In 1979, right out of college, I went to work w/ a couple of Rummlerites, followers of Geary A. Rummler. They taught me to 1st consider Standalone Job Aids, then Job Aids in T&D, then T&D for Memorization.

The default was Guidance/ Job Aids, now known as Performance Support. And sometimes QRGs – Quick Reference Guides.

Same diff, as we said back in the day. Meaning, no difference.

I’ve been framing my Delivery Modes or Deployment Platforms, since 1982, as:

• Group Paced
• Self Paced
• Coached

Group Paced includes: ILT, ILT w/Lab, Webinars (live) – which could cover Job Aids (Performance Support) and provide sufficient practice with feedback.

Self Paced includes: eLearning, Webinars (recorded), Videos, Audios, Readings of various sources (books, articles, online, etc.) – which could include Standalone Job Aids (Performance Support).

Coached includes: Structured OJT by a Certified Coach or by any Coach; and Un-Structured OJT by a Certified Coach or by any Coach. Coached (or Mentored) could include Job Aids (Performance Support) as well, as provide sufficient practice with feedback.

A Rose Is A Rose Is a Rose

Rummler and Gilbert called it Guidance back in the 1960s and 70s.

Joe Harless called it Job Aids back in the 1970s and 80s.

Glory Gery called it Performance Support back in the 1980s and 90s.

You can file all of this in the What’s Old Is New Locker. The only thing that is new are the channels for content to get to the users. Thanks to NASA and Bell Labs inventing transistors, leading to mobile phones, and then the Internet, cell phone systems, wifi and modern smartphones, etc. Whew!

Now those Concepts of Rummler, Gilbert, Harless and Gery, plus a few hundred others that I met and heard from at NSPI (now ISPI) back in the 1980s are Feasible. Practical. And – Ubiquitous.

Shout It!

It’s all about Performance. In the Performance context. With the barriers and all of that.

And the Requirements for Tasks and Outputs – from a complex set of Stakeholders, typically. It’s never so simple as just what’s needed in the downstream operation … the customers.

The customers have customers – as well as Stakeholders – who also have Stakeholders.

And the Processes (Tasks, etc.) need more than Knowledge and Skills at the ready – using Performance Support or not.

Don’t just deliver Performance Support – if that’s not going to improve the situation.

Our clients/customers want Performance – even if they request Training (or Learning).

I mean, who else in the Corporate Directory would they call?

Default to Performance Support after helping them see what else needs to be addressed.

Add more Value than just T&D and/or Performance Support.

And

Performance Support Isn’t Always the Right Solution. Sometime there is no time to reference the Performance Support.

Sometimes performance-based Training on Tasks is required. Not on Topics.

But if the Performance Situation doesn’t call for an immediate, flawless response – don’t default to an attempt to create memorization of knowledge and skill – what to do, when to do it, and how to do it well enough … let alone flawlessly.

There are times when that is needed. And for a small number of jobs – it’s most of the Job Tasks. But for most of the jobs – it’s only a small number of Job Tasks.

# # #