Training Industry Magazine - Fall 2023 - 19

Make sure you like the look and feel
of the software. You will spend a lot of
time in the program, so its look and feel
should bring you some joy. If you decide
to go the spreadsheet route, there are
many templates available at no charge
on the internet. Once the plan has been
written, present it to the stakeholders to
ensure their buy-in. Everyone should be
aligned on what this project will do and
what results it will produce.
STEP 8. EXECUTE
YOUR PLAN
Now, it's time to execute the plan.
The lion's share of people, resources
and budgets are deployed during the
execution phase of the project. It is
critical for the project leader to keep
a close eye on things to make sure
the work being done is on-track with
the scope goals and deliverables.
Coordinating tasks and resources
through a written project plan will keep
the work on budget and help safeguard
against scope creep.
Many leaders choose to hold weekly or
bi-weekly project meetings where key
contributors update the written project
plan and report on their progress in the
live session. This enables all contributors
to stay in-the-know on key information
and timelines. It also provides an
opportunity to workshop roadblocks
and challenges together. It's common
to not invite stakeholders and sponsors
to these project meetings. Instead, a
regular cadence of steering meetings
with that audience allows them to remain
informed on progress without having to
sit through all the minutiae of the day-today
work.
As the project leader, stay close to the
content being created. While you don't
want to micromanage the process, it is
the leader's role to validate that the
materials being created address the
stated objectives of the project scope
and meet style, tone and other internal
guidelines. Check in often to ensure
large amounts of work do not have to
be recreated.
STEP 9. KEEP LINES OF
COMMUNICATION OPEN
Once the plan is in place and the project
plan milestones are being checked off
and oversight is being applied to the
various tasks, the project leader must
continue to communicate with all parties.
While this is not a specific line item on
a project plan, this communication is
what ensures that the work being done
continues to be relevant and will be
well-received by all audiences.
Using the aforementioned project and
steering meetings is a great place to
start. Also, decide on a regular cadence
of information. Is there a weekly email?
Be aware that many
people are not fans
of project plans.
A
monthly
webinar?
Whatever
you
choose, make sure everyone understands
the cadence of information flow so they
may remain informed and ask questions
as the work happens, not at the end when
everything is presumed to be finished.
MOVING FORWARD
As you can see, creating and executing
a project plan is no small task. It takes
careful thought, collaboration, planning
and communication. All of this takes
time and effort. Consider all the starts
and stops, double work and missteps
that happen without a plan.
The Components of a Successful Training Project Plan
* Conduct a training needs analysis.
* Conduct a risk analysis.
* Create a project scope statement.
* Write the project plan.
* Get stakeholder buy-in and sign-off.
* Execute and validate
plan components.
* Communicate, communicate,
communicate.
* Roll out the program to
the learners.
Without a plan, what chance does the
project have to come in on budget and
on time without over-taxing your team
and resources? Again, if you haven't
done a project plan before, don't worry.
Even a bad project plan is better than no
plan at all. Using the process from start
to finish will most definitely produce
a better quality of work and materials
that impact your learners and the entire
organization for years to come.
Steve Felson is currently the vice
president of training and development
for
Home
Franchise
Concepts,
a
franchisor of 10 national home service
brands. Steve has spent more than
three decades in multiple industries
training and educating business
owners and leaders on how to create
profitable, growth-oriented businesses.
Email Steve.
TRAINING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE - FALL 2023 I WWW.TRAININGINDUSTRY.COM/MAGAZINE
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