Whewww!

So the last two weeks have been quite action-packed for me. Finishing up this quarter's Masters project proved more time consuming than initially expected, and I'm glad I started it a couple weeks early! I had to prepare elearning and classroom instruction modules that complemented each other for a new software application put in place by my client. This was an interesting project in that it really illustrated for me how instructional design as a field is beginning to merge with Human Performance Improvement/Technology (HPI/HPT), as I discussed in a post last month.

My client is in the process of integrating his training team with an application that tracks performance data of individuals and shifts to specific equipment metrics, and aids training personnel in working with their customers on how to best solve performance issues. They are getting a kind of visibility into performance improvement opportunities that my client's training group has not previously had, and the new functionality allows the training team to uncover solutions it had never considered in the past. This is about going beyond training, and getting into other HPI interventions that may be more capable of solving the performance issue.

There's an obvious caveat to the project however, in that training personnel can view individual job performance data. This can lead to sticky situations that can be hard to dial back if the application is misused. It's a good thing though that my client recognizes this and has already forged a partnership with HR and training's stakeholders to put in place rules to guard against misuse of data.

It's been a wonderful project, and a great opportunity to take part in such a significant new development for this client. I heartily thank my client for agreeing to let me help them with this effort, and in turn helping me with my studies and application. And, in the process of completing the project, I was able to test Captivate 4.0 thoroughly enough to do a write-up! I'll be posting that hopefully in the next couple of days. Stay tuned!

Devloping Solutions and Empowering Clients

I must send another thanks to Tony Karrer, for Tweeting me this article this morning. The writer describes a project he was once a consultant on, where his unconscious interjection of his concept of the "perfect" solution and its related characteristics colored what he provided the customer. In the end he says, his solution did not function as fully as expected because he didn't initially realize his perspective colored his work.

To resolve the problem, the writer switched modes from simple solution provider to a facilitator, helping the customer see how they can have a hand in the process, and understand and help solve the problem concurrently.

My studies this quarter have been focusing on the art of facilitation, and this article by Peter Bregman I think is a wonderful example of how performance consultants can and should facilitate properly. The core lesson of the piece is that we are all coming into a project with either an individual or small group perspective that can very easily color the work we do for others. It's a salient point, and one that has been driven home over the course of my own work and studies, particularly in courses dealing with research and the proper conduct of it. Bergman's anecdote is especially instructive because it shows the process of "letting go" of having to control all the details in a given project (which is a part of facilitation - helping the customer or members realize possibilities), and truly collaborating to find the right solution. As he demonstrates, often times a solution is not as "perfect" as we conceive it must be, but nevertheless it ends up being more correct - and more effective - than we would allow ourselves to consider.