At some point in your career you have probably participated in a training program, you may have even worked collaboratively with others to create one. There are specific qualities that are prominent in successful training programs. A team that has these specific routines and habits will help to increase the return on investment when creating a new training program.
The Training Program Manager’s Playbook, from Biz Library, outlines the following nine characteristics of top training programs:
- Program Management
- Needs Assessment
- Alignment
- Goals and Metrics
- Leadership Buy-In
- Relevancy
- Creativity
- Communication Strategy
- Post Training Reinforcement
Let’s explore each of these characteristics and outline how they relate to training programs.
Program Management -Program management is the process of managing projects with the intent of improving a business’s performance.
Needs Assessment – To conduct successful training, needs assessment is critical. A needs assessment identifies what an organization needs to achieve, and how to achieve it by identifying the gaps between the current performance and the desired outcome.
Alignment – Top training programs directly address the business needs and goals of an organization.
Goals and Metrics – Top training companies work on setting measurable goals throughout the training plan to ensure that progress is being made.
Leadership Buy-In – According to Quantum Workplace, “When leaders buy into their organization’s employee engagement strategy, employee engagement increases”.
Relevancy – All training and goals should be relevant to the desired outcome based on the needs assessment.
Creativity – Creativity is necessary to create a training program that is engaging and successful.
Communication Strategy – Communication with the organization develops a deeper knowledge of the organization’s needs as well as the audience, trainings should be geared towards these.
Post Training Reinforcement – Relevant training that can be utilized and reinforced have a higher return on investment and provide for a more valuable learning experience.
These nine qualities are necessary in both the planning and executing of a training program. When working on creating a training program, think about how you can turn these characteristics into habits.
