Learn/Perform Mixtape

 AOE 1. Performance Improvement; Sub-section 1.8. Project Management Tools & Techniques

Learning Objectives for Project Management:

• Explain the importance of project management as it relates to a performance improvement initiative
• List several project management tools and techniques that contribute to the success of a performance improvement initiative

The ideal way to support performance improvement is to have a pragmatic schedule of activities and steps to help with successful solution implementation. The last episode 1.7 discussed how to facilitate this process improvement methods; whereas this part of the performance solution will focus on seeing this process improvement through to project success.

These project management tools consists of planning, organizing and controlling work to attend to the needs of the project, tasks, phases, work, and resources. A project manager knows what happened from the past (learn from past mistakes) and plan for the future as you stay in the present (react to surprises). 

A few project planning tools are:

• Software tools
• Planning worksheet
• Time management
• Project goals
• Project life cycle
• Project roles
• Project tools

Certification in Project Management

• Project Management Institute https://www.pmi.org/ 
• Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification
• FYI: the PMP Exam is Changing July1, 2020

RESOURCES:

• 42 Best Project Management Software and Tools (2019 Update)
• The Best Project Management Tools for (Almost) Any Task
• Useful Project Management Tools and Techniques
• Project Management Skills and Techniques

Follow these stellar project managers I have learned from in higher ed:

• Dr. Rebecca Pope-Ruark (@RPR_Agile) https://agilefaculty.wordpress.com/ 
• Dr. Katie Linder (@Katie__Linder) https://www.drkatielinder.com/ 

My Recommended Project Management Tools & Tech:

• ToDoist https://todoist.com/ 
• #GetToWork Book https://www.gettoworkbook.com/ 
• Scrum Board 
• Asana https://asana.com/ 
• Basecamp https://basecamp.com/ 
• Trello https://trello.com/ 
• Dropbox https://www.dropbox.com/ 
• Google Drive https://www.google.com/drive/ 

More about this in AOE 6. Managing Learning Programs; 6.11. Project Planning Tools and Processes (future podcast episode).

AOE 1. Performance Improvement; Sub section 1.7. Facilitation Methods

Learning Objectives for Facilitation Methods:

• Explain the differences between training facilitation and process facilitation
• Describe how a facilitator may assist in team development
• List the key skills associated with facilitation
• Summarize several tools that facilitators use to move teams from startup to productivity
• List several questioning techniques that facilitators use to stimulate discussions
• List the steps in an effective meeting process
• Explain the purpose of process mapping
• Describe process improvement methods
• Discuss one reason that teams often have difficulty dealing with a problem
• List several decision-making methods
• Describe the goal and process of the nominal group techniques as a facilitation tool

Facile: translated from French: (adjective) easy, simple, quick, effortless, light

A facilitator is a guide for a group; and facilitation has many meanings we’ll get into for AOE 1.7 on this episode.

Training vs. Process Facilitation — what are the differences between these 2 ways to facilitate?
Training Facilitation

• Customer is the learner of knowledge & skills
• The practitioner/facilitator is flexible, supports learners to ensure training effective & it improves performance
• Design & objectives are usually predetermined
• Note: when facilitating process discussions you will want to define a quantitative goal to measure impact/results | 

Process Facilitation

• Customer is the performer/employee/team member in the organization and needs to learn a process
• The practitioner/facilitator supports processes and teams by coaching performers/employees, selecting & integrating tools for learning & coordinating how the improvement will be developed
• Engage the customers in creating the design and objectives to produce results
• Relates to the tasks needed to lead a productive & impartial meeting e.g. decision-making or problem solving

Facilitators are responsible for the team/group they are working with and the organization they are supporting by:

• Coaching the team in processes, roles, procedures, policies & goals
• Attending team meetings as-needed to provide feedback to the team leader & members
• Acting as a consultant to the team leader
• Monitoring team dynamics, diagnosing problems, and recommending appropriate solutions
• Promoting team building and facilitating team development

Three skills needed to successfully manage a team:

1. How to handle dysfunctional team members
2. How to use tools that facilitate team development
3. How to use storytelling

BONUS: Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI) 

The TKI, outlines the basic dimensions of behavior as how others in the group want to respond to conflict situation, here are a few of the dysfunctional team members you might encounter:

• Competing
• Accommodating
• Avoiding
• Collaborating
• Compromising

Tools for Facilitation

• Listening
• Agendas 
• Opening discussions
• Shared framework of understanding
• Summarizing 
• Brainstorming
• Building agreement 
• Consensus building 
• Gaining closure 

Storytelling is an effective way to communicate and present information as it helps to capture others attention, establish a rapport, build credibility, bring a team closer together, and deliver a message others will remember. 

Questioning Techniques help to stimulate discussion, check for understanding, keep participants of the meeting involved, gain consensus for ideas, and allows for open thinking to brainstorm or offer potential solutions. More about this to come in AOE 3. Training Delivery.

Meeting Management

• Adopt ground rules 
• Identify issues 
• Record issues 
• Prioritize issues 
• Get agreement 
• Share information 
• Brainstorm solutions  
• Refine options
• Define points of agreement 
• Perform a reality check 
• Confirm agreement 

Process Improvement Methodologies - often is from a result of a gap analysis identifying the components of the process that needs attention (as shared in Ep. 1.3.). To conduct a process-level gap analysis, you will need to design and recommend process improvement solutions with these four basic components:

1. Inputs
2. Process controls
3. Outputs
4. Resources

Suggested ways to get process improvement going when facilitating include:

• Problem-solving or process improvement models
• Flowcharts
• Process control systems
• Collection, Organization, and reporting of data and information
• Process mapping: steps involved in establishing ___ within a company; e.g. customer profile questions, applications for items, sample loan files, print ads, etc. 

Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) Model is a standard process improvement model; READ: How to Apply the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) Model to Improve Your Business by Lucidchart

Also known as the Deming Cycle or PDSA Cycle

Decision-Making Methods & Processes — you need an organized process to solve problems so a good facilitator will ensure the team is following a specific & agreed-upon process for making a decision, like this problem solving model:

1. Define the problem
2. Research and analyze the problem
3. Establish a checklist of criteria for use in evaluating possible solutions
4. List all possible alternatives
5. Select the best alternative and discuss how to implement it
6. Monitor implementation and modify it if required

In Search of Solutions (Quinlivan-Hall & Renner, 1990), offers the following guidelines for creating the appropriate question to clearly define a problem:

• How questions suggest a process
• Where questions indicate locations
• Who questions identify the people involved
• When questions point to time
• What questions sort process and content

BONUS READ: 7 steps of the Decision Making Process

Group Dynamics, Observations, and Interventions

Group dynamics focuses on the nature of groups, specifically urges to belong or to identify may impact attitudes and influence the group to become bon...

AOE 1. Performance Improvement; Sub section 1.6. Change Management Theory
Learning objective: Describe why change management is important to plan for and manage as it relates to performance improvement initiatives 

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Change Management Considerations:

• Introducing change is not easy and makes many uncomfortable
• Change often disrupts employees environment, expectations, productivity, etc. 
• For real change to happen, employees must feel the need to change and see it as a benefit
• Expect emotional phases for change: fear, anger, resistance, anxiety, sadness, etc.
• Proactively plan for and be prepared to manage the change
• Identify champions for the change at all levels to be successful in managing the changes in the organization
• Expect resistance as change and having to learn a new way of work does not come easy for many; be prepared for barriers to the change

Three other roles that should be used as you plan/manage change initiatives:

1. Change sponsors: individuals/groups with political power/assets and resources to support the intended change
2. Change agents: individuals/groups responsible for implementing or facilitating the specifics of the change 
3. Change targets: individuals/groups who must operate differently, i.e. change

READ: Change Management by MindTools to learn about the objectives and activities for managing change in your organization:

• Sponsorship to Champion Change
• Buy-in for Need/Reasons for the Change
• Planning for Involvement
• Impact for How and When It Occurs
• Communication and Knowledge Sharing 
• Assessing Stakeholder Readiness
• Responsibilities for Change Tasks
• Identifying Success Measures/Indicators

*Stay tuned and subscribe to the Learn/Perform Mixtape podcast for when I talk more about AOE 10 - Change Management … coming soon!

AOE 1. Performance Improvement; Sub section 1.5. Approaches for Selecting Improvement Solutions

This could be called a performance improvement solution, improvement solution, or solution —the terminology depends on what your client and what their organization uses. 

The learning objectives for the Approaches for Selecting Improvement Solutions are:

• List the 6 categories of interventions or performance improvement solutions available
• List 3 decision-making matrices and methods along with their advantages and disadvantages
• List 5 activities to build customer-client relationships and their benefits
• Describe what talent development professionals need to know about budgeting and cost when recommending solutions
• Explain why the choice of a specific improvement solution should fit the organizational culture and how to identify that culture
• Explain why describing features, advantages, & benefits of a variety of solutions are important
• Describe some ethical considerations that should be addressed when exploring potential solutions for an organization

Performance Improvement Selection Overview

When conducting a resource analysis as mentioned on 1.3. Business, Performance, & Gap Analysis episode — you can return to if you want to learn more — looking for:

• Reviewing human resources, that is, the people and SMEs, needed for proposed solutions
• Determining skills required for the solution(s) area available in-house or if an external vendor will be required
• Identifying the physical resources, systems, and equipment to support implementation of the solution(s) and the availability of required facilities
• The TD professional’s skills and knowledge have the right competencies, and experience or will need to refer out or find another partner for support 
• There may be multiple causes for the problem which will require many solutions so use the Pareto 80/20 diagram to figure out what the largest issues/causes are (see Ep. 1.3)

Behavior Engineering Model (Gilbert, 1996) from Ep. 1.2, looks at the systematic approach to identify barriers and difficulties that might occur in the workplace to block reaching the desired outcomes of the organization related to performance:

• Recognizing current & potential problems
• Educating managers and employees about performance success factors
• Identifying & involving key stakeholders on performance results during each phase
• Helping stakeholders identify strategies to use learning and performance support
• Obtaining agreement on evaluation criteria that will measure success

Potential Solutions — There’s always room for improvement on the following: 

1.  Structure and Process: this is about how the organization is set up and may involve managing conflict to limit negative aspects of a situation, employee dynamics, etc.
   • Suggested solutions: conflict management, culture reshaping, process leadership, performance appraisals/reviews/evaluations, staffing, process redesign, job interviews
2. Resources: this includes physical resources, like equipment, facilities, hardware, software, etc. 
   • Suggested solutions: ergonomic evaluation and human factors; automation, computerization, physical resource management plans
3. Information Exchange: specifically the management, storage, and distribution of information about individuals, teams, and departments in the organization
   • Suggested solutions: knowledge management, networks for information, balanced scorecard, meetings and dialog, newsletters, public relations campaigns, debriefing
4. Knowledge and Skills: to improve the essential knowledge and skills required for optimal job performance
   • Suggested solutions: accelerated learning; competency modeling; action learning/training; coaching; electronic performance support systems; job aids; on-the-job training;  training that uses case studies, role plays and experiential activities; self-directed learning; social learning
5. Motivation: your employees’ levels of interest, enthusiasm, and commitment
   • Suggested solutions: rewards and recognition; compensation systems; engagement efforts; motivation systems; team building
6. Wellness: factors related to employees’ physical or emotional well-being that impact performance; work-life balance is off, an employees’ career & ambition is competing with their health, family, leisure time, etc.
   • Suggested solutions: energy management; work-life balance correction; employee assistance programs; counseling; win-win negotiating; workplace violence prevention 

Partnership Creation and Support — to reach solutions are critical. Clients you work with can either enhance or block these solutions.  Find expertise and specialists in the organization who have good listening skills, can build trust, and respect one another to reach the goals of the organization. 

Decision-Making Matrices and Methods — the tools to help you aid in selecting a solution:

• Multivoting (Nominal Group Technique) - a structured way to get a group or tram to brainstorm a wide range of responses to an issue, clarify these responses, and then vote or rank these from most to least critical 
• Affinity/Interrelationship Digraph - enable stakeholders to see what root causes have the largest impact on the organization — specifically with relationships and issues, as we shared in episode 1.3
• Countermeasure Matrix - a decision-making tool to identify appropriate countermeasures for root causes of issues as well as identify and rank one to three potential solutions with the cost, time, and action; here’s an EXAMPLE to visualize this one; BONUS TEMPLATE MS Excel sheet from SixSigmaOnline.org
• Common Mistakes made by TD professionals include:
  • Failure to partner/collaborate with the client & org. stakeholders
  • Failure to consider the organization’s culture
  • Failure to manage change...

AOE 1. Performance Improvement; Sub section 1.4. Root Cause Analysis

This learning objectives for Root Cause Analysis for this episode:

• Explain the importance of identifying & addressing the root cause of performance issues
• List and define the categories of root causes
• Describe three tools for determining the root causes of performance issues and how they are used
• Explain the importance of gathering hard data and the importance of reinforcement provided by people through storytelling

To do this Root Cause Analysis you need both objective (a target or purpose that leads to a goal) and subjective (personal opinions, points of view, emotions, judgements, etc.)data to get a full picture of what is going on. Learning & performance professionals might use a process improvement tool, like a cause-and-effect (fishbone or Ishikawa) diagram to help identify all the likely causes of an issue or problem. Another technique you might try is the Pareto Analysis to prioritize problem solving work based on the 80/20 rule, where 80% of the problem may be the results in as few as 20% of the causes. And of course, you will be collecting data to identify the root cause of a performance gap, just as we discussed in the previous episode no. 6 about Business, Performance, and Gap Analysis (AOE 1.3.).

For performance improvement, we often consider asking the following issues:

• How well do employees see the results of what they do?
• How well are employees rewarded or offered incentives for desired performance?
• How well are people given the data, information, or feedback they need to perform just when they need it?
• Do employees have the ability and time to perform their job function and expectations?

BONUS VIDEO: Introduction to Root Cause Analysis via MindToolsVideos offers a nice guide to the steps for conducting this type of analysis:

1. Define the problem: What is happening? What are the symptoms of it?
2. Collect data about the situation: How long has the problem existed? What is its impact of this problem? What can you learn about it? Gather and analyze this information before moving onto the next step
3. Identify possible cause(s): What events led to this problem? What conditions allow this problem to occur? What other problems or actions seem to be related to the issue/problem? Use the 5 whys or cause-and-effect diagrams to identify all causal factors
4. Identify the root cause(s): What or who is responsible for the problems you identified in the previous step? Why do these causal factors exist? What is the real reason the problem or issue occurred? Find more information about each cause.
5. Recommend and Implement Solutions “Fix the problem”: implement a learning/performance solution to address the issue or problem; What can you do to prevent this problem from happening again? How will this “fix” be implemented? Who will be responsible for the solution implementation? What are the potential risks for this fix? Identify any changes needed to resolve the issues/problems

Examples of Root Causes found in performance gaps include (but are not limited to):

• A lack of knowledge or skills on the part of the employee
• A lack of appropriate resources to perform on the job
• A need for more information for their role, about the organization, etc.
• A problem or issue in the structure and/or process of the workflow
• A lack of or a change in leadership/management
• Issues with motivations or expectations
• Poor incentives, rewards, and/or feedback
• A hiring, selection, or promotion of talent problem

Root Cause Analysis Tools:

• Cause-and-Effect Diagrams + Ms Office template (mentioned above)
• Five Whys Technique via Buffer’s blog - focus the questions on when and where the problem occurs, and how to monitor the problem
• Pareto Analysis - 80/20 problems vs. issues; separate the vital few from the trivial many
• Brainstorming - come up with as many ideas as possible; ideal group number =7-10; the of brainstorming with a few helpful digital tools

Importance of Gathering Data

To make an objective and informed recommendation for a learning/performance solution, you need to ensure the data is measurable and the items identified in analysis have the largest impact on performance in the organization. To ensure the root cause analysis is complete, be sure the following questions have been answered:

• How do employees see the results of what they do?
• How well are employees rewarded, recognized, or offered incentives for their work?
• What are the penalties for not obtaining the outcomes of performance?
• Are employees given the data, information, or feedback they need in a timely manner? And how?
• Do employees have the support tools and resources they need to do their job?

Books mentioned in this episode:

Facilitating with Ease!, 4th Edition by Ingrid Bens

AOE 1. Performance Improvement; Sub section 1.3. Business, Performance, and Gap Analysis
This episodes learning objectives for Performance Analysis:

• Describe how to use performance analysis to identify an organizational issue/need
• List several factors that affect an organization that should be considered during an external analysis
• Describe how goal analysis relates to the project scope
• List four measurement criteria that show whether objectives were met
• Describe constraints analysis, and list five limiting factors
• Describe the importance of cultural analysis in performance improvement
• List five components in a gap analysis
• Describe the concept of workflow analysis and the elements involved in this analysis
• Describe resource analysis
• List five tools to identify a performance gap and describe how to apply them
• Explain the purpose of a resource analysis

Business Analysis consists of 3 main tasks:

1. Identifying the critical goals for the appropriate business unit* that  can be easy if the organization has a clear focus and distinct priorities;
2. Clarifying that these are the appropriate goals, which sometimes becomes an issue as leaders or organizations need to change targets, may claim allegiance to goals that aren’t realistic or appropriate, or may not be able to agree on organizational goals (or might be actively pursuing contradictory policies); and
3. Determining how/if these goals are specific and measurable; this  may require refining objectives so that evaluation and measurement are possible.

During the business analysis phase, talent development professionals gather information related on a series of issues. E.g. external/internal factors impacting business goals; rationale for these goals; trends and forces in the industry; and relevant strategies to reach their goals.  The business analysis has these three phases:

1. Entry: discussion of the perceived problem; focus on the strategic priorities of the organization and not any request to deliver specific solutions
2. Data collection: information-gathering such as executive interviews, document reviews (annual reports, strategic plans, etc.), surveys, or focus groups; competitors might know external forces or those in the industry
3. Commitment: with data, you return to the client to get clarification and agreement** on what the deliverables will be based on the evidence gathered; this data will be the basis for evaluating the results of the performance improvement effort and to establish the priorities and goals

Performance Analysis: “the goal of performance analysis is to measure the gap between the desired and actual performance” (Rossett, 1992); for talent development professionals conducting this analysis, your job is to determine what initiatives or combination of initiatives will close that gap to have the actual performance level reach the desired performance level. These performance improvement initiatives are more effective as you work in partnership and collaborate with stakeholders across the organization — this helps break down barriers and fully understand the issues and potential outcomes e.g. front line workers responsibilities and executive leadership suggestion/thoughts all matter;  BONUS READ: Performance Analysis in Instructional Design 

Project Scope should include answers to these three questions:

1. What should performance look like?
2. What operational results should the organization achieve?
3. Who are the stakeholders and other interested people, including management, team leaders, and individual contributors?

Measurement Criteria & Desired Performance Outcomes

ATD Human Performance Improvement (HPI) model uses two types of evaluation: formative and summative. Both use quantitative analysis (measurable data or the quantities of particular items present in a situation or event) and qualitative analysis (non-measurable data like individual opinions, behaviors, and attributes of the org, reputation, etc.) to support measurement and results. 

The formative evaluation purpose (Brinkerhoff, 1998) are to:

• Determine if the real root cause has been identified (we’ll talk about on the next episode)
• Determine if the initiatives are properly designed and selected
• Ensure that the client’s and the stakeholders’ expectations are being met
• Check to see if the initiative is working
• Identify lessons learned for the next performance improvement project

The summative evaluation measures:

• The initiatives effect on the business goals and performance goals
• The costs for the initiative
• Expectations of the stakeholders and participants
• Return on investment (ROI) — that’s the ratio of benefit or profit received from a given investment to the cost of the investment itself; cost-benefit ratio

Constraints Analysis: identifies what factors might limit the potential project; barriers to consider, e.g. budget, time, scheduling, space, resources availability, competing priorities in the organization

Cultural Analysis: you can complete a culture audit — an assessment to examine current practices, programs, and processes and identify how culturally appropriate they may be for multicultural or global audiences; you can look at corporate histories, documents, data, internal/external studies, sources of information on finances, etc. Find the beliefs and values through research methods, e.g. interviews, surveys, focus groups, direct observation, etc.; READ: Basics of Culture Audits via TD.org

High-performing cultures in organizations typically encourage intrinsic motivation; flexible work environments; results-oriented; inclusive; collaborations and partnerships; values talent; encourages creativity/play; promotes trustworthiness; enables transitions; build knowledge; reinforces participation and engagement.

Performance gap analysis:  is a profess that measures, describes, and compares what employees currently accomplish and what is required in the future; it should define these 3 factors: 

1. Driving and restraining forces:  Kurt Lewin (father of organization development) coined this term as part of his force field analysis, designed to assess two types of forces related to introducing change within an organization — driving: those that help implement change; and restraining: those that prevent the change; explained further
2. Cur...

AOE 1. Performance Improvement; Sub section 1.2. Systems thinking and theory
This episodes Learning Objectives for Systems Thinking and Theory: 

• Explain why systems thinking and theory are important for improving performance
• List three cultural and global factors the practitioner should consider during a performance improvement initiative
• Describe mergers and acquisition management
• List and describe two sets of factors related to industry knowledge 
• List four factors related to broad company knowledge 
• Explain the concept of a system archetype

Systems thinking looks at problems in a holistic way and puts them into context of the whole to find objective performance solutions. When taking a systems approach to projects, you need to look at the entire organization with regards to the ramifications of all decisions and strategies. For example, you might question the types of behaviors that are being rewarded or incentivized — and how this might look if people were rewarded for long-term systematic changes. More on what systems thinking involves: what, why, when, where, and how?

The goal is to determine the underlying and fundamental relationships causing the problem. It’s a proactive way to avoid the continual reaction and need to manage issues. General principles of systems thinking includes:

• Identifying the problem and separates the issue into parts; actions taken may have other consequences that make the overall situation worse
• With complex systems there may be many interdependencies, so it is key to identify the best places for performance solutions to be effective at solving the problem; keep in mind the interconnectedness of all people, process, equipment, and materials in a system will matter
• System boundaries need to be defined to reduce the scope of the problem to focus the analysis and simplify the problem; keep in mind that a narrow scope (most common error) also gives a limited perspective of analysis and understanding of the variables creating the problem
• An open system, one that interacts and learns from its environment, can be influenced by outside events and need boundaries; a closed system is self-contained 

Characteristics of systems thinking:

• Understand complex relationships and interdepencies
• Take responsibility for fixing problems
• Balance short-term and long-term needs and perspectives
• View an issue or problem in another way
• See the entirety of a situation
• Discern patterns of recurring problems not created by daily events
• Question any and all underlying assumptions
• Develop understanding and compassion

Principles of Systems Thinking (Kauffman, 1980; Senge, 1994):

• There are no final or right answers
• Cause and effect are not related to time and space
• Solutions require careful consideration
• Behavior gets worse before it gets better
• There are limits in every system
• Foresight benefits the organization — especially with complex systems who are not linear, but are self-organising

READ: The Six Systems Thinking Steps to Solve Complex Problems

Levels of Systems Thinking Problems — involve the understanding how how you view the problems in terms of events, patterns, and structures. Ways to unlock systems level change you need to unpack the systems mindset, identify the right tools or process for the job, and understand the impacts of human dynamics. How does systems thinking impact a collective mindset? What are the ways we can solve issues with these considerations? 

Cultural and global factors that can affect the organizational system include:

• Economic factors, e.g. pricing and local currency
• Social interactions, e.g. societal norms 
• Traditions, e.g. holidays

Systems thinking helps to identify and respond to a series of changes before those changes lead to failure — especially as organizations experience transitions (e.g. mergers and acquisitions). People experience these transitions in four stages — here are their reactions to change:

1. Disengagement: an individual appears to lose interest and initiative. 
2. Disidentification: employees  feel they have lost their identities and become vulnerable
3. Disorientation: employees feel lost and confused, do not know where they fit in, or what they feel; their priorities or direction are gone and often spend time determining what should be done instead of how to do it.
4. Disenchantment: distinguished by the feeling of being disappointed with something and not longer believing that it is good or worthwhile; employees may become negative or angry and seek support during change

Other factors to benchmark during a business analysis include:

Industry Knowledge           
-the organization’s rationale for a goal and why it is a priority

-other organizational goals, that may be competing or contradictory

-other strategies that have been identified or tried previously to meet the goal

Industry factors to understand:

--the competitive environment

--compliance issues

        Broad Company Knowledge:

-the industry segment

-the organizational structure

-the formal and informal power structures

-knowledge transfer

Business awareness: key factors impacting the organizations current situation, influences in the market/industry, and factors affecting health.

System Archetype: is a pattern of behavior of a system which can be used to identify the type of system one is working with. Here are eight system archetypes and their storylines as mentioned in this episode. Examples discussed include: Fixes that fall; Shifting the burden; Limits to success; Drifting goals; Growth and underinvestment; Success to the successful; Escalation; and Tragedy of the commons

Books mentioned in this episode:

• The Fifth Discipline by Peter Senge 
• Systems One: An Introduction to Systems Thinking By Draper Kauffman

Area of Expertise  (AOE) 1: Performance Improvement; Subsection 1.1.: Performance Improvement Process
Learning Objectives for Performance Improvement Process:

• Explain the importance of understanding multiple performance improvement models
• Describe the ATD Human Performance Improvement Model
• Describe the steps of the performance improvement process and how they related to each other
• Describe Rummler-Braches’ nine box model
• Recall one alternate performance model

The purpose of performance improvement is to strengthen the organizational processes, systems, products, or services, specifically aims to:

• Identify the goals of the organization
• Define the gap between desired performance and actual performance
• Identify the causes of the performance gap
• Select appropriate solutions that will address those causes
• Implement the solutions
• Evaluate the results

A few things mentioned on this Learn/Perform “track”:

• Performance Management -- example of a cycle
• What is Human Performance Improvement (HPI)? 
• Overview of the Performance Improvement Process
• What is Human Performance Improvement (HPT)?
  • Human: the individuals and groups that make up our organizations
  • Performance: activities and measurable outcomes​
  • Technology: a systematic and systemic approach to solve practical problems
• Backward Design (Wiggins & McTighe)
  • E.g. Backward Design with TED Ed
• Design Thinking is a process for creative problem solving
• Competency-Based Education
• Performance Improvement/HPT Model: Guiding the Process [links to PDF] 
• Overview and IMAGE of the ATD (formerly called ASTD) HPI Model
• Performance Improvement/HPT Model (image for change management)
• HPI under ATD; HPT under ISPI 
• Root Cause Analysis: explained with examples and methods
• Factors that Affect Human Performance: knowledge, skill, desire (motivation), environment, opportunity

Models Mentioned

• Gilbert’s Behavior Engineering Model 
• Mager & Pipe’s Model for Analyzing Performance Problems
• Rummler & Brache -- Process Improvement with the 9 box matrix & 9 Box Grid
• Harless Model - Front-End Analysis
• Using Performance DNA to guide HPI Project Success + Performance DNA Leadership Model Report [slides]
• Fundamentals of HPI - Performance Info-line PDF (2000)

Shared Principles of Performance Improvement

1. Use of a results-based, systematic approach
2. Focus on outcomes rather than behavior
3. Organizations are systems 

Key areas of focus for performance improvement: organizational goals and initiatives + changement skills (impetus skills, communication channels/information networks, group dynamics, process, facilitation skills, etc.)

Books mentioned in this episode:

• HBR Guide to Performance Management (2017)
• Handbook of Human Performance Technology: Principles, Practices, and Potential, 3rd Edition (2006) Edited by Pershing & Stolovitch --Chapter 38: Making the Transition from a Learning to Performance Function 
• Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd ed). NJ: Prentice Hall.
• Serious Performance Consulting According to Rummler (2007)

Now that we're past eligibility, it's time to review what is in the Knowledge Exam for the CPLP. On this episode I give an overview of the Content Outline of the Knowledge Exam (also found on pp. 40-44 of the 2019 CPLP Certification Handbook). You can download your copy directly from the bottom of this web page: https://www.td.org/certification/cplp/eligibility

Have you just stumbled upon this podcast? Here's the trailer to give you an ideas about what the Learn/Perform Mixtape is all about.

Are you studying for the CPLP now? Let me know and let's connect:
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Twitter: @laurapasquini
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurapasquini/         

Areas of Expertise (AOE)

AOE 1: Performance Improvement (Weighted 13 - 14% of the exam)

Applying a systematic process of discovering and analyzing human performance gaps; planning for future improvements in human performance; designing and developing solutions to close performance gaps; partnering with the customer when identifying the opportunity and the solution; implementing the solution; monitoring the change; evaluating the results.    

AOE 2: Instructional Design (Weighted 13 – 14% of the exam)        

Designing, creating, and developing informal and formal learning solutions to meet organizational needs; analyzing and selecting the most appropriate strategy, methodologies, and technologies to maximize the learning experience and impact.        

AOE 3: Training Delivery (Weighted 13 - 14% of the exam)            

Delivering learning solutions in a manner that both engages the learner and produces desired outcomes; managing and responding to learner needs; ensuring that learning is made available in effective platforms and delivered in a timely and effective manner.

AOE 4: Learning Technologies (Weighted 11 - 12% of the exam)

Identifying, selecting, implementing, and leveraging a variety of learning technologies; adapting learning technologies; applying appropriate technologies to a learning opportunity or challenge.

AOE 5: Evaluating Learning Impact (Weighted 11 - 12% of the exam)

Gathering, organizing, and analyzing information regarding the impact of learning solutions against key business drivers; presenting the information in a way that is meaningful to the organization; using learning metrics and analytics to inform organizational decision making.

AOE 6: Managing Learning Programs (Weighted 8 - 9% of the exam)

Providing leadership to execute the organization’s strategy; planning, monitoring, and adjusting learning and development projects or activities. Strategic and Tactical areas of knowledge

AOE 7: Integrated Talent Management (Weighted 8 - 9% of the exam)

Building an organization’s culture, engagement, capability, and capacity through the implementation and integration of talent acquisition, employee development, retention, and deployment processes; ensuring that these processes are aligned to organizational goals.

AOE 8: Coaching (Weighted 8 - 9% of the exam)

Using an interactive process to help individuals develop rapidly and produce results; improving others’ ability to set goals, take action, make better decisions, and make full use of their natural strengths.

AOE 9: Knowledge Management (Weighted 5 - 6% of the exam)

Capturing, distributing, and archiving intellectual capital in a way that encourages knowledge sharing and collaboration in the organization.

AOE 10: Change Management (Weighted 8 - 9% of the exam)                

Applying structured approaches to shift individuals, teams, and organizations from a current state to a desired state.                             

Foundational Competency (FC) 11: Global Mindset

Having an openness and awareness of cultural differences; working effectively across borders and cultures. Cultural, global theories & issues -- self-awareness and looking at different dimensions of learning, communication and dynamics.   

My Study Notes for this Learn/Perform Mixtape episode: 

Here's a message I received  ATD after being "accepted" as being eligible to sit for my exam -- 

There is no prerequisite study/preparation requirement for the CPLP program; however, most candidates find it necessary to do so. Depending on your learning style and preference, there are a variety of additional study/preparation options available. Here are just a few suggestions: 

• Create your own materials using the CPLP Knowledge Exam Content Outline, found in the back of the CPLP Candidate Handbook.
• Take the free Practice Exam and other prep products just uploaded new practice items this week.
• Become a part of an ATD Chapter Study Group.
• Connect with people on your same journey in the CPLP Candidate group on LinkedIn
• Practice exams and a Study Guide for the Skills Application Exam are now available. They can be found on the CPLP Certification Handbook webpage - https://www.td.org/certification/do-i-meet-the-requirements (See bottom of the page) 

The CPLP registration fee covers the cost of all testing and test related materials for a one time sitting. Fees do not cover the cost of study or preparation materials, study group support, travel expenses to and from the testing center, transfers, or retesting fees.

I've decided to become a member to get a discount on the ATD Learning System: CPLP Edition. Get ready to put aside 80+ hours of study just to prepare for the first exam -- the Knowledge Exam. Here are a few other prep resources from ATD: https://www.td.org/certification/preparation

Here are a few helpful resources I found to prepare before I signed up for the first exam (January 24, 2020) that are open or accessible for free, specifically two previous webcasts from this year from ATD on the CPLP and SAE exams:

•  How to Prepare for the CPLP (Panel) https://webcasts.td.org/webinar/3165
•  Tips to Prepare for the Skills Application Exam (SAE) https://webcasts.td.org/webinar/3363
• Collected Quizlets -- other people's digital CPLP Flashcards by Chapter

p.s. The ATD Competency Model is changing mid-2020 -- as they are reviewing this now. This podcast series is relevant for the current model and prep for the CPLP exams scheduled for early 2020.

Are you studying for the CPLP now? Let me know and let's connect:
Podcast web space: https://techknowtools.com/learnperform-mixtape/
Twitter: @laurapasquini
LInkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurapasquini/