Personal Development Plan

Competencies

Technical abilities utilizing software

Management skills

Confident

Motivator

Persistent

Customer focus

Team oriented

 

Improvement Opportunities

Lack of expertise in field

Lack of experience/never held position in ID

Lack of required certification

 

Development Goals

Job Experiences – Promotion- Attain in Learning and Development role – A position within the L&D department in my organization will enable me to enter the field and have the opportunity to begin gaining experience in the field.  I have already applied for a specialist role within my organization.

Interpersonal Relationships -Coaching – Through coaching within the L&D team, I will enhance my current knowledge and gain expertise in the L&D role. I will request the coaching and feedback of my manager and peers to attain this goal.

Mentoring – I will partner with a professional in the L&D field under a mentorship program. This will assist me in developing my skills and obtain support from an experienced individual whom can not only offer me growth opportunities in learning but also provide feedback and insight as to the areas in which I would need to focus to achieve my goals. According to Noe (2013), “a mentor is an experience, productive senior employee who helps develop a less experienced employee (the protégé)”. As such, as part of my search for a mentor, I will ensure that the individual whom I select as a mentor, possesses the experienced required to be an effective model for me.

Formal Education – I will pursue certification in PHR through additional training and preparation course. I will also pursue additional training within the L & D field through seminars and trainings offered by ASTD through which I am a member.

Training and Development Needs

Obtain hands-on, on the job experience in training and development, designing and facilitating training

Required experience to qualify for PHR assessment

Reference

•       Noe, R. A. (2013). Employee Training and Development. (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

Technological Advances used Today for Training

Some of the technology advances which were discussed in our resources and ones which have caught my attention are webcasts/webinars, computer-based training, blended learning, and wikis. An additional resource I discovered during my research was the use of video games to provide video games for training Army soldiers. Webcasts have enabled training to be delivered to multiple areas at the same time and different places. I have used webcasts and learning when learning about new features for programs at work. These allow the material to be presented and usually provide opportunities to ask questions to the facilitator. I have used computer-based training to complete compliance training required. CBT makes training possible by providing several methods such as training through the web, cds or dvds. CBT has enabled me to complete my training sessions on my own time; it has provided flexibility. I discovered blended learning when I was attending a community college and it was interesting for me because it was my first exposure to it. I was unsure if I could do online learning so I decided to try this approach and must say that I enjoyed it. It was convenient for me to have time with the teacher and be able to do some of my work on my own on the computer.

I learned about Wikis during one of the courses for the current program I am pursuing. I believe Wikis are such a great tool. We currently use Wikis at work as our shared drive. It is convenient because you are able to share documents, create and edit and make it accessible to multiple users. One other interesting tool I found which is used for training is video games. According to Tracy K. Robillard, AMC, (2011), "Picatinny recently received a patent for a process to safely train Soldiers how to operate a variety of robots used in Iraq and Afghanistan to detonate improvised explosive devices, or IEDs. The Robotic Vehicle Trainer is a realistic video game that simulates combat environments and uses the same controls as actual robots used in Explosive Ordnance Disposal. "The virtual environment inserts the student into hazardous environments enabling familiarization with the robotic vehicle and EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) bomb disposal tools". This method is interesting because it provides soldiers a simulated environment out of harm's way and provides them with an example of what they may encounter.

I believe all of the technologies above will continue developing and becoming more refined to serve a bigger purpose than what they are currently serving. I believe; however, that the use of cds and dvds may severely be reduced or will completely disappear because it provides limitations just as it does benefits. I believe that in the future we will rely more in flexible instruction presented with technological tools and advances.

References

Noe, R. E. (2013). Employee Training and Development. (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

Robillard, T. K. (2011).  Picatinny advances EOD training with video game technology. Retrieved December 5, 2013, from: http://www.army.mil/article/53259/.

Stolovitch, H. D. & Keeps, E. J. (2011). Telling ain’t Training. Alexandria, VA: ASTD Press.

Needs Assessment

I was employed by an organization which provides public health services in the city I reside. This opportunity was my first job within a governmental agency and it allowed me to learn about governmental policies, processes and limitations, to say the least. This organization experienced two rounds of personnel reduction within a year’s time and subsequently, the staff that was retained was required to inherit additional duties. Unfortunately, the loss of personnel created efficiency issues. It seemed that the personnel who worked at the clinics suddenly forgot the tasks they were required to do on a daily basis and this created a backlog of work in the clerical area. Billing became backlogged, faxes were not being addressed as required, and referrals were not being processed. No one realized what was happening until a problem arose.

 

Until today, this issue continues happening and no one has been able to find a solution. In performing a needs assessment at this organization, I would first obtain the buy-in from the Administrator. I would also ensure that I obtain the buy-in from other executive leadership as the executors for the organization, the assistant directors who oversee the clinics, the subject matter experts – key personnel such as the clerical supervisor, the billing lead, and clinic manager.   

 

Some of the questions I would ask the executive leadership would be:

What are the results of the current performance and how is this performance affecting the efficiency and overall organization?

Based on your assessment, is there a need for training? Within the departments or the clinic setting?

Who would be the key staff who can provide current status of the organization?

Are there any foreseen roadblocks from mid level or first level  management I should be aware of?

 

Questions I would ask the assistant directors would be:

What will be their level of hands on involvement in this initiative?

Are there monetary constraints which could affect the development of a strategy to counteract the current deficiencies in performance?

Who will be designated to assist in training the staff?

Which function of the organization should be the main focus for training? Who should be trained?   

Who are the SMEs or champions of the deficient processes?

 

Questions I would ask the SMEs (billing/clerical) would be:

What processes are being completed as required?

What is the current backlog in each area? What are the timeframes? What are the goals?

What function is mostly affected? And what function is the priority? Billing, referrals, fax management?

How is the organization/clinic affected when these processes are not completed? What are the effects to other functions? What are the effects to the customers?

What skills needs are needed to complete each function? Do all the staff have the required skills and knowledge to execute the duties, based on your knowledge?

 

Documents or records I would like to see are work samples, policies and procedures, standard operating procedures, logs for tasks requiring logging such as faxes, backlog of claims, deficiencies/losses created due to current situation.

 

Techniques I would employ would include observations, questioneers, interviews, documentations such as policies and manuals and historical data. This will enable me to analyze the current process and environment, it will provide me data and information as well as a visual understanding of how the process is currently completed and the factors preventing the completion of the tasks as required. It would also allow me to obtain information from the staff regarding their understanding and interpretation of the processes and provide me insight as to what they feel is working or why it is not. In addition, I would potentially work with a focus group for defining and implementing revised processes and procedures.

Reference

Noe, R. A. (2013). Employee training and development (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

The Truth About Training

So you say that training is not important in your business? Or that is complicated and costs too much?

In today's business landscape, training is not just a matter of survival; training is what separates high performance organizations from those fighting to survive. Today, many organizations view training as a luxury, not a competitive and strategic necessity; however, training is essential to secure business longevity and success. Why?

Fact 1: Training is important to grow your business, to retain valued and knowledgeable staff, and to attract high performing job candidates. Training is more than just building skills and knowledge.

Fact 2: Investing in effective training can contribute to your company’s competitive advantage…why? Because the staff’s recognizes and appreciates the investment made and it improves your staff morale and engagement; therefore, yielding stronger commitment, higher productivity, better customer service and lower turnover.

Fact 3:  Effective training improves the bottom line….why? because it can provide your staff with improved processes and methods in which to do their job more effective and efficiently which translates into improved efficiency, faster and improved production ultimately lowering your production costs and maximizing the return on your investment.

Need more facts, invite me in to conduct a needs assessment of your organization, and allow me to show you how your investment in training can elevate your organization’s performance, business’ success and improve your competitive advantage.

 

Training and Development Course

Greetings, this is Jia and I am very excited to have begun the Training and Development course. I look forward to the insight and content this course will be provide and all the new opportunities to learning. I hope everyone who subscribes enjoys the content of the blog and is able to provide feedback to the content presented.

Jia

Analyzing Scope Creep

According to Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, and Sutton, Scope creep is "the natural tendency of the client, as well as project team members, to try to improve the project's output as the project progresses" (2008). An example of scope creep is the addition of fields in an implementation which was half way completed. I once worked for an organization which was implementing a new customer management system. A team was created to plan and design the system for 20 branches of the company. The budget and plans were created and the system was designed. Once the program was developed and tested and implemented (installed) throughout 15 branches, the branch manager of the branch I worked in decided that additional fields in the program were to be added to facilitate data tracking due to the uniqueness of the business and its clientele. The request was necessary; however, it delayed the implementation by two months for all of the branches. Due to how the program was created, the additional fields could not be implemented by just adding them; the fields had to be added to the original program and installed in every branch where the program had already been  installed even if the fields would not be used. In this case, the program had to be rewritten, retested, and reinstalled in 15 branches where the implementation had already taken place and installed in the other 5 branches including ours. 

            Extra expenses were incurred in labor; the company was charged double for the labor to write the program. In addition, due to the time this consumed, the company had to pay for travel and lodging of the technicians who were contracted for the implementation of the programs due to the extended time required. In all, the company spent an extra $28,000 than budgeted. Had I been the project manager responsible for the project, I would ensure that I defined all the needs of the project in detail per branch to ensure I address every branch's needs individually and to assure that the implementation would be completed within the allotted time and would have stayed within the defined budget.

References

Portny S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Communicating Effectively

Effective communication is extremely important to ensure that the message intended is relayed effectively. Without this, communication can be misinterpreted or dismissed.

In the email, the sender seemed desperate in requesting the information needed. It is perceived that Jane was understanding of Mark’s busy schedule but insistent in obtaining her information due to a deadline. It seemed that Mark had delayed and even dismissed her prior requests.

In the voice message, Jane’s voice was more serious and unfriendly than on the email. Her tone of voice was firm and without saying it, it seemed that she was blaming Mark in advance for missing her deadline because he did not send the information required.

 

The face to face conversation to me did not seem pressing at all. It was friendly and somewhat dismissing of the fact that the information was needed immediately. Jane seemed to be asking rather than telling mark that the information is needed. In this tone, Jane’s request and deadline may not be taken seriously or as serious as on the voice message.

I believe that hearing the message but not seeing a face expression or mannerism made the message more concise and direct. I believe the voice message conveyed the true sense and meaning of how and what was said and the urgency it carried.

I have learned that effective communication is very important. I also learned that it is important to effectively relay the urgency of matters in a way in which it is understood correctly in any way it is relayed. For example, if it is a document you need, it is important that the urgency is expressed effectively to prevent a miscommunication to the receiving party. I also learn that the use of expressions and hand or face gestures can degrade the message being relayed therefore making it ineffective.

Reference

Laureate Education. (2011). The Art of Effective Communication. Retrieved November 15, 2012 from: http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/2dett4d/Walden/EDUC/6145/03/mm/aoc/index.html