Wednesday 29 December 2010

The importance of project management skills

I am on holiday and still reading books about project management – well, to be fair, this book was a pdf that I downloaded from the lazy project manager (www.lazyprojectmanager.co.uk); it only cost £3.50 with the proceeds donated to Cancer Research UK. The book is a collection of lots of short stories about project management. Actually they are each a mini 'lesson learnt' and 'food for thought'. As with all advice the bits you remember are those most relevant to the projects you are currently involved in. Peter tells a lovely story about a warning light on his car dashboard and the project dashboard that his PMO uses to control over 250 projects simultaneously. I am currently managing a portfolio of over 40 projects and am well aware of how difficult it is to balance the need for reporting to satisfy my project sponsorship responsibilities with the need to minimise the amount of reporting that my project managers do so that they can get on with the real work. I also really enjoyed Peter's views on the contribution that project management makes to industry and the results of his survey assessing the importance of project management skills to career progression. To be honest, I probably enjoyed this bit of the book because it endorses some of the things that I have been writing about this year:

(http://www.mavencapability.co.uk/downloads/Building-Capability-Whitepaper-1-July-2010.pdf)

Let me know if you download this book from Peter’s site and what your favourite stories were.

Happy New Year

Friday 24 December 2010

Season's Greetings

From all at Maven Training - Happy Christmas!

Monday 20 December 2010

Holidays - a time to read

Christmas is always a time for taking things easy and reading a good book and I have kicked off my holiday with a look at "Social Media for Project Managers" by Elizabeth Harrin.

Obviously I am a user of social media (otherwise I wouldn't be writing this blog) but I don't regard myself as an expert. Elizabeth's book is an easy to use guide, really well indexed so it's easy to jump to the bits you need. The concept of the book is how social media can be used as the mechanism of project communication and how this can strengthen relationships within the project team and with other stakeholders. The book has lots of examples and explanations from a range of experts which brings the subject alive and they are nicely spaced throughout the content.

For the projects I am currently working on, the chapter on the benefits of Wikis and how to set them up is very relevant and I have picked up some good tips on what steps to take. There is also some really useful guidance on security issues, and guarding the content of project documentation. Elizabeth makes the very valid point that security controls can be used to guard access to information, but that can also provide the structure for controlling information flow throughout the project.

What books are you reading this holiday season, and what are the key actions that you are going to take as a result? Let me know

Monday 13 December 2010

Planning for 2011

This week I am preparing to go on holiday - 2 weeks on a beach in Thailand, so plenty of time to think about the future and plan the next steps for Maven. Like many senior managers I need to ensure I know three key pieces of operational information:
• What are all the initiatives that we have completed this year and what has been their effect? I need to know what capability we have now, what areas of the business we have improved, what areas we have strengthened. Knowing this enables me to eliminate them to an extent from next years’ plans, which for a company as ambitious as Maven is really important as we always have more ideas than we have resources for.
• What initiatives do we still have underway, how near to completion are they and how many resources are they using? This helps me understand our capacity for new ideas and hopefully stops me falling into the trap of trying to launch all of the new initiatives in January, overloading the business with change in February and driving everyone crazy by March!
• Finally I review our strategic goals and use these as the basis for identifying the key areas for development and improvement, and then I break these down again into outcomes (programmes) and outputs (projects). This analysis is undertaken with my management team and we run our own portfolio management workshop to identify as many ideas for the next year as possible. Some of the techniques that we use to plan the portfolio of all our projects and programmes are the same as the techniques we use for project management I.e. Product based planning, activity based planning, scheduling and resource smoothing. I will run this workshop before I go away and then I can review our plans and finesse the for early January.

Wish me luck and let me know what you are doing to plan your work for 2011.

Tuesday 7 December 2010

No email? Fantastic!

I have just spent a day without access to email and I loved it!
This weekend the utility company cut off our office power supply for emergency works which meant our email server was shut down. I worked from home on Sunday designing a planning workshop for a client (that must be delivered before Christmas so it's fairly urgent). Normally when I am working I will periodically check my emails (maybe once an hour) but inevitably I read things that need to be actioned and so I am effectively changing from subject to subject, with only short bursts of time on any one issue. Without email I was amazed how enjoyable it was to lose myself in one subject, and how much more relaxing it was to fully engage with the task in hand and not try to ignore other issues and problems. Now that power is restored of course things are back to normal but I am going to try and turn my email off, block out several hours in my diary and really concentrate next time I have a complex task to do, because I want to retain this feeling of relaxed accomplishment. As project managers we are frequently praised for our ability to multiple-task, but perhaps we don't need to manage every task simultaneously, and a little bit more linear progression will speed up our progress through our To Do lists.

Tuesday 30 November 2010

Let the Countdown Begin

I hate to mention it but there are now less than 4 working weeks to Christmas.... For me this means I am reviewing schedules, balancing priorities and clarifying which activities really will get done before the holidays and which ones we will have to push out into January. It's always difficult to move items into a whole new year because the perception that the projects are slipping is so much greater, rather than the reality of simply moving things a week or two.

Going through this process also helps us decide when the New Year really begins: as the first working week of January 2011 starts with a Bank Holiday, many suppliers are telling me that they do not come back to work until January 10th. This leaves 3 whole weeks of holiday time and I for one am taking advantage of it as it means fewer meetings and plenty of time to get the things done that I am too busy to sort out the rest of the year. It will allow time for a well earned holiday and to write my next book! I also hope to get the time to spend on my own development and read Elisabeth Harrin's new book: Social Media for Project Managers (and so pleased by her recent award http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2010/11/19/243977/The-IT-Blog-Awards-2010-winners.htm )

We also know from past experience how many of you struggle to fit your personal development into your schedule, so this year we're open as usual over the holiday season and we are offering courses in the weeks leading up to Christmas Eve and just after New Years day - so you can fit in a spot of professional me time along with your mince pies.

Tomorrow the countdown begins .... http://www.noradsanta.org/

Friday 19 November 2010

PRINCE2 in Top 20 of IT Training Skills Watch

As a barometer of what's hot and what's not in IT, the IT Training Skills Watch table is based on what's flying off the bookshelves as the IT industry bring themselves up to speed with new products and services. Interestingly then, the positioing of PRINCE2 2009 at #12 amongst a list of technical titles could be a reflection that the method for delivering new technology is as critical as knowing the new technology..... you can read the full IITT article here

Monday 15 November 2010

Assurance.... next on the agenda?

Has sponsorship or assurance grown in importance in your organisation? I ask because we're seeing a significant demand for sponsorship training from senior managers as their perception of the importance of project management grows. Up until a few months ago, training for members of the project board was organized by those managing the projects who felt that they were not getting the support they needed. Concerns by project managers included senior managers failing to keep up to date with the progress of the projects they are responsible for or not prepared to take the tough decisions during the life of the project as issues and risks demand attention.

Now we are seeing demand from managers who recognise that they must give their projects serious attention. The financial environment means that all organisations are keen to control expenditure. Projects are a source of discretionary spend and it seems senior managers have decided to find out how to get control and start governing this work.

In predicting trends in PPM the next logical step would be an increased interest in project assurance. After all, effective sponsorship means knowing if the project team are doing the right things in the right way, but few organisations have the funding for internal assurance services so, as the pressure increases to ensure project delivery is timely and appropriate, focusing on assurance would seem likely.

BTW, thanks to all who attended the briefing on Friday 12th - it was a great session! If you missed it, check out our new schedule and join us.

Wednesday 10 November 2010

Project Completion is not Project Closedown

Over the weekend, Maven completed a series of office moves that has seen us relocate our training centre and co-locate our administrative offices. The project was forced upon us by the discovery earlier in the year that the Crossrail project was going to leave us working next to a building site for the next 6 years - hardly conducive to effective learning!

Now that all of the crates have been unpacked and people have worked out how to log back on we can settle back, safe in the knowledge that the project has come to a close...well, that's one view anyway.

In project management terms, we have completed the deliverables (slightly under budget, on time and having exceeded the quality expectations of the Board). However, we are still experiencing the impact of change - on each of us, and as an organisation. Individual experiences of change have included learning a new route to work, remembering to carry security passes and finding where the best local coffee shops are. As an organisation, the process of change is harder to define, but it is a powerful force nevertheless. The main impact is the speed at which things get done in the first few days after a move as all the things we need to do the job are not as easily to hand, telephone extensions have changed and remembering where the contents of a particular desk have ended up can be a challenge.

The critical thing for our Board to remember is that the benefits of our move will not be felt for several months. The financial business case will only be realised as we stop paying for services in the old office, and start seeing the reduction in costs from our new building. The strategic benefits of co-locating to fully exploit the potential for efficiencies, will only be felt once everyone has got used to the new situation and have formed new teams and working relationships.

We have scheduled a post implementatation review in 6 weeks, but I am conscious that this will only be a meeting to sign post that we are on course to realise the benefits, not that we have data to prove that we have realised them - that will not be available until the early part of the new year. The thing we must remember is that these benefits management responsibilities are still with us, and even though the project manager has been released to manage the next big project she will have to schedule some time for the review to finally consider the project closed - and be able to enjoy that large gin and tonic.

Monday 1 November 2010

Be Kind to your Sponsor

This week my attention has been focused on how to explain the role of Project Sponsor to senior managers. As a project manager myself I am well versed in how an effective sponsor can really move the project forward, and how a disinterested sponsor can slow things down…

When I deliver project sponsorship coaching, it’s very common to have to start with the basics of the project lifecycle - because this is new territory for the manager. It’s not because they are stupid, it’s because they have not been expected to understand the details of project management before, and they are concerned that on top of everything else they have to do, they are expected to learn a whole new language.

In my experience, sponsors are not being deliberately obstructive when they don't read the project reports, or fail to turn up for meetings, it’s just that the project (your project!) is just one of many initiatives they are involved with so it’s up to you to capture their attention, explain to them what you need from them - and possibly, be prepared to explain how you are managing the project.

I have been putting some of my thoughts together on the new website www.mavenprojectsponsorship.co.uk - have a look and let me know how you help your sponsors.

Monday 25 October 2010

Are you adding value?

There was lots of press this weekend about job stability in the UK. Many people working in the service industry (public and private sector) are concerned about losing the jobs or not having their contracts renewed. It has made me think about the criteria I use for continuing to use contractor resources.

The harsh reality is that doing your job is not enough. Fulfilling the job description is just the minimum requirement that I expect from everyone, its what I am paying for. It's the added value that makes you indispensable. To me, added value means delivering new ideas, improvements to existing processes and the way in which business is conducted. Its an attitude of continual improvement of what you deliver and how you deliver it. It implies a forward momentum in the role, and a commitment to the future.

These innovations and improvements are delivered via projects, so alongside the skills and experience for which you were originally hired, there is an implied demand for project management skills. Your ability to deliver improvements on time, on or under budget and in a way that meets or exceeds requirements makes you an invaluable resource. If you want to keep yourself up to date on what is happening in project management, have a look at the white papers on www.mavencapability.co.uk/resources.html - I hope you find the information helpful, and please email me your comments and views.

Monday 18 October 2010

Focus on Portfolio Management

Portfolio management is the new arrival in the project management world. Portfolio management provides the structure for merging all projects, programmes and change initiatives at the organisational level, so that the total impact of change can be understood and the total cost and overall level of risk can be calculated.

This is certainly an idea whose time has come as the volume of projects and changes taking place in any organisation at any one time has grown to such a level that everyone is involved in projects to some degree.

The October edition of Project magazine is dedicated to portfolio management and there are some useful articles. One of the most interesting comments was that "A portfolio management role is a great way to get a broader perspective on your company or business activities; understanding 'what' you deliver and 'how' it is delivered really contributes towards your business goals, objectives and success."

Maven are often asked by Project and Programme managers how they can develop their careers and understanding portfolio management is a relevant starting point. There will be a new course and set of exams available in the new year but if you want get ahead of the curve, download our paper on portfolio management and let us know what you think - www.mavencapability.co.uk/resources

Wednesday 30 June 2010

Research, Procrastination & Doing Project Management

I have just been completing some research that is helping me to identify and analyse the possible scope of a project that I will be managing later this summer. During this research, one of the most difficult things has been knowing when to stop reading about the subject and when to start thinking about it. There comes a time when continual research is interesting, but is procrastination - I am reading because I don't want to start the difficult process of sifting through all of the information and coming to a conclusion. the infinite number of information sources available to me via Google, Yahoo etc means that deciding when enough is enough is an act of self discipline. This wasn't always the case. At the risk of sounding very old, when i became a project manager 20 years ago, the research I could do on the possible scope and deliverables of any of my projects involved a visit to the company library, reading professional journals and talking to friends in the same industry. Ultimately, there was never very much about the specifics of my project (usually my project was to launch a new IT systems and changing internal working practices to accommodate them, so fairly specialised).

Anyway, this 'self discipline' made me wonder how I know when I have enough information. Ultimately, it comes down to my level of expertise and the experience I have built up over the years. I use the PRINCE2 methodology for the basis of my projects and I use the skills I have been taught through various APM courses (their APMP qualification primarily) to define the requirements and scope my project using techniques including work breakdown structures, bottom up estimating, analysis techniques and the ability to sift for information on risks and the likely bottle necks of resources involved.

I think project managers are under more pressure than ever to speed through the planning stage of their projects, and to agree with senior management what will be delivered, so that their organisations can show that initiatives are under way and that progress is being made. Therefore, hitting the mid point between too much research and insufficient detail to create a workable plan is going to become a key determinant of whether project managers are seen to be contributing to the business or holding it back.

Friday 25 June 2010

One of lead trainers has just sent us this despatch from foreign parts ... read on - a heart warming story

"Im in Slovakia this week, one male delegate calmly informs me at the start of the training on Monday his wife was called to hospital that morning as she was 2 weeks overdue with their first baby.
Midway through the morning of day 2 the call comes..... labour has started. He calmly picks up his books , makes a polite apology and leaves.
5 mins later we see his car pull back into the car park, he walks into our room and calmly asks me 'what is the homework for tonight please?'

Now that's commitment.

He turned up the next day 9am prompt, after supporting his wife through a 12hr labour and without fuss sits his foundation exam in the afternoon and scores the joint 2nd highest score out of 10 people

Mother and baby Victoria are doing well.

Best wishes
Justin, Maven Training

Friday 11 June 2010

Maven was at the PPOSIG London Group event event with Melanie Franklin last evening. It was very useful for Maven to learn more about PMO and their interface with PM's. An excellent presentation on Service Menu from head of PMO at AXA - plus a Q & A session facilitated by Lindsay Scott of PPO SiG highlighting what's missing in existing P30 manuals as a new manual is being written. Good to meet so many dedicated PMO's and learn so much too.

Thursday 11 March 2010

Chartered Status remains top priority for APM

Interviewed in the March issue of APM’s Project magazine, CEO Andrew Bragg confirms that APM is committed to achieving chartered status for the Association in as short a timescale as possible.

The in-depth interview explains the rationale for the continuing ‘dignified silence’: to allow for due process of consultation amongst the Queen’s Advisers. Bragg acknowledges that progress of the application has been slower than initial planning assumptions. These were based on the highest levels of support from leading organisations across the public and private sectors that any association has ever achieved for its campaign for chartered status.

The article confirms that, in response to demands for a single professional standard, APM is to launch a pilot in April 2010 for its project professional standard. Created by an expert, pan-sector working group the standard will be rigorous, whilst the routes to achievement will be diverse and flexible, reflecting the wide range of career paths by which professional competence in project management can be achieved.

Referring to APM’s ‘professionalism’ agenda, Bragg says:

“We are determined to maintain the huge momentum for raising professionalism within project management that the chartered campaign has created. In APM, we now define project professionalism as comprising five dimensions: breadth of knowledge, depth of competence, achievement through professional qualifications, commitment through CPD and accountability through adherence to a code of professional conduct. We are committed to increasing awareness and achievement of these five dimensions across the many organisations intent on improving project management capability.”


Enquiries: Please contact Heather Krobok, PR and Marketing Manager on heather.krobok@apm.org.uk direct line 01844 271632

Tuesday 9 February 2010

Why are you waiting to speak?

By Emma Altman, Training Consultant at Maven Training

The internet. Wow! What a bargain!

I’ve just read an article on someone’s web page about listening (I was looking for a listening quote when I stumbled across it) and I really like this guy’s way of thinking;

One of the challenges that gets in the way of good listening is a habit many of us fall into; waiting to speak. We know we do it – but it’s quite a hard habit to change. Well this guy said you should “listen without thinking about how you’re going to respond”. It’s a subtly different way of looking at the problem - and I like it. In all my efforts to improve my listening, this is my biggest challenge – thinking about what I’m going to say next.

Sometimes I think of a funny anecdote that relates to what they’re telling me. Other times I’m trying to contribute or be helpful at work or at home and I’m thinking about how I see that issue or what the solution might be, or I’m training people and I’m thinking about what information is going to help this person.

Either way – part of me stops listening and begins composing a response – sometimes it can be as early as part way through the first sentence.

And when I read that statement; “Listen without thinking about how you’re going to respond” suddenly, I got it!

1. I don’t need to compose my response while they’re still talking – I can make time for that when they’ve finished.
2. I don’t have to worry that I’ll forget what I want to say – if it’s important enough, I’ll remember it later – and if not, it wasn’t that important in the first place
3. I need to trust myself to come up with the right response when I need it (rather than rushing ahead) and to take the time to ask more questions or summarise what I think I’ve heard in order to come up with the right response.
I think I’ve always been so busy focusing on the task of coming up with the right thing to say in response – that I’ve been busy trying to get ahead with that instead of listening.

So I have taken the usual steps to change this habit;

1) Admit I have a problem or there is room for improvement
2) Identify when I do this
3) Be aware of when I am doing this
4) Choose to concentrate on listening – and forming my response after

The result? I’ll report back in a couple of weeks…

Friday 29 January 2010

Maven Training launch P30 - Portfolios, Programme and Project Office

OGC'S PRINCE2, MSP and M_o_R all touch on the need to provide adequate support structures for these best practices. However, currently there is no single source of this information that either organisations or individuals can go to find guidance or advice on setting up or running an effective delivery support office in alignment with OGC's Best Practice guidance.

This guidance brings together a set of principles, processes and techniques to facilitate effective portfolio, programme and project management through enablement, challenge and support structures. These structures also bridge the gap between the strategy/policy makers and the delivery arm of the organisation.

The purpose of the P30 is to provide universally applicable guidance that will enable individuals and organisations to successfully establish, develop and maintain appropriate business support structures that will allow:

- Informed senior management decision making on strategic alignment, prioritisation, risk management, optimisation of resource etc to successfully deliver their business objectives (portfolio management)
- Identification and realisation of business outcomes and benefits via programmes
-Successful delivery of project outputs that enable benefits within time, cost and quality restraints.

The guidance will provide:

- An introduction to P30 - discussing why, when and how to use P30 models including the difference between portfolios, programmes and project environments and their different requirements
- Value - what value P30 can bring to the organisation including a business case, funding models and performance measures
- Model - an overview of the different P30 models with examples
- Functions and Techniques - details on the functions/services and techniques/tools used by units of a P30 model

For dates and prices please visit our website

Wednesday 20 January 2010

Project, Programme and Change Management Free Briefing

At the Maven Training Centre Friday 29th January, London

Here are Maven HQ we are always looking for ways to help you keep up to date with the latest developments. This month we are launching a new range of free briefings designed to help introduce the qualifications that are essential to today’s professionals. We give a brief over view of suitable methods, framework and show under what circumstances each is appropriate.

The Project Management Free Briefing overviews PRINCE2 ®, APM Introductory Certificate, APMP and P3O®.

Programme Managers Free Briefing looks at MSP®- Managing Successful Programmes and M_o_R - Management of Risk.

Change Management Free Briefing takes you through the salient points of Change Management and discusses when it is useful and how to implement it within your organisation.

Book your place today

Monday 11 January 2010

Building Organisational Culture of Capacity

Capacity is having sufficient quantities of appropriately skilled resources to meet business need. Capacity is built by mapping resources and then building a community where your staff are proud to hold their skills.

To build capacity in your organisation carry out the following:

• Resource Gap Analysis
• Build a Resource Database
• Build a Community
• Community Peer System
• Build a Brand for Your Community


Resource Gap Analysis
To build capacity, this initial picture must be mapped against planned resource usage, using knowledge of future business plans, intended strategic direction of the organisation and the projects and programmes already in the pipeline for delivery.

Build a Resource Database
Building capacity requires a fully populated resource database that captures current skill levels for each individual along with their experiences and preferences so that they can be assigned as opportunities present themselves.

Build a Community
To build organisational capability, the organisation needs to create an environment where having capability means that an individual is part of a community. There needs to be an explicit message that without capability, they cannot join the community.

Community Peer System
Individuals need to know that being a member of this community is advantageous and positive, that it is meaningful and desirable. The community has to have values and exhibit behaviours that they ascribe to or that they aspire to.

Build a Brand for Your Community
In some cases, development of a brand for this community can be helpful in developing a positive view of it. A brand is more than just a logo and a name, it encompasses the fundamental principles of the community. Anyone who hears about the community understands its purpose, its values and behaviours.

If you would like Maven Training to help you build staff capability and organisational resource capacity please call our team on 020 7403 7100

Tuesday 5 January 2010

Maven Training Accelerated Learning in new APM courses

Are you a Latte or Americano?....join Maven Training’s new cafe style APM courses.

Maven Training brings it’s renown passion and experience to the Association of Project Management range of Certificate courses launching in January in London. These courses showcase the new accelerated learning techniques that help delegates learn quickly and efficiently so that they are ready to use their new skills when they return to the office.

Maven Training is not selling coffee but they do use the Cafe Style Learning in their new APMIC and APMP. You may think that you are going to spend a the time sitting quietly making notes while your trainer works through the syllabus. But on a Maven APMIC and APMP course you have to do a bit more which helps you to learn faster and better.

Just as we all like our favourite style of coffee, we all have different learning styles. You may already know whether your style is visual, aural, read/write or kinaesthetic. All of these learning styles are catered for with cafe style course where the delegates sit in small groups so that they can discuss the life-like exercises with their co-learners and then report back their findings. This satisfies the audio and kinaesthetic learners as they can and be involved with discussions about what they would expect to deal with in the scenario given.

You may not be Picasso but if your learning style is visual then your drawing skills will be used to help you to study and understand the structure of leadership and management. The APMIC and APMP courses are unique in that it allow delegates to gain practical skills for how to implement their project. Married with practical training techniques this course is an enjoyable and effective way to increase the effectiveness of Project Managers.

APMIC is the Association of Project Management Introductory Certificate which combined with the Practitioner qualification, covers project lifecycle, Project Management as a job, feasibility analysis, business case and risks, project planning, scheduling, quality and change control, documents, deliverables, people, sign off, hand over and lessons learned.

APMIC and APMP is an established qualification but Maven Training gives it a fresh approach by introducing these accelerated learning techniques to help delegates enjoy their course and quickly gain skills that will be invaluable in their workplace.

The industry's view of Maven’s APM courses :

• "We are thrilled to bring our expertise and skills in accelerated learning to the APM qualifications ." Melanie Franklin - CEO – Maven Training

• "Our approach to the APMIC and APMP qualifications is to give the delegate a clear understanding with experienced trainers and well laid out and clear course notes.” Lisa Peacey - Senior Course Developer – Maven Training

Please check our website at www.maventraining.co.uk for further information on these courses.

Monday 4 January 2010

Building Individual Staff’s Capability

Capability is having the ability, potential, aptitude, facility, and qualifications to meet the needs of business today. We expect staff to continually develop new abilities and aptitude at a pace that matches the transformational change taking place within our organisations.

To build capability in your organisation:

• Identify Skills Gap
• Individual Development Path
• Individual Development Plan
• Training Needs Analysis
• Implement Learning Interventions
• Post Learning Activities
• Performance Support
• Give long term support
• Build a Community


Identify Skills Gap
To build capability, this initial picture must be mapped against the required skill set for effective project, programme and change management.

Individual Development Path
To move towards the required skill set involves creating individual development paths as each person starts from a unique position and will have their own desired state – some will wish to develop greater technical ability and others will search for further management opportunities.

Individual Development Plan
A personal development plan cannot be imposed upon someone. Building capability must be a joint effort between each individual and the organisation. Individuals supply the willingness to learn new skills and the organisation provides training courses, management support and practice opportunities in the form of secondments, transfers to new projects and increases in responsibility and authority levels.

Training Needs Analysis
A training needs analysis identifies required training courses and events based upon any skills gaps and for each course pre and post course support activities can be identified. These include briefings by managers to their staff before a course begins to identify with the individual their personal objectives for the course and the objectives that the manager seeks to fulfil on behalf of their team, department and organisation overall.

Implement Learning Interventions
There are many learning options available, you may decide that your staff would learn well on a bespoke training course which can then be followed up with a workshop where your staff can work through real life examples. Senior staff or those on high profile programme or projects may benefit from one to one coaching or mentoring to help with and developing a blueprint and mapping out specific issues.

Post Learning Activities
Post course activities include developing communities of practice and performance support. Communities of practice are effective if they provide access to best practice and a supportive environment in which individuals can share their difficulties in applying new skills and share ideas for how problems can be solved.

Performance Support
Performance support gives help at the point of need. Often, these are short interventions which answer specific ‘how do I?’ type questions. Building capability means that the organisation allows people to practice and accepts the risk that on their first attempts they might get it wrong and resists the temptation to blame them for their early mistakes.

Build a Community
Building capability requires organisations to commit long term effort, investing time and energy in encouraging staff to learn new skills, work in different ways and adopt new technology. They must also provide relevant support as individuals practice these new approaches until they become second nature.

If you would like Maven Training to help you build staff capability and organisational resource capacity please call our team on 020 7403 7100

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