Keep your training house in order.

As organizations grow, and even large organizations re-invent constantly, it can be challenging for training departments to ensure that they maintain content. Given the speed of change in today’s markets training divisions have to ensure that their “groundwork” and “house rules” are squeaky clean. What do I mean with this?

Training departments needs to ensure that the following aspects are kept in place and that ALL members (content developers, coordinators, trainers, management ect) is aware of these, so as to minimize confusion for the organization/s that they serve:

• ·         Have an effective knowledge management policy and procedure in place for the training department (this might include aspects like version control, where we save content, what do we share, how our clients sign off content, where we keep our training records). In fact make sure all your policies and procedures are relevant and updated at least once a quarter.
• ·         Ensure that effective inventory is done regularly, especially since training departments rely heavily of software. Developers are creative creatures that love to download and explore the latest and greatest. Have a plan in plan of action in place where inventory is done (hard and soft).
• ·         Ensure that trainers and developers have a clear and effective communication line in place. Often not having this will result in the end product being run by “cowboy” trainers and the opposite for developers. They might be working on something that no-one else is ware off.
• ·         Keep tabs on relationships your department build by creating a shared database of your clients. Nice touch is to personalize the relationship with your department, AND with your relationship builders in your department.
• ·         Nothing can ruin a training department by not providing clear strategies that are in line and relevant for the organization that they serve. Indicate what role each member is / can contribute to the strategy. How will you know you have “made it” If you don’t show others how to get there?
• ·         Ensure content is back-up regularly. Training content is normally large and sensitive. Save content offline in a secure place, as back-up.
• ·         Have reflective time with the whole team at least once a quarter: what works / what doesn’t work in the department? How is the department propelled forward? Is the frameworks / methodologies that the department working still relevant?

Final thoughts: Most training specialist (peers) that I am in contact with clearly indicated that although they proclaim that the “Human performance improvement” model is mostly used for their customers, they rarely, if ever, have conducted a performance analysis on their own departments. WAIT WHAT?! Yep we proclaim we can assist the organizations human capital by training them, yet we fail to see how this relates to our own department. ..

Just my thoughts.

Happy learning!