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The temporary and often virtual nature of projects leads to the creation of a project team who has never worked together. Effective use of project resources requires that the project resources are capable of performing the assigned tasks. A growing element of project planning is planning for project team training and in some cases team member skill training.

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Quick reference

Training Plan

Frequently project teams will have gaps in their skills or performance that can be addressed through training.  The project should plan to fill those gaps as part of the project plan.

When to use

When planning a project or project phase, the technical skills and team skills of the project team should be assessed. If there are gaps, a training plan should be created for both individuals and the entire team as needed.   

Instructions

Many projects are staffed with skilled team members who know both their areas of expertise and are skilled in working with project teams.  But many times, projects will have gaps in the experience and competence of team members. The project manager and core team members should strive to staff the project with individuals who can perform effectively on the project.  But in today’s environment, teams are often composed of new employees, temporary workers, and gig workers.  This means that on most projects there will be a gap that needs to be filled through training.

In addition to the technical skills, many projects now operate in a collaborative mode where team dynamics and team decision-making is critical to success.  That means that the project management responsibilities are often shared among team members, again requiring training in team building and team dynamics.

A project training plan should consider training needs and training delivery methods.  While the training may be funded and scheduled by the project, the training records are still normally maintained by Human Resources.

  • Skill training – this is training to develop or update an individual’s technical skills.  This training can be delivered in face-to-face or virtual modes. Skills can be technical skills, project management skills, or organizational policies and procedures orientation.
  • Team dynamics training – this training is to develop teamwork and team effectiveness.  It is often experiential.  It is typically delivered in face-to-face settings, but virtual has been on the rise.   This training is often conducted with the entire team at the same time in order to create shared experiences which are so necessary to building trust.
  • Formal education/certification – this is training to establish a credential.  This type of training is normally the responsibility of the organization providing resources.  However, a project with unique attributes may need to train and develop one or more individuals to obtain these credentials.  This training is normally provided by the certifying body.  This training can take months or years to complete.
  • On-the-Job training – new or inexperienced team members are often paired with experienced team members to be trained in organization-unique skills, systems, processes, and policies.  This training is normally done in a face-to-face delivery.  This training is highly dependent upon the trainer’s perception of critical skills and expected performance level.  The result is that this training is often inconsistent.   

Hints & tips

  • Many technical skills, especially in IT, quickly grow stale.  An individual may be very well skilled in the old technology but will need training in the newest technology.
  • Virtual training has become very popular and there are now numerous virtual delivery platforms and approaches.  This option is typically less expensive and more flexible than face-to-face training.
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  • 00:04 Hi, I'm Ray Sheen.
  • 00:05 We have one other topic to discuss with resource planning,
  • 00:08 and that's a training plan.
  • 00:10 In today's project world of gig workers, virtual teams, and projectized companies,
  • 00:15 training for project work has become a critical risk factor for many projects.
  • 00:20 The project manager and project core team are responsible for
  • 00:23 ensuring the project achieves its stated goals.
  • 00:26 When a project team is assigned resources that do not have all the needed skills,
  • 00:30 they can't just throw up their hands and say the team can't do it.
  • 00:34 They're expected to work with team members to acquire the skills, or
  • 00:38 to bring someone onto the team who has the needed skills.
  • 00:42 And it's not just technical training.
  • 00:44 Many projects are staffed with a team that have never worked together before and
  • 00:48 are not experienced with the same tools and practices.
  • 00:51 This creates confusion on the team members and undermines effective decision making.
  • 00:56 If the weakness is skill based, someone doesn't know how to use Zoom,
  • 01:00 the deficiency can be easily trained.
  • 01:02 If the weakness is based upon personality and personal dynamics,
  • 01:06 the team may need training on how to work on a diverse team.
  • 01:10 Whether you are on a traditional project or an Agile scrum project,
  • 01:14 team members are expected to step up and complete their work.
  • 01:18 They have a role and responsibility that are directly related to project success.
  • 01:22 If the individuals haven't been trained in your project management methodology,
  • 01:27 they may need to be aware of their role and responsibilities.
  • 01:30 Even if aware, they may not know how to perform in your project environment.
  • 01:35 You may need to provide training and coaching for them to be effective.
  • 01:39 Just to be clear,
  • 01:39 I'm not suggesting that your team members aren't going to be productive.
  • 01:43 They're probably subject matter experts.
  • 01:45 While two subject matter experts may have the same title,
  • 01:48 their specific expertise may be quite different.
  • 01:51 Depending upon what you need, one or more of your team members may need to get
  • 01:55 a refresher course in a subject matter area.
  • 01:59 So how do you determine if training is required?
  • 02:01 Well, for argument's sake, I will assume that your team members have subject matter
  • 02:05 expertise that is appropriate for their role on the project.
  • 02:08 One key indicator that training may be needed is a performance gap
  • 02:12 by a team member.
  • 02:14 Now, not all performance gaps are due to training.
  • 02:17 It maybe due to experience, motivation, or the way the person is measured.
  • 02:21 But if it is training, then you need to help them get the required training.
  • 02:25 This often occurs with individuals whose expertise is in a field that is rapidly
  • 02:30 changing.
  • 02:30 What they knew two years ago may already be obsolete.
  • 02:34 So if they need training, get it for them.
  • 02:36 If they know subject matter, but are inexperienced, a good coach or
  • 02:39 mentor is a better approach for addressing that type of performance gap.
  • 02:44 Another type of training to consider is team training.
  • 02:47 This is quite helpful for new teams who have never worked together.
  • 02:51 Through the team training, they can gain some common experiences and
  • 02:54 begin to build trust in each other.
  • 02:56 There are many of these programs available, and they can quickly help
  • 03:00 a team build cohesion and trust as they do activities together.
  • 03:04 Of course, some people may need individual training.
  • 03:07 If you have a new employee on your team,
  • 03:09 they may need training in the use of some of your business systems.
  • 03:12 As mentioned earlier, a person may need to get a refresher course in their area of
  • 03:16 expertise to stay current with latest trends, technologies, or threats.
  • 03:20 And of course, when considering personal training,
  • 03:23 take into consideration their personal background and
  • 03:26 their circumstances to tailor a program that works well for them.
  • 03:30 The final point to discuss in training planning is the mode or
  • 03:34 method of training.
  • 03:35 It's no surprise that different training approaches have different price points,
  • 03:40 different durations, and different performance results on the attendees.
  • 03:45 For training in the use of company specific tools or applications,
  • 03:48 consider doing the training within the application itself.
  • 03:52 This is how I normally train people in the use of the project management
  • 03:55 information system that's used on the project.
  • 03:58 Make sure your team members have an opportunity to get up to speed.
  • 04:02 Certain roles on the team may require a formal certification or
  • 04:06 formal education in a discipline in order to do the work.
  • 04:09 If no one on the team has that certification and
  • 04:12 you cannot easily contract for that work, then you may need to develop or purchase
  • 04:16 a training program that will lead to individuals obtaining that certification.
  • 04:22 Depending upon the certification, this may take months or years,
  • 04:25 especially if the certification has an experience requirement.
  • 04:29 A great way to quickly get several of your team members up to speed on new topics or
  • 04:34 techniques is through workshops or seminars.
  • 04:37 These can often be tailored for your organization's application, so
  • 04:42 those participating get immediate useful experience as they are trained.
  • 04:46 An old standby for training is on the job training.
  • 04:50 This can be very effective if the on the job trainer has good coaching and
  • 04:54 mentoring skills, and is motivated to teach the learner.
  • 04:57 This is often the least expensive method, since you don't have to pay for
  • 05:01 anything beyond the salaries which you're already paying anyway.
  • 05:05 One caution with this is that each on the job trainer will approach the information
  • 05:09 a little bit differently, and therefore the training is inconsistent.
  • 05:13 One trainer emphasizes one aspect of the material and
  • 05:16 another trainer emphasizes something quite different.
  • 05:19 We often hear now that we must become lifelong learners.
  • 05:23 Well, the reality of today's project environment is that you will probably need
  • 05:28 to provide some type of training for every individual on your project team.

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