. Use Broadcast to send a welcome message to all users on go-live day. Ensure stakeholders and managers are aligned on which features are live from day one.
• Trigger Welcome Emails and Registration: Ensure registration emails are sent and monitor registration rates in the first 48 hours. Segment your view by team, region, or retailer so you can identify where registration is low and act quickly.
• Monitor Early Engagement: Check the Intelligence Portal daily in the first week. Follow up with managers in locations or teams with low registration or engagement. Share the line manager dashboard with managers so they can self-serve from day one.
• Manage Streak Restoration: Users who encounter technical issues in the first few days may have their streaks affected unfairly. Streaks can be restored — contact support if needed. This is particularly important in the first week when users are still getting familiar with the platform.
• Set Expectations on Pillar Availability: Communicate clearly to stakeholders and managers which platform features are live from day one and which will be introduced later. Managing expectations early prevents confusion.