How to Make a Training Plan to Improve Team Quality

Building a strong team is not an easy task. It takes time to find people who work well together and have the necessary strengths to achieve your goals. Companies place a lot of value on the hiring process because they want candidates who are outstanding and will last. However, even the best candidates will not survive if they feel they are not being mentored and supported.

Creating a training plan that is right on target is one way to improve the skills of your team members. This plan is mutually beneficial for the company and team members as it increases retention and improves team productivity. When you support teams through learning, they can apply their new skills in the workplace.

What is a Training Plan?

A team member training plan is a way to teach team members a specific skill using predetermined programs and materials. With a training plan, you can set standards for how to do things. Then, when another team or individual wants to learn those skills, you'll have documentation that can be passed to other teams or individuals on how to do so.

The objectives of the training plan are:

• Prepare managers before training is conducted.
• Provides structure for team members to learn.
• Without a training plan, it is difficult for team members to know if they have achieved the learning outcomes required for their position. Conversely, team members seeking additional training have no way of measuring their accomplishments.

What are the basic components of a training plan?

While there are many training methods that can be used to teach team members the process, the training plan should include several main components. Knowing the components of a training plan will ensure that you are ready to conduct training when the time comes.

1. Learning objectives: Like any project, your training plan should include success goals. Ask yourself what you want your team to get out of this training. Use the learning objectives as a guide when writing your plan.

2. Program summary: The program summary is the core of the training plan. It describes how you will conduct the training and provides step-by-step instructions for the person responsible for following it.

3. Resources: Depending on the training method chosen, you may need specific means to deliver it. For example, if the training is a workshop, you may need printed handouts for all participants or a computer and projector.

Whether you are delivering your course online or in a large conference room, planning these components is a key part of training management.

How to Make a Training Plan

Once you know the components of the training plan, identify the needs of the team. Once you have the right training area in mind, adapt the program to suit your team. Use the steps below to create a training plan.

1. Assess training needs

Do a training needs assessment before actually making your plans. This introductory step provides direction on who or what needs to be trained. For example, review the needs of new employees. Assess whether the training they need for their new role is covered in the hiring process or whether you should create a training plan that better integrates them into the company.

To assess the training needs of your company or team, consider the following:

1. Ask for feedback from managers and team members.
2. Gather insights from performance evaluations.
3. Assess the performance of team members using work management tools.
4. Set up a survey to see where team members want to improve their skills.
5. After doing your research, prioritize your needs. Choose one skill or process to focus on and model a customized training plan.

2. Select your training plan type

Before you can create a training plan, you need to choose the right delivery method. The ideal delivery method will depend on the skills being taught and the size of the training group. Some skills require online delivery methods, but other skills can be taught through hands-on practice. You can engage more with smaller groups, while larger groups may need a more indirect approach.

Types of training plans:

Workshop: Involve the active participation of the group.

• Instructor-led training: Also known as conference-style training. This training program can be conducted face-to-face or online.
• One-on-one: Individual training sessions can help those who need varying levels of support.
• On-the-job: Much training occurs naturally on the job, but you can also plan for team members to learn specific skills on the job.
• eLearning: Different from instructor-led online training, eLearning is when team members go through a series of online training courses, usually consisting of videos, quizzes, and readings.
• Mentoring: A unique way for team members to learn is from mentors or other experienced professionals who help develop their careers. Some people find their own mentor, but you can also create a mentorship program.
• Research-based: Research-based training includes reading required articles and case studies or analyzing data from reliable sources.

These are some scenarios on how to choose a training plan type:

Canario 1: Your company switches to a new project management software and everyone needs training on how to use it. Since there will be large group training sessions, you will use an instructor-led or conference-style training plan.

Scenario 2: Your company wants to promote business on social media. This will require pre-scheduling content, so you create workshop-style training to teach team members how to schedule content for different social platforms.

3. Study your team

In addition to group size, study your team to create an effective training program. Each group has a different experience when participating in the training. For example, if you update social media best practices on a current team member, you can assume they have some basic knowledge.

Ask these questions as you study your team:

• Is this training optional?
• Will the training be more effective if I interact with team members?
• What are the strengths of the team?
• How to make this training relevant to the team?

Team members are likely to feel more enthusiastic about the training if it is relevant to them. Make your training relevant to real life by including examples and involving groups. Show strength in your team and use it to their advantage. For example, if your team is most efficient in the morning, schedule your training accordingly.

4. Make learning objectives

Like every project, you will set goals for what you want to achieve with the training plan. Think about what you want to give the trainees.

Let's continue the example above. For social media marketing training, your goal might be for all participants to be able to:

• Understand Google Analytics metrics.
• Identify the social media platforms used by the company's audience.
• Understand how social media plays into the marketing flow.
• Create one SEO piece of content, upload it to social media, and track its progress.

Use your learning objectives as training requirements. You may decide that participants must meet all learning objectives to complete the training course and master the skill.

5. Creating training facilities

Training tools make up the bulk of your presentation. Some training tools help you present material to your team, such as slides or PowerPoints, while others engage participants in lessons, such as worksheets.

Training materials may include:

• Slide decks
• workbook
• Videos
• Online reading
• SOPs and training manuals
• Evaluation

Plan all the resources you need and have extra supplies ready. That way, when training day arrives, you'll feel prepared for any unforeseen problems.

6. Do the training

You are now ready to complete your training program and present it to team members. For added confidence, write your program in a step-by-step format. The program can look like this:

1. The trainer welcomes participants with the first slide from PowerPoint on the screen.
2. The trainer instructs the participants to open their laptops and navigate to the company's website.
3. The trainer explains the PowerPoint slides and instructs participants to follow them on their laptops.
4. The trainer circulates the worksheets.
5. Participants use laptops and worksheets to engage in activities.
6. The trainer asks the participants to share their experiences with the activities carried out.
7. The trainer completes a PowerPoint presentation, which includes discussion questions.
8. The trainer opens up opportunities for other questions.

While a program will fully prepare you for your training, don't be afraid to deviate from the training plan during the discussion sessions, as long as the topics of conversation are kept relevant and productive.

7. Evaluate and revise if necessary

To ensure your training is effective, review your model training plan and try to make it as efficient as possible. A successful training plan helps participants master a process. If you have good things to say but the group isn't participating in the interaction, the information you share will likely not be recorded.

After a few training sessions, do an evaluation. With feedback from previous participants and insight into their skill mastery, update the training plan to better suit the needs of the next group.