Strong professional teams are defined by their ability to work together to overcome problems and achieve objectives in the shortest time possible. However, such teams are not simply born overnight – in fact they are the product of a well designed training plan focused on skills development, increased productivity and professional growth.
A good training plan engages employees from the start, motivating them to learn and become part of the wider organizational culture and, above all, helping them acquire the knowledge they need to carry out their daily work. Much of the success of these plans is achieved thanks to a concept called ‘training planning’, which you can implement in your company to great effect. In this article, we’ll explain what training planning looks like, what its objective is and, finally, how to plan the training of your own team in 5 easy steps.
What is training planning?
The basic definition of training is the implementation of a series of activities geared towards specific objectives based on a company’s needs. These could include the acquisition of knowledge, a change in employee behavior or the development of specific skills. However, in order to carry out such training effectively, it is first necessary to perform proper planning.
Training planning is the process through which training needs are identified, objectives are established, the training program is designed and, finally, the results are evaluated. It is a systematic approach that allows you to organize and plan all elements of your training, including the specific topics to be covered, the timing of sessions, the methods to be used, and the measures by which you will assess your employees’ understanding.
Through this process, it becomes possible to view the overall training plan with greater precision and insight, allowing you to identify potential problems ahead of time, align training with your organization’s objectives, and guarantee the efficient learning of your team.
The aims of training planning: How does it drive business success?
Training planning is essential for multiple reasons that have a direct impact on the efficacy and long-term success of such programs. Some of its most important objectives include:
Identifying needs
Training planning allows training managers to precisely identify any existing skills gaps within the organization. This ensures that programs are developed around those specific areas, avoiding the issue of wasting time and resources on unnecessary or repetitive training.
Establishing the scope of objectives
During the planning process, training objectives can be clearly and comprehensively established. This goal setting is essential, as it allows you to define learning goals aligned with the strategic objectives of your organization, thus setting a clear direction for the design and implementation of the program.
Personalized design
Training planning makes it easier to create personalized programs tailored to the unique needs and personalities of employees. This not only ensures that training remains relevant, but also boosts the attention and motivation levels of those taking part in the program.
Optimizing resources
When training is planned, it becomes much easier to allocate resources more efficiently, whether they are financial, technological or temporal. Good planning helps to avoid unnecessary expenses and time-wasting that could adversely affect the company.
If you want to know what types of training plan you can implement in your company, and the benefits they offer to both organization and employees, we invite you to read this article.
5 steps to plan your team’s training
1. Identify needs
You probably already know that your company could benefit from training in a few key areas, but this general idea may overlook some hidden needs. That’s why you should always start by carrying out a needs assessment to diagnose the specific skills or abilities your team needs to develop. You can do this through skills assessments, surveys, and employee performance analysis.
2. Establish clear objectives
Once you know in sufficient detail which areas you should work on in your company, it’s time to define the training objectives that will help you get there. These objectives must be clear and measurable, but they must also be aligned with the organization’s wider objectives. For example, if one of your company’s goals is to become a global organization, and one of your needs is to improve communication and cooperation, you must ensure that your employees not only learn techniques to communicate more assertively, but also that they learn other languages.
3. Program design
The program design is in essence the backbone of training planning, because it’s at this point that you’ll define exactly how you want to deliver the training (in-person, online or blended), as well as the materials you’ll need, the duration of the program, the number of sessions required, and more. It’s key to remember here that your design must be as adapted to the needs of the organization as it is to the needs of employees.
And yes, it may seem challenging to have to take into consideration so many details, but consider that the better structured your training plan is, the easier it will be for you to achieve your objectives down the line.
4. Execution
It’s time to put theory into practice. Once your training plan is ready, you can implement it, always respecting the schedule and other details you’ve spent so much time designing. A good tip for executing a successful training plan is to provide employees with training methods and tools that motivate them to participate in training, such as gamification and microlearning.
5. Continuous evaluation
Continuous evaluation helps you to understand if your training is truly benefiting employees, and if it’s having a tangible effect on the company’s results. Additionally, it can help you to identify possible failures. To carry out a good evaluation you must be able to quantify training results, which is why you’ll need to use key performance indicators – which we’ll discuss later. However, if you want to learn how to implement a good training evaluation, you can find a complete guide here.
How to take advantage of training results to improve programs
Evaluating and analyzing the results of training plans is essential to ensuring their long-term effectiveness, as well as continuously improving them. However, if you want to enjoy these benefits, you’ll need to apply strategies focused on getting the most out of the results. Here are a few ways you can do this:
Establish measurable performance indicators
Before implementing the program, and as a key part of training planning, you must define the key performance indicators (KPIs) you wish to use. These indicators can include knowledge retention rates, productivity improvements, measurable changes in job performance, completion rates, and more. Establishing clear indicators will make it easier to evaluate results, and provide quantifiable data to measure success.
Collect feedback from participants
Another strategy to take advantage of is direct feedback from employees who have participated in the training program. This can be requested through surveys, interviews or feedback sessions. Employee feedback is highly valuable in understanding the effectiveness of a program and identifying areas for improvement.
Analyze quantitative and qualitative data
By quantitative data, we mean numerical statistics such as completion rates and evaluation results These can be combined with qualitative data such as that obtained through feedback and observation. The combination of both provides a comprehensive approach and a complete overview of training effectiveness.
Compare your results with the initial objectives
Determine the extent to which your employees are actually applying the skills and knowledge they acquired in training to their daily work. Practical application is a key indicator of the genuine usefulness of the training.
How can isEazy help you level up your training plans?
When planning training, you should keep in mind that all employees have different learning needs. However, it is possible to adapt training content to these needs by using training tools that offer a personalized experience.
So, if you’re on the lookout for an effective end-to-end training experience, at isEazy you’ll discover incredible software, easy to use and quick to configure, to cover any training need. We can help you with every step, from designing an onboarding plan to reskilling employees, and even implementing a learning platform.
Now you know – with isEazy you can find all the best e-learning solutions in just one place, guaranteed to add value to your training whether you use just one or combine them all. Request your free trial today!
