Revised 8/2010

Eric Sanders, MA, MBA, CPLP

585 W. Lorraine Avenue, Elmhurst, Illinois 60126-1820 (630) 290-8097, eric.sanders@ODeconomist.com

Our clients measure their own performance in terms of output, speed, quality and/or cost. What do you ask them to tie training to those measures?

TOP TEN QUESTIONS TO SHOW THE VALUE OF TRAINING

Analysis (Before the project starts) 1. What does success look like?

a. Imagine it’s a year from now and we’re wildly successful. What do you see? 2. What is the driving need for improvement?

a. What keeps you awake at night? What gets you up in the morning? 3. What’s the cost of staying the same? 4. Is training the right solution for this situation? What else might be done? 5. Who will be involved as participants, managers and sponsors? 6. What accelerators and what barriers/resistance to this program do you anticipate? 7. What business & soft measures are you tracking, and how do I get access to them? 8. What incremental improvements (value adds) would you like to see, and when? 9. What are your expectations (of the outcomes within different time frames)? 10. How is your personal performance being measured?

a. In other words: How can I make you look good? Design (Early in the project)

1. What does success look like now? (It has probably changed.) 2. How long do we have for this project, from start to finish? 3. How will the training be delivered? (Instructor-led, web-based, blended)? 4. Who are the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)? 5. Who are some high performers who can provide useful input? 6. When will the participants be available (and for how long)? 7. What should the participants do differently after the training? 8. What facilities will be available (for training and for the design process)? 9. What is the project’s budget? 10. Who will sign off on the design document?

Development (Still early in the project)

1. What does success look like now? (It has probably changed.) 2. Now that we know more, how have your expectations changed? 3. Will the program require a pilot? If so, when and where? 4. What case studies/examples can we use? 5. What type of handouts/job aids/support materials do we need? 6. Will the course be translated to other languages? If so, who will direct that process? 7. Who will deliver the training?

a. How do we train the trainers? 8. What level(s) of evaluation do we need to build in to the course? 9. How much will the managers of the participants be involved (pre-, during, and post-

course)? 10. Does the program as developed match the agreed-upon design?

Revised 8/2010

Implementation (During in the project)

1. What does success look like now? (It has probably changed.) 2. Now that we know more, how have your expectations changed? 3. What tangible result(s) can you identify from our work so far? 4. What anecdotal stories are you hearing?

a. What’s the word on the street? 5. What new variables are in play, now that we know more? 6. What unanticipated obstacles/benefits/opportunities have cropped up? 7. Who else should be involved? 8. What should I/we start, stop, continue doing? 9. Do the data still support continuing the project? 10. Where will the final product be housed (and who will maintain it)?

Evaluation (After the project)

1. What does success look like now? (It probably has changed further.) 2. What are the initial changes in agreed-upon business metrics? 3. Did we meet the agreed-upon objectives? 4. Were there any unanticipated changes in other business results? 5. What other factors can account for the changes achieved?

a. Share credit when possible and appropriate. 6. What do you need in order to sustain the results? 7. Who will follow up to maintain the program and/or the results? 8. What should I/we start, stop, continue doing to sustain the results? 9. What unexpected needs came up that we did not anticipate? 10. What’s next?