• Blog (62)
• Change Management (10)
• Leadership and Culture (5)
• Management Tips (8)
• Performance Management (1)
• Project Management (23)
• Training and Development (14)
• Training Tips (8)

Latest Blog Posts

• Costs of Poor Workplace Communication
  Poor communication in the workplace leaves in its wake low motivation, poor productivity and high employment costs. Why Communication Practices Are Important Good communication practices are at the heart of every successful business. Communication serves two essential functions in every organization. It disseminates the information needed by employees to get things done and builds relationships of trust and commitment. Without it, employees end up working in silos with no clear direction, vague goals and little opportunity for improvement. Successful projects… Read More »
• Creating a Training Program Communication Plan
  Constructing a program communication plan with your key stakeholders keeps everyone engaged with the future success. Why a Communication Plan? Employee engagement and satisfaction surveys consistently report poor communications as a leading cause of employee disenchantment. The lack of quality communication is also a major reason for project failure. If your training program is a key component of an organizational change or improvement initiative, getting the communications right will save you a lot of heartache further down the track. A… Read More »
• Transfer of Training – The PRACTICE Approach™
  Getting learners to apply their learning in their workplaces is the biggest challenge facing trainers. The Problem of Training Transfer “Transfer of training”, as it relates to workplace training, refers to the use put by training participants of the skills and knowledge they learned to their actual work practices. (Note that it is sometimes referred to as “transfer of learning”.) Why is this considered so important for managers and training professionals? Consider the following two workplace training scenarios. John, the… Read More »
• Managing Training Initiatives as a Project
  Improve the chances of the success of your next training program design and rollout by managing it as a project. Coordinating Program Activities Training a group of employees for a specific purpose consumes considerable amounts of the organization’s resources. Time and money is spent determining the need, designing the program (or choosing a training vendor) and purchasing materials. Managers spend time organizing schedules and training participants take time out to attend the training. It’s in everyone’s interests that the organization’s… Read More »
• Change Program Goal Setting
  Many change initiatives fail for want of a clear and unambiguous set of objectives. Why Program Objectives Are Important Your desire to move your organization towards a new way of working will remain just a wish unless you set specific change program objectives and create a change management plan for achieving those objectives. Working with your key stakeholders to flesh out unambiguous and measurable objectives will set your program off on the right track. How can goal setting help? To… Read More »
• Change Program Roles
  Assigning roles and responsibilities is a key step to energizing your people for action in achieving your change program goals. Types of Change Program Roles Your change program, no matter how meticulous the planning, will not bring itself to life. People are needed to complete the necessary actions and to hurdle all of the barriers put before it. You will need to identify and communicate the various change management responsibilities of all the people required to see your change program… Read More »
• Writing Learning Objectives
  Improve the effectiveness of your training programs by writing clear learning objectives. Why Write Learning Objectives? Why go to the bother of writing learning objectives for your training program? I see many programs that simply wear participants out by being “nine miles long and one inch thick” with little opportunity to engage learners and practice skills and in the end serving no useful purpose for the organization paying for the program. These programs have a heavy emphasis on what needs… Read More »
• Setting SMART Objectives
  Get your learning and change programs off to the best start by defining and agreeing SMART objectives with stakeholders. Define SMART Objectives Whether your organization is about to embark on a major learning initiative or a change program, well designed and effective projects begin with clearly stated business goals. As a program leader, you will need to meet with the key stakeholders to thrash out the desired objectives of your training or change program. Target as your primary meeting outcome… Read More »
• Changing Learner Behavior
  Design your training programs in a way that guarantees learners will behave differently back on the job. Learner Behavior On-The-Job Many trainers focus on what their program participants need to know. Outstanding trainers think deeply about how their training participants will translate knowledge into action on the job. Without changing on-the-job behavior, training programs are simply glorified amusement sessions or, even worse, boredom enhancers. Effective training begins with proper design. You have analyzed your organization’s training needs and are now… Read More »
• Performance Objectives in Instructional Design
  Using performance-based objectives in your training program design ensures a firm link with workplace performance. Why Performance Objectives? A critically important task in instructional design is writing learning outcomes in a way that makes clear the required performance of the learner following the training. Focusing on performance objectives directly ties the learning to the actual on-the-job behavior necessary for achieving the organization’s goals. Just as importantly, performance-based objectives clarify for the learner where they need to concentrate their learning efforts… Read More »
• Key Areas for Implementing Change
  There are critical actions that require your attention if your change initiative is to succeed. Essential Change Management Activities Managing Stakeholders Whatever your change program, one key area requiring your attention is the identification and management of change stakeholders. A stakeholder is any person with an interest in the change process or the outcome of the proposed change. Stakeholders bring with them an amalgam of competing interests and often act to further their own power, influence and survival. The added… Read More »
• Project Management Disciplines
  Eight key practice areas are essential for effective project management. Why a Disciplined Approach Matters Along with a phased approach to delivering projects, the other important aspect of managing projects well is the various project management disciplines. Consider a racing car driver about to enter a race. They may do things in the right order. They may get in the car only after they have checked the tyres, the engine, and so on. This is good; however, if they cannot… Read More »
• Project Phases
  Successful projects follow a disciplined process and path to prevent them from leading to oblivion. A Process Approach to Managing Projects In racing car driving, activities follow a tried and tested sequence. Any attempt to shortcut the process will most likely lead to a crashed car and a lost race. The same is true for managing projects. There is a sequence that needs to be followed if the project is to be successful. This sequence and a short description of… Read More »
• Project Team Management
  Successful projects depend on individuals and groups of people working collaboratively. Managing a Project Team In managing a project team, a Project Manager needs to possess excellent analytical and organizational skills. A technical proficiency in the specialist area of their project is also a distinct advantage. Remember, though, that projects achieve their outcomes through people – a variety of people working together in a coordinated way to produce the desired results. How are you encouraging peak performance from your project… Read More »
• Managing Medium to Large Training Projects
  Large training projects are embedded within multifaceted change initiatives and so require more complex project management. Projects and Complex Change Some training programs impact a limited number of people and systems within an organization. Developing and delivering these kinds of programs is best treated as a small training project with a simple governance structure, streamlined processes and minimal documentation requirements. On the other hand, some training programs play a critical role in moving the organization forward. These kinds of programs… Read More »