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:

1. Program Management
2. Needs Assessment
3. Alignment
4. Goals and Metrics
5. Leadership Buy-In
6. Relevancy
7. Creativity
8. Communication Strategy
9. 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.