We’ve looked at some of the mistakes Project Teams make when it comes to training (training-mistakes-most-pmos-make) and (4-more-training-mistakes-pmos-make), but there are also things that set great training programs apart from those that are just average. If you want to take your team’s training to the next level, check out these strategies.
Keep training relevant. Sound obvious? It is, but too many Project Teams set up a training regimen and then just let it run. Methodologies and best practices are constantly evolving, and information gets stale fast. Your team will be better served by a program that’s evaluated and tweaked at least once a year.
Make training hands on. Limit the number of classroom settings you use—they get boring quickly and rarely do they generate enough interaction between participants to really stimulate learning. Instead, look for ways to get your team to work together in scenarios where they can begin to apply their new knowledge right away.
Give participants the opportunity to fail. Mistakes are great teaching tools, especially when they occur in a safe, controlled environment. You can still provide students with solid coaching, but you’re shortchanging them if you steer them away from every failure before they can learn something valuable from it.
Put different personalities and experience levels together. Training sessions will be much more effective if team members can learn from each other as well as from the instructor. Less experienced professionals will gain tremendous insight from their more seasoned colleagues, and senior-level folks will better understand where new employees’ skills can help the team.
Don’t overlook the basics. Project professionals can sometimes get wrapped up in advanced skills, but they need to continually focus on the fundamentals, too. Reinforce basic project management training regularly, so your team is always ready to layer new skills on top of a strong foundation.
PMAlliance uses a team of highly experienced and certified professionals to provide project management consulting, project management training and project office development services.
