Development,

Implementation, and
Evaluation
Mohammad Haris Minai
Development of Training
● The main purpose of the development phase is to develop an
instructional strategy with a focus on achieving the training objectives
decided upon
● The instructional strategy is a listing of:
○ Individual modules
○ Organization of modules
○ Timing of modules
○ Methods and materials
● The specific content, materials, manuals, any slides, videos, presentation
equipment etc. are all decided upon and acquired during the
development phase.
The Development Phase
INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

Factors that facilitate ● Training Plan

learning & transfer ● Instructional
Material
● Instructional
Equipment
Instructional Strategy
● Trainee and
(Training Plan)
Trainer manuals
● Facilities
● Trainer(s)
Choice of instructional ● List of items and
methods actions needed
Training Method
Effectiveness
Selecting Training Methods
● Method effectiveness is just one part of the picture
● Costs, time to develop material, time allotted for session, are some other
factors to be considered
● Multiple audio-visual aids should also be considered to address the
differing needs of the trainee diversity
● For adults, small group discussions should also be used
● Role-plays preferably from actual work situations are particularly useful
● While designing material, start from the big picture (global learners),
explain steps (sequential learners), then close with integration into big
picture again.
Instructional Strategy
● Often realised in the form of a written document, called a training plan
○ Identify target population
○ Overall training objective
○ Location of training
○ Initial configuration of training space (What happens for virtual trainings?)
○ Learning Objectives organized into modules
○ Materials, equipment, trainer for each module
● A module is an uninterrupted sequence of activities that is not broken by
any non-instructional changes. For instance, change in seating, change
in trainer
● Evaluation process and time for evaluations should also be indicated
● A DAY X : XX:XX AM to XX:XX AM format is usually used for indication
of training flow
Points to consider
● Trainee manual
○ Meeting knowledge of results needs of trainees
○ Assists in making trainees more self-directed
○ Allows trainees to know when a really boring module will come to an end. :-)
○ Include guided notes in manual
○ Evaluations and reflection pages can be included
● A manual for trainers might also be helpful
● Facilities. On-site vs off-site? (Recall classical conditioning)
○ Make them comfortable (lower distractions)
● Identify KSAs of trainer as well. Select trainer from KSAs
● For OJT, trainers need to be trained
Outsourcing development
● Consultant with a briefcase of trainings
○ Some degree of customization possible
○ Could be expensive for few people
○ Intellectual property of the training?
○ References, Trainer KSAs, Meet-the-trainer
● External Seminars
○ Pre-packaged training with lesser scope of customization
○ Least expensive, best for few employees
○ If sufficient employees, could be brought onsite, with some degree of customization
○ One-on-one attention is rarely given.
○ Not very suitable for developing skills
Dealing with different types of trainees
● Quiet Trainee
○ Swap roles to force participation
○ Too much pressure is usually not a good idea
○ Flow of overall training is of paramount importance
● Talkative Trainee
○ Specify some other person before asking a question
○ Point out the fact that the trainee is hogging all talk in a non-confrontational way
■ “We are making Prakash do all the talking, now someone else should take over”
○ Privately discuss with the trainee
● Angry Trainee
○ Some trainees just don’t want to be there
○ Tackle them early on
Implementation
● Cross fingers and hope things go as per plan. :-)
● In case of any deviations, keep your design plan handy
○ What changes are manageable, and which ones would dilute the training
○ Build some degree of flexibility in the plan, buffer time helps
● Have a dry run
○ Rehearsal of material to try it out
○ Timings, Settings of furniture etc.
○ Audience is not the actual trainees, but other perspective holders (managers of trainees?)
● Pilot Program
○ Audience is actual trainees, who are supportive of the program
○ Attempt is to spread a good word and create a positive vibe for the program
○ Any further modifications are noted in the training plan
Implementation - IPO
INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

Training Plan
Instructional Material
Instructional
Equipment
Trainee and Trainer
Manuals Dry run & Actual
Learned KSAs
Room setup plans Pilot Training
Refreshments
Trainer selection
…
… Implementation of
... Evaluation
Training Evaluation
Why Evaluate?
● T&D is a business function and as such needs to demonstrate positive
returns otherwise it is prone to whims
● Reactions assessment is easy but what about learning & transfer of
training and finally impact?
● Helps direct the focus of the HR department on concrete results rather
than “training as an incentive”
● “Training is a very powerful tool for change and growth”, this is just a
nice sounding slogan, unless properly evaluated
● T&D is a complex function, and evaluation is necessary at each stage to
ensure that all pieces come together nicely
Evaluation - IPO
INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

Evaluation Objectives Process Measures

Organizational Evaluation Strategy

Constraints and Design Outcome Measures
● Reaction
● Learning
● Behaviour
Design Issues ● Results
Evaluation Data - I
● Process Data
○ If evaluation is done only at the end, how do we know what did not work? Too many
pieces have to fall into place to ensure best returns from the training
○ Pre-training process
■ Needs diagnosed correctly?
■ Suitability of training objectives?
■ Evaluation system was sound?
■ Methods used appropriate?
○ During Training
■ Match between trainer, learning objectives, and training techniques?
■ Lecture portions effective?
■ Training methods appropriately conducted?
■ Training plan followed?
Evaluation Data - II
● Outcome Data
○ Reaction Data (training experience)
■ Check for reaction to trainer, materials, infrastructure
■ Isolate possibilities for individual differences
○ Learning outcomes
■ How well were learning objectives achieved
■ Evaluations should have been designed along with objectives (pre-test)
○ Transfer objectives
■ Performance gaps closed/closing?
■ Connect to needs analysis. How were gaps in KSAs identified, use similar process
to check for closure
○ Organizational results
■ Are OPGs (Organizational Performance Gaps) closed/closing?
Align to TNA

TNA Training Objectives Evaluation

Measure in the same way

Outcome Relations and Factors
External Environment
Organizational Results Internal Environment
Employee Performance Changes

Transfer of training effectiveness

Behaviour Motivational forces in job setting
Opportunity to apply learned KSAs

Trainee readiness for the course

Learning Trainee motivation to learn
Design, materials, and content

Trainee characteristics
Reactions Training characteristics
Trainer behaviour
The ROI question
Evaluation in
Action
Major organizations that deal with T&D
● Indian Society for Training and Development (https://www.istd.co.in/)
● Association for Talent Development (https://www.td.org/) formerly
American Society for Training and Development
● Society for Human Resource Management (https://www.shrm.org)
● UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (https://uil.unesco.org/)

Magazines:

● https://www.entrepreneur.com/topic/employee-training
● https://www.td.org/td-magazine
● https://hbr.org/topic/talent-management