Personal Development Plan

Being proficient in your job is essential.  If you want to advance in the workforce, you also need to look at ways to develop professionally.

Image retrieved from https://www.businesstrainingweb.com/employee-development-training

Short Term Goal

• Earn my Master’s degree in Instructional Design and Technology
• Continue to improve my skills in leadership and developing and evaluating training products

Long Term Goal

• Accept an instructional designer position
• Continue to build my skills for advancement and to mentor others  

Development Plan
Development Ideas	Rationale for Development
360 Degree Feedback	This would be a great tool to assess my strengths, weaknesses, and skills as viewed by my peers, supervisors, and clients (Noe, 2013).  This would allow me to see what areas I need to focus on in order to improve my performance, interpersonal skills, and skills needed for advancement.  These assessments could be effective when working in a different role or job assignment.
Mentoring	As a new person to the field of instructional design, a mentor would provide me with informal training and give me insight to common challenges in our organization.  A mentor can provide career support through coaching, providing challenging assignments, and exposure (Noe, 2013).  The mentor benefits as well by developing interpersonal skills and increased feeling of self-esteem and worth to the company (Noe, 2013).
Formal Education Master’s Degree in Instructional Design and Technology, emphasis in Training and Performance Improvement	Since I work for a training company, there would be several benefits. The new knowledge and skills learned can be used immediately and for future contracts. I will be able to apply theory to justify training models and lesson development. Knowing the benefits of using a systematic approach to training will help during the front-end-analysis process.
Temporary Assignments	Proposal writing is an essential aspect of my company.  The experience I gain from working with this department along with my aviation background could make me a great asset to my organization.  This assignment would help me see if I would enjoy this role.  According to Noe (2013), temporary assignments allow employees to try out positions to determine if they will be a good fit.

Reference

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

A Case for Employee Development

Sometimes it's not all about the training companies provide for its employees.  Companies should develop employees to prepare for future success in customer service and productivity.





Below is a link to download the slides if you would like to view it as a true presentation.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByF7OTVkQy9bNzRqTS0xLV9DaVE

Employee Development from Robert Martinez

Technology in Learning and Training

Technology has really become a game changer in the way we learn and train.  These technologies have influenced the delivery of training, training administration, and training support (Noe, 2013).  This blog will discuss several technologies used in training and their impact in the field of training and learning.

E-Learning

With the advent of the Internet and affordability of computers and their common presence in the work place, organizations and individuals can take advantage of e-learning.  There are several benefits to e-learning like, its accessibility any time and any place, it can be delivered to geographically dispersed personnel, and it can be delivered to more employees in a shorter period of time (Noe, 2013).  Many organizations embrace e-learning because it cuts down on cost (i.e., equipment and travel expenses) and allows employees to complete any training at their own pace and convenient time.  For adult learners returning to college or seeking certifications, e-learning provides the flexibility for them to fit learning into their every day schedule.    

     

Wikis

Image retrieved from
https://news.bitcoin.com/bitcoin-wiki-earn-money-educating-masses/

A wiki is a website that allows many members to create, edit, and share content (Noe, 2013).  Wikis are a good tool to use to share information so other can learn informally.  Since wikis can be accessed on the web, members can view and edit content at their leisure.  Some wikis allow visitors to leave comments which can foster deeper collaboration and insight in the topic.  Consider a wiki page for the medical field.  This would allow experts from around the world to share their knowledge and ideas about symptoms and surgical procedures.  These ideas could help brainstorm solutions for cures and improved procedures.    

Simulations

When it comes to simulation technologies, the most common application is flight simulators for training pilots.  Flight simulators allow pilots to train and practice their skills in a safe environment without the risk of damaging a multimillion dollar aircraft.  Simulators help trainees with the decision making process when presented with real-life scenarios.  The military uses simulator training methods to train a variety of skills.  There are simulators for convoy operations as well as counterinsurgency techniques.  Simulators are a powerful tool that provide realistic training and can be delivered via games on a computer or training devices.  These games and devices allow leaders and personnel to understand the immediate consequences of each decision as well as how each decision can contribute to or deter from the effectiveness of other actions (Noe, 2013).  

Mobile Technology

Who doesn’t have a smartphone nowadays?  Mobile learning refers to formal and informal learning delivered on a mobile device like a tablet or smartphone (Noe, 2013).  YouTube offers many short videos from how to do car repairs to tutorials on playing an instrument.  Apps are now being used to deliver training.  According to Noe (2013), combat medic teams use an approved App for details on specific medical procedures like controlling bleeding.  With everyone holding some sort of device these days, mobile technology can make access to information and training very easy.   

Virtual Reality

Image retrieved from
http://www.basicknowledge101.com/categories/virtualreality.html

Is virtual reality (VR) technology just for entertainment or does it have value in the field of education?  VR is relatively new and making its way as a training tool.  Reynard (2017) states that VR technology is still evolving and moving more into the mainstream…but its effectiveness in classrooms is still being realized.  VR is very similar to simulators in that simulations become realistic and the user can interact with components (Noe, 2013).  The benefit of VR is that it can provide first-hand virtual experiences for students (Reynard, 2017).  When used with groups, participants can share learning and ideas from the shared virtual reality experience (Reynard, 2013).  Virtual reality equipment can be expensive so only time will tell if the benefits will out-weigh the costs.

References

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

Reynard, R. (2017). THE IMPACT OF VIRTUAL REALITY ON LEARNING: As virtual reality goes mainstream and provides new ways for students to interact and gain hands-on experience, it's important to experiment and demonstrate the technology's potential learning benefits. Campus Technology Magazine, 30(6), 33-36.

Finding the Right Fit with Needs Analysis

Men’s Wearhouse specializes in men’s dress clothes and is committed to customer satisfaction.  The company was founded by George Zimmer and the first store opened in 1973 in Houston, Texas.  Today, there are over 1,200 stores in the U.S. with a purpose of helping “people love how they look by providing a personal, convenient, one-of-a-kind shopping experience with compelling products and world class service” (Men’s Wearhouse, n.d.).

The company credits its success to their commitment in promoting employee growth through ongoing training programs that focus on personal and career development.  If this organization were seeking to improve performance, a needs analysis would need to be conducted.  The needs analysis is the first step in the instructional design process and is used to determine if training is the appropriate solution (Noe, 2013).

In order to determine if a training need exists, who it exists for, and for what tasks training is needed, key stakeholders like managers, trainers, employees, and subject matter experts (SMEs) should be involved in the needs analysis process (Noe, 2013).  Management would include upper management and middle managers while SMEs would consist of tailors and sales associates.  When stakeholders are included, it gives them a sense that their opinions are valued and increases the odds that they will agree to the recommended training needs and solutions.

Some questions to ask when analyzing the organization, personnel, and tasks would be:

What is the current state of performance?

What is the desired state or performance?

What is the organization’s rationale for spending on training?

What do employees need to do to accomplish the business goals? (Noe, 2013)

Who should be trained?

What jobs can training make the biggest difference in product quality or customer service? (Noe, 2013)

What tasks should be trained?

Historical data and company standard operating procedures (SOP) documents can be useful during the needs analysis.  Historical data from customer service can give indicators where service is not reaching the desired mark.  Also, training records and documents can help show who and what is being trained.

The needs analysis is a critical first step in determining the training need.  Instructional designers often use observations, surveys, questionnaires, and interviews to gather data from management and employees.  Many times, simply asking the target audience what they want and listening to what they tell you can bring light to performance problems and the solutions to improve performance (Jaenke, 2013).  The employees have first-hand knowledge of what is working and what is not.  Using their input will pay off during the implementation of the training because they will see it as useful and worthwhile.

References

Jaenke, R. (2012). Just Ask Them: Increasing Learner Engagement. T&D, 66(7), 30-31.

Men’s Wearhouse. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.menswearhouse.com/careers

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

The 'Why We Train' Speech

Here is a hypothetical speech to a person that does not believe that training is important, complicated, or even necessary.

Hello, my name is Robert Martinez and I am a performance improvement specialist.  Did you know that many businesses miss out on profits and growth every year simply because they do not have a strategy for their training programs?  We have found that many training programs fail because of the lack of staff involvement.  When your managers are involved in the training decisions, they can help ensure that the training is related to your business needs.  As a result, there are two benefits, your business goals can be reached and the managers will be more willing to be involved once they see the positive outcomes from the training.

Another interesting fact is that businesses are more culturally diverse.  Employees and managers need to know how to work with people from different cultures.  When this doesn’t happen, you run the risk of losing talented people from your team simply because of the work environment.  Know that increased diversity can give your business a competitive advantage.

Now let’s talk about the aspect of customer satisfaction.  Consumers have access to information and reviews about your company and your competitors through social media and consumer rating sites.  If the ratings are poor, you could lose business just off of those reviews.  It is important for your staff to know how to interact with customers and have an understanding that they are a representative of your brand. 

Having quality training that is aligned with your business goals will keep your organization focused and on the right track.  Using different approaches and technologies to deliver training will be key in keeping your staff motivated and engaged.  I say, build your people and they will build your business.  I hope to hear from you soon so we can discuss a training strategy for your organization.

My Experience with Scope Creep

I define scope creep as changes to a project that cause it to grow beyond its original intent.  These changes can come from new technologies, the client or team members (Portny, Kramer, Mantel, Meredith, & Shafer, 2007).

At the moment, I am involved in a project that is going through some changes.  Our client wanted a newer interface for their courseware that could be used with all devices.  That in itself was not a problem.  We started working on converting all courseware to this new interface, however (to my knowledge) there was never a discussion about standards and conventions that would be used with this new interface.  For example, what colors would be used and how, how would lesson menus be setup, and how would prompts be worded.  This was a recipe for scope creep.

As developers, since there really wasn’t any guidance, we just used the standards we used in the past, but then came to find out that some things did not really transfer well.  What ended up happening was everyone was doing something a little bit different, so there was no continuity between lessons.  The management realized the problem and provided us with a document that solved some of the issues we had already encountered.

By not having a design document, we were doing double work.  Along with that, as new issues were discovered, we (the developers) would come up with a solution, inform the project manager for approval or disapproval.  The problem with that was, the approved solutions was never passed on to other team members.  Again, this caused double work.

To prevent scope creep, a simple solution would be to have a design document from the beginning.  The document could have been based off a prototype lesson that addressed any nuances.  Another action the project manager could do is hold short weekly meetings with all team members to ensure they were aware of any changes to the standards.  Plus, during the meeting, the PM could get status reports and feedback on any issues (Laureate Education, n.d.).

I think that in most cases, the right tools and communication can mitigate many project problems.  Scope creep comes in many forms but it is the project manager’s responsibility to keep the project within its original boundaries.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (n.d.). Monitoring projects [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Portny, S. E., Kramer, B. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., & Shafer, S. M. (2007). Project management. Chichester, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons.

Where to go for Project Scheduling Help

Project managers have a variety of responsibilities and have to wear different hats depending on what the focus or issue of the moment is.  So how do they get a handle on the chaos and keep things organized?  Fortunately, there is a lot of advice and tools available online.  I did an online search and found a couple of sites that may help those that need a little help in keeping things organized before they get out of control or new comers that are looking for advice. 

One site that offers a lot of information on leadership and management skills is MindTools.  According to their web page, they provide online training in leadership, team and personal development training to individuals, and business worldwide.  I thought this site would be useful because of the ‘toolkit’ section.  This section offers articles on different topics like time management, project management, and strategy tools.  This site could be useful to anyone wanting to improve their management or daily work skills.  Unfortunately, you need to be a member to get full access to all of the articles.

Another site I found was PROJECTinsight.  It is actually an online project management software tool.  Not only does it offer all the project management tools like budgeting, collaboration, prioritizing, and scheduling, it also has a section that explains common project management terms.  This is not a free site either.  When it comes to making budgets and reports, software tools like this can be very helpful in overcoming project challenges. 

The last site I found was actually a personal finance site but it contained a section ‘management & leadership’.  The site was The Balance.  I thought this would be useful because the articles give beginners information on the project process.  Right now the information is limited, but maybe in the future more articles and tools will be added to make this site worthy of being bookmarked as a project management resource.

Projects come in all sizes and each have their own challenges.  The Internet offers tons of information and resources for businesses and project managers to overcome those challenges.  When it comes to project management, time is a scarce resource (Laureate Education, n.d.).  The tools and articles in the above sites can aid project managers in setting priorities, setting schedules and timelines, and communication.  In turn, that will help with time management and project success.  

Reference

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (n.d.). Creating a project schedule [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

https://www.thebalance.com/how-to-successfully-manage-your-first-project-2276127

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_01.htm

http://www.projectinsight.net/project-management-basics/project-management-schedule

Getting the Message

We communicate with each other all of the time.  And there is no shortage on the different ways we can transmit our message.  We use texting, email, post on blogs and social media, have phone conversations or leave a voice mail, and interact face-to-face.  When we are communicating with each other, how do we know we communicating effectively and sending the right message?

This week we had to observe a piece of communication in three different modes: email, voicemail, and face-to-face.  The scenario is that Jane needs Mark’s report so she can extract the date she needs to finish her report and meet her deadline.  She is asking Mark when will he send the report to her.  Below is how I interpreted the different messages.

Email

Jane’s email was clear on what she needs from Mark.  The way the message is written shows that she is empathetic to his busy situation but at the same time there still is a sense of urgency for him to send the report or at least the data she needs to finish her report.

Voicemail   

Listening to the voicemail, Jane sounds frustrated that Mark has not completed his report.  Even though she acknowledges he has been busy, her hurried speech gives a tone of frustration and urgency.  Her message was clear in what she needs had a professional tone.  I think the way Jane says how she ‘appreciates his help’ sets a tone of ‘hey, we’re on the same team so let’s get this done’.

Face-to-face

The face-to-face communication is very different from the previous two modes.  Jane's tone seems laid back and doesn’t express the urgency as the other two methods.  Along with that, the encounter seems very informal.

Communicating Effectively

As you can see, the same message can be interpreted in different ways depending on tone and other characteristics.  In project management, communication is a key component for success.  Portny, Kramer, Mantel, Meredith, & Shafer, (2007) state that effective communication is key to successful project management- sharing the right messages with the right people in a timely manner (p. 357).  In this case, I thought the email was the best method that got the message across.  When using written communication, Dr. Stolovitch names five things it should include (Laureate Education, n.d.):

- Clear purpose

- State the situation

- Include possible solutions

- Specify the form that the response is required to take

- Keep tone business friendly and respectful

As the project manager, it is important that the communication is being received and understood.  There are many ways a message can be delivered.  We should be diplomatic when communicating but at the same time be firm when needed.  It is also good practice to keep a record of all communications just in case something gets questioned later on in the project.  Without effective communication, the project can suffer or the misinterpretation of a message could be problematic for those individuals.

Reference

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (n.d.). Communicating with stakeholders [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Portny, S. E., Kramer, B. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., & Shafer, S. M. (2007). Project management. Chichester, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons.

Learning from Past Projects

After a project is completed, how do organizations go about determining what went right and what needs improving?  One close out activity that can be conducted is a project “post mortem” to determine lessons learned (Greer, 2010).

My first experience in the development of courseware occurred when I got hired on as a subject matter expert for a US Navy training project.  We had 18 months to develop seventeen task related training lessons.  Overall, the project ran pretty smooth.  Some things that attributed the project’s success were the project manager’s organization, communication among team members, and the quality assurance process.  According to Portny, Kramer, Mantel, Meredith, & Shafer (2007), effective communication is key to successful project management.  The PM kept the team informed of any information concerning the project and we kept the PM updated with the progress of the lessons being developed.  Along with that, the team members shared information and ideas with each other to resolve any development issues that came up.

The project manager’s organizational skills were helpful and he did not micromanage the team.  He delegated tasks and expected us to execute them.  If needed, he would do a follow up to ensure there were no problems in completing a tasks.  Once the first couple of lessons made it through the quality assurance/review process, they could be used as models for the follow-on lessons.  It was a slow start to get to that point, but once we got there the development moved pretty quickly and there were very few errors found during the review process.

I did experience one problem with this project.  As the ‘new guy’ and lead SME of the team, there were two other developers that had a hard time with making corrections or changes to their lessons based off my recommendations.  Don’t get me wrong, if it was a technical error, they fixed it; no problem. But if I recommended any kind of editing to the text or fixing something within a graphic, they would argue and tell me it wasn’t my place to make those recommendations.  I never put up too much of a fight over these instances because I knew during the review process the instructional designer or project manager would catch the same error and have them change it.  It was just frustrating to me that they would not make some simple corrections and save others some time and energy.

From this project, I learned that having a good project manager that is organized and communicates well can help in project success.  I also learned that you have to work with different types of people; some which may cause you frustration.  When faced with those situations, just remember that you are working toward the same goal of trying to produce an exceptional product.

Reference

Greer, M. (2010). The Project Management Minimalist: Just Enough PM to Rock Your Projects!. Baltimore: Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved September, 15, 2011.Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/USW1/201740_02/MS_INDT/EDUC_6145/artifacts/pm-minimalist-ver-3-laureate.pdf

Portny, S. E., Kramer, B. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., & Shafer, S. M. (2007). Project management. Chichester, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons.