sIn this post, we explore a project where we suggested performance based training to a new client. In the spring of 2021, a new client reached out for help boosting their internal training team’s capacity. We designed a performance based training solution to close the gaps. The end result provided more support than just developing an eLearning course. Let’s look at the project.

About this Project

• • Our Project Role: project management, instructional design, training development, and process improvement
  • Target Audience: Internal, customer-facing, unionized employees in several job roles
  • Key Deliverables: needs analysis, program outline, eLearning courses, manager support tools, job aids, discussion guides
  • Tools Used: Articulate Rise, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Client: Confidential

Note: Some of the details about this project are confidential. We’ve removed identifying information and changed minor elements to protect confidentiality. All proprietary information has been redacted.

Background

The client’s internal audits found gaps in employee follow-up and responses to reporting certain incidents. Employees involved in the process weren’t always completing the required process steps, follow-up, or data entry.

Their internal analysis showed that employees knew where to find the relevant documentation. They also knew how to use the system. In the end, they just weren’t completing all of the steps correctly. Their internal quality team tried sending communications and reminders. Performance didn’t improve.

The quality team asked their internal training team to build a two-hour refresher eLearning course. They felt that they needed to retrain all employees on the process. The internal training team didn’t have time or resources to create this. They hired us to, initially, just develop the course. Our role was to just be “an extra pair of hands”.

Process

All of our projects start with an initial consultation. The client was eager to have us review their concerns and present a solution to close the performance gaps. After a few initial conversations and analyzing the existing support tools, it was clear that a two-hour eLearning course wouldn’t improve performance. We discussed alternative options that would meet their goals.

In the end, we discovered that they didn’t have a comprehensive learning path for new hires for this procedure. They also didn’t have a way to check understanding or provide after-training follow-up. These gaps led to employees making mistakes as they tried to implement the process.

After our analysis, we presented a multi-faceted performance based training program to help close the gaps for both new hires and existing employees.

The Performance Based Training Solution

The final product consisted of several shorter eLearning courses built in Articulate Rise. We enhanced these with audience-specific job aids (PDFs), discussion guides for managers, and mentor checklists to help with on the job performance. The first eLearning course focuses on an overview for all audiences. Further courses (both eLearning and paper-based) then break into role-specific training targeted to each person’s role in the process. The role-specific training includes guided walkthroughs of the procedure document with knowledge checks and reflection questions. Next, participants complete practice scenarios based on real-world examples. After completing the practice scenarios, participants meet with their manager or experienced mentor to review what they’ve learned and check their answers. This allows managers and/or mentors to see how the person is performing based on real examples.

We developed manager and mentor discussion guides, answer keys, checklists, and an implementation document to support the training process. Further guidance was put in place to allow managers and mentors to regularly check in with employees to offer help and guide the work. With the new hire training path segmented, managers can use the tools in the path to check understanding among their existing employees. Managers can select individual program components to retrain and coach their employees.

Results

Management and pilot users overall approved of the program. Due to some internal resource constraints, the client didn’t implement the full performance based training program before Hemeon Learning’s role ended. The organization intends to fold the new program into other new hire and existing employee training programs. The client engaged us to continue helping the training team redesign several other new hire programs.