Performance support is any resource, tool, or aid that helps employees complete a task or make a decision at the moment they need it — in the flow of work — rather than requiring them to remember information from a prior training event. It is the “just-in-time” complement to “just-in-case” formal training.
Performance Support vs Training
Training transfers knowledge and skills before they are needed — it prepares employees for situations they will encounter in the future. Performance support provides information and guidance at the exact moment of need — when the employee is in the middle of a task and needs help completing it correctly. Both are necessary: training builds capability; performance support scaffolds its application until the capability becomes automatic.
Examples of Performance Support Tools
- Quick reference cards: One-page laminated guides for complex processes — common in manufacturing and customer service
- In-app guidance: Tooltips, pop-up instructions, and walkthrough overlays inside software systems
- AI chatbots: Conversational tools that answer employee questions about processes, policies, and products in real time
- Video job aids: Short how-to videos embedded in the workflow for reference during task execution
- Decision trees: Interactive flowcharts guiding employees through complex compliance or customer service decisions
- Searchable knowledge bases: LMS course libraries and document repositories employees can search when they need a specific answer
Performance Support in an LMS Context
Modern LMS platforms support performance support through searchable course libraries, AI chatbots that answer learner questions about content, and mobile-accessible job aids available in the flow of work. When an employee needs to recall a specific compliance procedure or product specification during a customer call, a well-configured LMS becomes a searchable performance support tool — not just a training delivery platform.
EdzLMS as a performance support platform
AI chatbot, searchable course library, and mobile access — so employees get help exactly when they need it.
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