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HandoutforLearningandSkillsGroup
What WouldAndrewDo?
How to sell senior management on the value of learning. (Cross)
Excerpts
TheMetricsCycle
There’s no cookie-cutter formula for applying metrics, but there is an underlyingprocess. Generally, you’ll follow these five steps to identify, agree upon, assess, anduse metrics. This is not rocket science. It’s the same process you already use toaccomplish a lot of things in life. Let’s briefly consider each step.
1.
State Desired Outcome
. Results do not exist inside the trainingdepartment. In fact, results do not exist within the business. Results comefrom outside the business. Imagine a no-nonsense businessperson, say,Andrew Carnegie. If you can explain yourself to Andrew, you’ve mastered thisstep.
2.
Agree How To Measure
. The only valid metrics for corporate learning arebusiness metrics. Examples are increased sales, shorter time-to-market,fewer rejects, and lower costs. How do you decide what measures to apply?You don’t: that’s the responsibility of your business sponsor, the person whosigns the checks. Together you agree on what’s to be done and how you’ll
2measure success or failure. Once you’ve settled on the project and itsmetrics, get it in writing.
3.
Execute Project(s).
The projects could be training and/or an incentivebonus plan and/or more advertising. Training programs are often part of alarger scheme, and it’s fruitless to try to isolate them. In fact, savvy trainingdirectors look for major corporate initiatives they can hitchhike a ride on. Gowith the flow, don’t fight it.
4.
Assess Results
. You must evaluate the impact of your efforts with themeasures you set up back in step 2. In other words, you are not allowed tomimic Charlie Brown, who would shoot an arrow and then paint the targetaround it. Why stick with the measures you came up with before? Becausethat’s how to maintain credibility with your sponsor. You can bring upunforeseen outcomes or anecdotal evidence, so long as you follow up onthose original methods first.
5.
Begin Anew
. The only thing worse than learning from experience is notlearning from experience. Your post-mortem on the completed project shouldinclude a section titled “What to do better next time.” This is where you startthe cycle anew.
6.
All my examples are drawn from business. That is the focus of this particulareffort. Many of the same techniques work well in government and educationas well, but those are not my areas of expertise.
WhatMakesanEffectiveExecutive?(Drucker)
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They asked, "What needs to be done?"
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They asked, "What is right for the enterprise?"
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They developed action plans.
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They took responsibility for decisions.
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They took responsibility for communicating.
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They were focused on opportunities rather than problems.
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They ran productive meetings.
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They thought and said "we" rather than "I."
TalkingwithYourSponsor
Executives focus on one thing: execution. You need to figure out what your sponsorhopes to execute.You get his or her take on the firm’s near term objectives, to suggest what you planto do to meet them, and to agree on how success or failure will be measured. Thisstep is not optional.Tell your sponsor you want to understand her business objectives. Be aperformanceconsultant. Act like it’s a different game than the one you usually play.
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Subtract ten points each time you say learner, learning object, instructionaldesign, blended, program, instructor, content, or asynchronous.
Add ten points each time you say reduce time to market, improveproductivity, speed up cycle time, streamline the way we do business, servecustomers better, slash costs, improve partner relationships and knowledge,increase market share, etc.
Add ten more points each time you personalize what’s above: reduce our timeto market, improve our productivity, speed up our cycle time, etc.Got it? Your challenge is to find out how your sponsor sees her corporate and unitobjectives. You need to know enough to make concrete recommendations.
What’sinitforme?
(ASTD/IBM)
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