Training your staff: how to reach better business targets

Trained staff are the successful project manager’s most valuable asset. Basic numeracy and literacy qualifications are fundamental to most modern jobs, and are vital for any office-based worker.

‘Soft-skills’ such as communication and time-management develop the ability of your staff to handle difficult or unusual situations with confidence.

Specialised knowledge and techniques, such as website-creation or management methods, make your staff more efficient, independent and competent during the project.

As a manager, training your staff appropriately is a key responsibility. A carefully considered training programme can boost staff morale and expand the quantity and quality of their work. A rushed programme, in which no thought is given to the needs of the company or staff, can have the opposite effect.

Identifying the resources required for your project is often covered during a project management course, but this article will concentrate identifying the training requirements of your staff to help them become more productive on your project.

Be specific

Before training your staff, it is essential to develop a clear training plan.

The first step is to define the learning objectives. These must relate to your business goals.

For example:

• Lucy needs to learn to deal more efficiently with customers who want to make bookings over the telephone. This aids the business goal of speeding up the booking process and improving customer satisfaction.

The second step is to specify the skills needed to achieve the learning objectives.

For example:

• Lucy needs communication skills, and more specifically skills in communicating with customers via the telephone.


• Lucy may also need computing skills: training in how to use software developed to process bookings.

Finally, you must determine the limits of the training programme.

• Financial constraints: what is your training budget?


• Time constraints: how long are staff able to spend away from their work?

Involve your staff

Too many training programmes fail because of lack of staff motivation. Explain the purpose of the training to your staff and get them to research possible training options.

Make sure you listen to their suggestions, although make it clear that they must demonstrate how a particular option contributes to the organisation’s business goals. If staff are interested in their own development then the battle is 99% won.

Tailor your programme

Training must be flexible. Do not book your entire staff onto a six-week time-management course, unless you know for sure that they won’t be needed in the office during that time.

Short, focused courses are ideal. A 2-day communication workshop, followed a week later by a morning on computing skills will allow Lucy time to keep up with her work, while creating a sense of purpose and progression in her training.

Mix-and-match different types of training. Public courses are cheap and ready-to-use options, useful for gaining official qualifications and drawing on outside expertise. Inhouse-training allows a more careful development of the course material. Coaching or mentoring is an invaluable way of passing on specialist knowledge and building bonds within the office. Even simple team-building exercises will improve the morale and dedication of your staff.

Assessing the training programme

How can you tell if the training is having its desired effect? As part of your training plan, you need to decide on a method of assessment. This could be an informal review or peer feedback session, or a professional examination. Make sure that you agree the method of assessment with the staff member before training begins!

Certification can be a great motivation tool. If staff feel that they are getting something concrete out of their training, then they are far more likely to invest time and energy in absorbing the relevant information.

Post-training application

Training does not end after the training programme. In order to apply her new skills to the workplace, Lucy needs to practice in real-life situations, and will need the support and advice of her manager when she makes learner’s mistakes. Role-playing and crisis-management scenarios can be an excellent way to prepare her for the plunge from the classroom back into the office.