In order to use their project planning software more effectively, many companies send their teams to Microsoft Projects courses. Sometimes employees don't seem to learn much and that's not always the fault of the course. Proper planning can avoid three of the major pitfalls that lead to bad training.
Training is Work - Schedule Appropriately
Let's say an emergency project comes in. It will take an employee two full days to complete. It would be common practice to shift some of that employee's work to other staff so that one person isn't overwhelmed. And yet, managers won't do the same with training.
When managers send employees to 2-day Microsoft Projects courses, they are giving their people two full days of work. Expecting them to perform their regular workload on top of this means asking them to put in very long hours.
This can lead to resentment from staff members who view Microsoft Projects courses as annoying distractions. They resist training and will be less likely to remember their new skills. By redistributing work during training, the employee can go to the course without being sidetracked with thoughts of the office. The person is more relaxed, learns better, and has time to practice new skills upon returning to work.
Today's Hot Topic Is Tomorrow's Obsolete Skill
A manager reads an article about Microsoft's project management software. Microsoft Projects courses are scheduled, employees attend, and procedures are changed. A month later, the manager reads an article about Oracle Projects and the Microsoft platform is abandoned. New courses are scheduled, new procedures are created, and the department is in turmoil again.
This kind of cafeteria training, sending staff to courses in the latest business fad, is counter-productive to a positive training culture. Employees see training as a waste of time since they know their new skills will never be implemented.
Instead, Microsoft Projects courses should be included as part of a long-term strategic plan. Even if said manager honestly believes Oracle or some other project management software to be better, the department is better off staying the course for six months to a year before even considering a change of that magnitude.
Less Is Not More
Managers are often looking for the best training bang for their buck. This doesn't mean just looking for the cheapest training provider. Often they are looking for the shortest courses to minimize employee downtime.
You can probably find Microsoft Projects courses claiming to teach everything about the software in an afternoon. In fact, they are going to teach very superficial skills. Some courses are little more than product demonstrations that leave students with no useful skills to take back to work.
Training takes time. Not only should managers expect to lose employees for several days if taking a full set of Microsoft Projects courses, but there will be time after training to plan ways to implement the new skills in the department workflow.
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