Delivering training projects on time

Delivering training projects on time and to budget…every time

By Ron Rosenhead

I received a call from a woman who is a self employed trainer. She wanted some hints and tips for managing a training project. A short while later I was talking with an in-house trainer who had a similar issue; he was developing a training package. but how could he use project management tools and techniques to help him ensure he delivered on time and to a tight budget?

Here are a few tips I gave to them which you may want to think about using:

ensure a training project is worth doing. How?
- do a simple cost benefit analysis – identify all the costs including time and a statement of benefits. Then check the benefits are worth the cost!
- ensure that the project fits with the overall strategic direction of the company or department. If not, should you be doing it?

define what you are doing. It may sound self evident, however I still come across many training projects where the objectives are unclear. Ensure you clarify what is included in the project and what is excluded

openly identify the risks in running the project. Share these with your client and include methods for reducing the level of risk and who will be accountable for them e.g. impact of no shows on a series of training programme will increase budget costs

identify stakeholders – these are the people who either have an interest in the project or will be impacted by the project. I learnt the hard way on this one from one group of first line supervisors who clearly did not want to be at a training event – their heal marks were deeply engrained in the carpet!

produce a realistic plan. You only have to watch the property programmes on TV to see people’s approaches to planning; over budget and over time. Use simple milestone or Gantt charts to help show how the plan will progress

avoid OPB – optimistic planning bias. This is a process where we over estimate how long or how much cost is involved e.g. we can develop this e-learning package by….be realistic about how long activities take and use yours and other people’s experience to help develop realistic estimates.

monitor – have a process that checks the project is on track avoiding long and lengthy reporting processes. Ensure you manage changes to your project, or they will manage you
review at the end. We are all in the learning business so build in to you training projects a formal review process. This can be as detailed as you want it to be but link it back to the overall objectives and scope…and don’t forget to celebrate success!

You can get further information by downloading 2 free booklets:

Project Management Tips – www.projectagency.co.uk/word/tips.pdf
Project management templates – www.projectagency.co.uk/word/templates.pdf

You can buy Ron's workbook 'Deliver That Project' from the Complete Trainer Website.

Good luck with all of your projects and always remember what Spike Milligan said: “I don’t have a plan so nothing can go wrong.”

Ron Rosenhead has vast experience of training and development. He runs Project Agency and has his own blog at http://www.ronrosenhead.co.uk/