Organizational Training
A Process Management Process Area at Maturity Level 3
Purpose
The purpose of Organizational Training (OT) is to develop skills and knowledge of people so they can perform their roles effectively and efficiently.
Introductory Notes
Organizational Training includes training to support the organization’s strategic business objectives and to meet the tactical training needs that are common across projects and support groups. Training needs identified by individual projects and support groups are handled at the project and support group level and are outside the scope of the Organizational Training process area. Projects and support groups are responsible for identifying and addressing their training needs.
Refer to the Project Planning process area for more information about planning needed knowledge and skills.
An organizational training program involves the following activities:
• Identifying the training needed by the organization
• Obtaining and providing training to address those needs
• Establishing and maintaining a training capability
• Establishing and maintaining training records
• Assessing training effectiveness
Effective training requires the assessment of needs, planning, instructional design, and appropriate training media (e.g., workbooks, computer software), as well as a repository of training process data. As an organizational process, the main components of training include a managed training development program, documented plans, personnel with appropriate mastery of disciplines and other areas of knowledge, and mechanisms for measuring the effectiveness of the training program.
Identifying process training needs is based primarily on the skills required to perform the organization’s set of standard processes.
Refer to the Organizational Process Definition process area for more information about standard processes.
Certain skills may be effectively and efficiently imparted through vehicles other than in-class training experiences (e.g., informal mentoring). Other skills require more formalized training vehicles, such as in a classroom, by Web-based training, through guided self study, or via a formalized on-the-job training program. The formal or informal training vehicles employed for each situation should be based on an assessment of the need for training and the performance gap to be addressed. The term “training” used throughout this process area is used broadly to include all of these learning options.
Success in training can be measured by the availability of opportunities to acquire the skills and knowledge needed to perform new and ongoing enterprise activities.
Skills and knowledge may be technical, organizational, or contextual. Technical skills pertain to the ability to use equipment, tools, materials, data, and processes required by a project or process. Organizational skills pertain to behavior within and according to the employee’s organization structure, role and responsibilities, and general operating principles and methods. Contextual skills are the self-management, communication, and interpersonal abilities needed to successfully perform in the organizational and social context of the project and support groups.
The phrase “project and support groups” is used frequently in the process area description to indicate an organization-level perspective.
Related Process Areas
Refer to the Decision Analysis and Resolution process area for more information about analyzing possible decisions using a formal evaluation process that evaluates identified alternatives against established criteria.
Refer to the Organizational Process Definition process area for more information about organizational process assets.
Refer to the Project Planning process area for more information about planning needed knowledge and skills.
Specific Practices by Goal
SG 1 Establish an Organizational Training Capability
A training capability, which supports the organization’s management and technical roles, is established and maintained.
The organization identifies training required to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to perform enterprise activities. Once the needs are identified, a training program addressing those needs is developed.
SP 1.1 Establish Strategic Training Needs
Establish and maintain strategic training needs of the organization.
Strategic training needs address long-term objectives to build a capability by filling significant knowledge gaps, introducing new technologies, or implementing major changes in behavior. Strategic planning typically looks two to five years into the future.
Examples of sources of strategic training needs include the following:
• The organization’s standard processes
• The organization’s strategic business plan
• The organization’s process improvement plan
• Enterprise-level initiatives
• Skill assessments
• Risk analyses
• Acquisition and supplier management
Typical Work Products
1. Training needs
2. Assessment analysis
Subpractices
1. Analyze the organization’s strategic business objectives and process improvement plan to identify potential training needs.
2. Document the strategic training needs of the organization.
Examples of categories of training needs include (but are not limited to) the following:
• Process analysis and documentation
• Engineering (e.g., requirements analysis, design, testing, configuration management, quality assurance)
• Service delivery
• Selection and management of suppliers
• Management (e.g., estimating, tracking, risk management)
• Disaster recovery and continuity of operations
3. Determine the roles and skills needed to perform the organization’s set of standard processes.
4. Document the training needed to perform roles in the organization’s set of standard processes.
5. Document the training needed to maintain the safe, secure, and continued operation of the business.
6. Revise the organization’s strategic needs and required training as necessary.
SP 1.2 Determine Which Training Needs Are the Responsibility of the Organization
Determine which training needs are the responsibility of the organization and which are left to the individual project or support group.
Refer to the Project Planning process area for more information about planning needed knowledge and skills.
In addition to strategic training needs, organizational training addresses training requirements that are common across projects and support groups. Projects and support groups have the primary responsibility for identifying and addressing their training needs. The organization’s training staff is responsible for addressing only common cross-project and support group training needs (e.g., training in work environments common to multiple projects). In some cases, however, the organization’s training staff may address additional training needs of projects and support groups, as negotiated with them, in the context of the training resources available and the organization’s training priorities.
Typical Work Products
1. Common project and support group training needs
2. Training commitments
Subpractices
1. Analyze the training needs identified by projects and support groups.
Analysis of project and support group needs is intended to identify common training needs that can be most efficiently addressed organization wide. These needs-analysis activities are used to anticipate future training needs that are first visible at the project and support group level.
2. Negotiate with projects and support groups on how their training needs will be satisfied.
The support provided by the organization’s training staff depends on the training resources available and the organization’s training priorities.
Examples of training appropriately performed by the project or support group include the following:
• Training in the application or service domain of the project
• Training in the unique tools and methods used by the project or support group
• Training in safety, security, and human factors
3. Document commitments for providing training support to projects and support groups.
SP 1.3 Establish an Organizational Training Tactical Plan
Establish and maintain an organizational training tactical plan.
The organizational training tactical plan is the plan to deliver the training that is the responsibility of the organization and is necessary for individuals to perform their roles effectively. This plan addresses the near-term execution of training and is adjusted periodically in response to changes (e.g., in needs, in resources) and to evaluations of effectiveness.
Typical Work Products
1. Organizational training tactical plan
Subpractices
1. Establish the content of the plan.
Organizational training tactical plans typically contain the following:
• Training needs
• Training topics
• Schedules based on training activities and their dependencies
• Methods used for training
• Requirements and quality standards for training materials
• Training tasks, roles, and responsibilities
• Required resources including tools, facilities, environments, staffing, skills, and knowledge
2. Establish commitments to the plan.
Documented commitments by those responsible for implementing and supporting the plan are essential for the plan to be effective.
3. Revise the plan and commitments as necessary.
SP 1.4 Establish a Training Capability
Establish and maintain a training capability to address organizational training needs.
Refer to the Decision Analysis and Resolution process area for more information about analyzing possible decisions using a formal evaluation process that evaluates identified alternatives against established criteria.
Typical Work Products
1. Training materials and supporting artifacts
Subpractices
1. Select appropriate approaches to satisfy organizational training needs.
Many factors may affect the selection of training approaches, including audience-specific knowledge, costs, schedule, and the work environment. Selecting an approach requires consideration of the means to provide skills and knowledge in the most effective way possible given the constraints.
Examples of training approaches include the following:
• Classroom training
• Computer-aided instruction
• Guided self study
• Formal apprenticeship and mentoring programs
• Facilitated videos
• Chalk talks
• Brown bag lunch seminars
• Structured on-the-job training
2. Determine whether to develop training materials internally or to acquire them externally.
Determine the costs and benefits of internal training development and of acquiring training externally.
Example criteria that can be used to determine the most effective mode of knowledge or skill acquisition include the following:
• Performance objectives
• Time available to prepare for project execution
• Business objectives
• Availability of in-house expertise
• Availability of training from external sources
Examples of external sources of training include the following:
• Customer-provided training
• Commercially available training courses
• Academic programs
• Professional conferences
• Seminars
3. Develop or obtain training materials.
Training may be provided by the project, support groups, the organization, or an external organization. The organization’s training staff coordinates the acquisition and delivery of training regardless of its source.
Examples of training materials include the following:
• Courses
• Computer-aided instruction
• Videos
4. Develop or obtain qualified instructors.
To ensure that internal training instructors have the necessary knowledge and training skills, criteria can be defined to identify, develop, and qualify them. In the case of external training, the organization’s training staff can investigate how the training provider determines which instructors will deliver the training. This selection of qualified instructors can also be a factor in selecting or continuing to use a training provider.
5. Describe the training in the organization’s training curriculum.
Examples of the information provided in training descriptions for each course include the following:
• Topics covered in the training
• Intended audience
• Prerequisites and preparation for participating
• Training objectives
• Length of the training
• Lesson plans
• Completion criteria for the course
• Criteria for granting training waivers
6. Revise training materials and supporting artifacts as necessary.
Examples of situations in which training materials and supporting artifacts may need to be revised include the following:
• Training needs change (e.g., when new technology associated with the training topic is available)
• An evaluation of the training identifies the need for change (e.g., evaluations of training effectiveness surveys, training program performance assessments, instructor evaluation forms)
SG 2 Provide Necessary Training
Training necessary for individuals to perform their roles effectively is provided.
When selecting people to be trained, the following should be considered:
• Background of the target population of training participants
• Prerequisite background to receive training
• Skills and abilities needed by people to perform their roles
• Need for cross-discipline technical management training for all disciplines, including project management
• Need for managers to have training in appropriate organizational processes
• Need for training in basic principles of all appropriate disciplines or services to support personnel in quality management, configuration management, and other related support functions
• Need to provide competency development for critical functional areas
• Need to maintain competencies and qualifications of personnel to operate and maintain work environments common to multiple projects
SP 2.1 Deliver Training
Deliver training following the organizational training tactical plan.
Typical Work Products
1. Delivered training course
Subpractices
1. Select those who will receive the training necessary to perform their roles effectively.
Training is intended to impart knowledge and skills to people performing various roles in the organization. Some people already possess the knowledge and skills required to perform well in their designated roles. Training can be waived for these people, but care should be taken that training waivers are not abused.
2. Schedule the training, including any resources, as necessary (e.g., facilities, instructors).
Training should be planned and scheduled. Training is provided that has a direct bearing on work performance expectations. Therefore, optimal training occurs in a timely manner with regard to imminent job-performance expectations.
These performance expectations often include the following:
• Training in the use of specialized tools
• Training in procedures that are new to the person who will perform them
3. Conduct the training.
Experienced instructors should conduct the training. When possible, training is conducted in settings that closely resemble actual performance conditions and includes activities to simulate actual work situations. This approach includes integration of tools, methods, and procedures for competency development. Training is tied to work responsibilities so that on-the-job activities or other outside experiences will reinforce the training within a reasonable time after the training was conducted.
4. Track the delivery of training against the plan.
SP 2.2 Establish Training Records
Establish and maintain records of organizational training.
This practice applies to the training performed at the organizational level. Establishment and maintenance of training records for projector support-group-sponsored training is the responsibility of each individual project or support group.
Typical Work Products
1. Training records
2. Training updates to the organizational repository
Subpractices
1. Keep records of all students who successfully complete each training course or other approved training activity as well as those who are unsuccessful.
2. Keep records of all staff members who are waived from training.
The rationale for granting a waiver should be documented, and both the manager responsible and the manager of the excepted individual should approve the waiver.
3. Keep records of all students who successfully complete their required training.
4. Make training records available to the appropriate people for consideration in assignments.
Training records may be part of a skills matrix developed by the training organization to provide a summary of the experience and education of people, as well as training sponsored by the organization.
SP 2.3 Assess Training Effectiveness
Assess the effectiveness of the organization’s training program.
A process should exist to determine the effectiveness of training (i.e., how well training is meeting the organization’s needs).
Examples of methods used to assess training effectiveness include the following:
• Testing in the training context
• Post-training surveys of training participants
• Surveys of manager satisfaction with post-training effects
• Assessment mechanisms embedded in courseware
Measures may be taken to assess the benefits of training against both the project’s and organization’s objectives. Particular attention should be paid to the need for various training methods, such as training teams as integral work units. When used, performance objectives should be shared with course participants, unambiguous, observable, and verifiable. The results of the training-effectiveness assessment should be used to revise training materials as described in the Establish a Training Capability specific practice.
Typical Work Products
1. Training-effectiveness surveys
2. Training program performance assessments
3. Instructor evaluation forms
4. Training examinations
Subpractices
1. Assess in-progress or completed projects to determine whether staff knowledge is adequate for performing project tasks.
2. Provide a mechanism for assessing the effectiveness of each training course with respect to established organizational, project, or individual learning (or performance) objectives.
3. Obtain student evaluations of how well training activities met their needs.