Examples of successful projects completed for clients and employers ~
Challenge
A state-wide training and development consortium needed a way to train large numbers of displaced workers for the call center industry. These individuals lived in predominantly rural areas and had limited formal schooling and work skills.
Solution
I designed, developed and presented an innovative call center simulation that could be used in a classroom setting. The course included customer service skills, an introduction to the call center industry, and the replication of some typical challenges faces by call center employees and mangers. Attendance at the first offering of this class included several students who were participating via teleconferencing. The course design needed to include ways for these individuals to feel fully a part of the training.
As a follow-on, I developed and conducted a Train the Trainer class to teach consortium trainers how to run the class (including the simulation) and to help them with the strategies needed to ensure a successful outcome for the students.
Outcome
The course was hailed as a model of innovative thinking and was rolled out state-wide. Follow up surveys indicated that students who had attended the class had a significantly greater chance of being hired by a call center. The call center industry was becoming a significant source of jobs for the rural areas of this state.
Web-Based Project Management
Situation
A noted testing services company needed web-based training for a new client acquisition. In addition, the company needed to develop web-based tele-training for the launch of a network of new professional testing service centers.
Contributions
I quickly learned the nuances of their new web-based, student records management software and led virtual training seminars for over 60 state boards of nursing, 400 testing center specialists and 25 technical support team members. I managed the project, developed and implemented the training sessions, managed training records, and provided user coaching and technical support.
During the project, I developed innovative, cost effective training solutions, including the first-ever use of proprietary testing assessment software for training purposes. I also developed a user database, managed project material distribution, and initiated multiple customer service improvements. Several project managers asked me to develop additional services as a result of the initial success.
Outcomes
The state boards of nursing reported high levels of user skill and they were well-prepared to use this tool to manage their nursing candidates. The training received kudos from multiple participants, and directly led to being offered additional projects with this client.
The network of testing centers used this training roll-out as the foundation of additional training when new clients were added to the company’s roster.
Team Member Selection and On-boarding
Challenge
Our training team leader was overwhelmed with a wide range of training team tasks for a large-scale enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation. Splitting her duties, she selected a fellow team member and me to be team leads and manage large portions of her workload. As team leads our first task was to select a large number of consultants, to be brought on and integrated into the team as quickly as possible.
Solution
We
met with representatives of local recruiting firms, outlining the
criteria of the people we needed to hire. I functioned as the main
point of communications contact for the two of us with the recruiting
firms, and the two of us developed a collaborative interview process.
We conducted over 30 interviews in four weeks, ultimately selecting 10 team members. Once we selected a team member, we assigned them to either of our two teams based on their skill sets and “best fit. I conducted all training and on-boarding activities for the consultants assigned to my team, helping each of them get up to speed as quickly as possible.
Outcome
The new consultants were productive within the week they were brought on board. Positive team chemistry and high quality work were the results.
Creative Response to Changing Team Needs
Situation
A major manufacturer was implementing a complex Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software process, and needed training and change management support for factory employees, supervisors and managers and subject matter experts (SMEs).
Contributions
I created detailed instruction maps to support the needed end user training, and worked with the SMEs to help them develop effective training. We used templates and complex data tables to create the ttraining materials. In working with the SMEs, it became apparent they lacked formal training and effective communication skills. I proposed creating a Train the Trainer process for the SMEs and worked with a broad range of project managers to develop content. I managed the training development of that process, including supervising an additional training professional brought on to write the curriculum.
While launching the first Train the Trainer session, it was immediately apparent we had made some inaccurate assumptions about our learners’ familiarity with the project itself. In response to the feedback, I rewrote the materials overnight and made major changes in how we conducted the subsequent days of training.
Outcomes
We observed a leap in conceptual understanding on the part of the learners, and a noted improvement in their ability to conduct end user training. We evaluated the training at the completion and also at 6 week and 3 month intervals. Attendees and managers reported increased levels of confidence and improved use of training skills as a result of the project.
