Jun 26 2015

Final Friday of the Month: Part 6 – Assessing Your T&D/ Learning/ Knowledge Systems

In this month’s Final Friday Feature we will address…

5 O’clock: T&D Product and Service Line Design System

5.1 T&D Product and Service Line Program Management Process

5.2 T&D Product Line Design Process

5.3 T&D Service Line Design Process

Preface

This 12-part Blog series addresses the systems and processes of an organizational entity addressing T&D/ Learning/ Knowledge Management.

Original source is my 2001 book… T&D Systems View

Free Book PDF

For more on this model please see the free 400+ page book: T&D Systems View at www.eppic.biz – which is intended as both an analytic and design tool – here: https://eppic.biz/resources/free-book-pdfs/free-book-pdf-td-systems-view/.

The T&D/ L&D Clockface Model

We are “rockin’ round the clock” – so-to-speak – starting from the 12 O’Clock portion of the model – the most important sub-system in the system you have in place for T&D/ Learning/ Knowledge Management – IMO.

Your models and thoughts may vary. And may need to.

The T&D Clock-Face Model

The 12 clockface positions of the T&D Systems View model each represent a subset of the total system’s Processes of T&D. Not all are of equal consequence, and therefore, imporatnce – and then worthy of improvement efforts. Sometimes you need to live with it as it is and do the best given current realites. But othertimes you need to address the improvement potential inheirant in any poor practices, policies and processes.

The T&D Systems View model’s (sub) Systems are organized into three groupings. Each of the 12 Systems’ Processes – the target of your assessment/analysis and/or design/development of improvement efforts. The 3 groupings are:

– T&D Leadership Systems and Processes

– T&D Core Systems and Processes

– T&D Support Systems and Processes

Here is the “big picture” – with System Call-Outs – for your once over…

Back to the model…

5 O’clock: T&D Product and Service Line Design System

5.1 T&D Product and Service Line Program Management Process

5.2 T&D Product Line Design Process

5.3 T&D Service Line Design Process

T&D Product and Service Line Design System – This system’s processes organize the efforts to systematically define the performance-based T&D product line and the T&D service line required to deploy those T&D products to the appropriate learners for business high-payback, critical needs, not the needs of medium and low importance.

5.1. T&D Product and Service Line Program Management Process

Outputs and Their “Utilities”

The key outputs from the T&D Product and Service Line Program Management Process include the following:

Key Outputs	Key Utilities
A list of prioritized T&D project targets with CONC (Cost of Non-Conformance) and COC (Cost of Conformance) figures from each advisory group to calculate ROI projections	This will enable the Governance and Advisory System to make rational business decisions as to where to “strategically place their bets.”
A final priority list of target projects for T&D to address	These are the marching orders for the T&D system for either product/service line design projects and/or product development efforts.

Is It Broken? Clues and Cues

Your T&D Product and Service Line Program Management Process may be broken if

Projects undertaken by the T&D system are not the most critical to the enterprise.
Return on investment and economic value add forecasts do not exist or suggest a low-payback for the efforts.
You’ve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop/acquire generic content, e.g., time management and communications skills, when strategic and/or critical enterprise initiatives have been underresourced in the past.
No project management portfolio exists.
The portfolio is not aligned with business or T&D organization strategy.
The portfolio is not logical, and it doesn’t align with functions and/or management’s model of business.

5.2. T&D Product Line Design Process

Outputs and Their “Utilities”

The key outputs from the T&D Product Line Design Process include the following:

Key Outputs	Key Utilities
T&D product architecture for a target audience and priority gaps in that architecture	Provides a blueprint for process performance improvement via human enhancement of knowledge and skills.

Is It Broken? Clues and Cues

Your T&D Product Line Design Process may be broken if

T&D efforts are “one-offs” and not part of a comprehensive effort to understand the total, critical needs of targeted audiences and address those high-payback needs on a priority basis.
“Chunks”/products don’t maximize potential for appropriate reuse.
There are gaps in critical content.
There is redundant content between T&D products.
T&D products don’t directly target performance and impact performance adequately.
Key, critical jobs do not have a logical menu and path for career development—members of key target audiences don’t know what T&D to complete in what order.
Your product offerings don’t align with critical, high-payback business/T&D strategies and needs.

5.3. T&D Service Line Design Process

Process Outputs and Their “Utilities”

The key outputs from the T&D Service Line Design Process include the following:

Key Outputs	Key Utilities
T&D service architecture and priority gaps in that architecture	Allows the T&D Governance and Advisory System insight into the other potential offerings needed by the enterprise for their resource allocation decision processes.

Is It Broken? Clues and Cues

Your T&D Service Line Design Process may be broken if

Portions of the enterprise are complaining of a lack of needed services from T&D or are recommending/demanding them.
T&D efforts are “one-offs” and not part of a comprehensive effort to understand the total, critical needs of targeted audiences, and then address and meet those high-payback needs in a priority basis.
T&D services don’t directly target performance improvement.
Service offerings don’t align with critical, high-payback business/T&D strategies and needs.

Part 6 Summary

If you don’t have a deliberate and flexible/responsive architecture of products and services via some master planning efforts in collaboration between customers and suppliers – the critical business issues will not be properly addressed because the T&D System may be aligned to something, but it is mis-aligned to the enterprise’ Critical Business Issues – CBIs. And done so in a manner that communicates to all areas and concerns. IMO.

For more on this T&D Systems View model – please see the free 400+ page book: T&D Systems View at www.eppic.biz – which is intended as both an analytic and design tool.

For the free PDF to download – or the paperback book for $20 – please go: here.

Click to access tdsv-book-2007-pdf.pdf

Prior Posts In This 2015 Series

Part 1: 12 O’clock: The T&D Governance & Advisory System – January 2015

Part 2: 1 O’clock: The T&D Strategic Planning System – February 2015

Part 3: 2 O’clock: The T&D Operations Planning & Management System – March 2015

Part 4: 3 O’clock: T&D Cost/Benefits Measurement System – April 2015

Part 5: 4 O’clock: T&D Process Improvement System – May 2015

Free Book PDF

Again – for more on this model please see the free 400+ page book: T&D Systems View atwww.eppic.biz – which is intended as both an analytic and design tool – here. It is also available as a $20 paperback.

Guy W. Wallace

Guy W. Wallace, has been an external ISD/HPT consultant since 1982, is the president of EPPIC Inc., and is a past president of ISPI – the International Society for Performance Improvement.

He has consulted with 75+ clients on Instruction and Documentation efforts since 1982, including projects with more than 45 F500 firms.

Guy is also the author of the book: lean–ISD, a recipient of an ISPI 2002 Award of Excellence. He has authored/co-authored 13 other books. See the Resources tab at his web site at: www.eppic.biz