Development of a summer training program

I had the opportunity to lead the development of a joint professional development training program between two large university departments. Being that this was the first program of its nature being developed, it was under close watch and had the potential to establish a process that could be used as a model for future training programs. There were many challenges along the way, but in the end, the program was successfully launched and the path was laid out for future collaborations.

Challenges to developing a professional development program

Dealing with the in-laws

Working within the constraints of two entirely different departments at a large institution proved challenging on both an operational and on a political level. Both departments had their own processes for developing programs and working with subject matter experts, and my role demanded a considerable amount of tact and balancing of needs. In some cases, it was a bit like mediation to ensure that the needs of both parties were met. In some ways, it was similar to interacting with in-laws in that both parties were very different and had different expectations for the outcome. Throughout the project it was necessary to facilitate understanding and reiterate each others’ needs and expectations in a way that encouraged a joint approach.

Process, process, process

I admit that the word ‘process’ excites me. In this case, I was tasked with not only creating the program, but also establishing a process that could be replicated for future projects to develop training programs. In some respects, this project was a beta version that would set the stage for future collaborations and program development. At a time of change within the organization, it was very important to maintain strong relationships between both departments.

Fake it until you make it

I’ll be honest, developing a program without being familiar with the subject area was entirely new for me, and I sometimes felt like a bit of a fraud. This was a subject area that I knew almost nothing about. In this case, however all aspects of the content and program development were the responsibility of the subject matter experts, so while I didn't need to be an expert in the topic, the challenge was selecting the best terminology for marketing purposes and ensuring that the objectives of the training program that we were promoting were accurate. I did a lot of searching online to get a better sense of what language was used in this particular topic area, and it also required a lot of word-smithing the language with the marketing and communications team to ensure that this professional development program was being described accurately.

Establishing awareness

The first time any new training program is launched, a major challenge is creating awareness about the program. Over time, people learn about it online and when students complete the program, they talk about it to their colleagues - word of mouth. In this case, we only had a few months to advertise a summer program and there was very little time to develop a full campaign. After talking to the stakeholders about the target audience, we discovered that one of the best ways to get the word out was actually by printing out physical posters and sending them out to local schools to be posted on parent information boards, and dropped off to local businesses where it could be posted on community information boards.

Summary of the project planning process:

• Met with all stakeholders to do initial needs analysis

• Kept team small so we could be agile

• Outlined the scope of the project to ensure deliverables were clear to all stakeholders

• Developed a communications plan within the team

• Set a timeline and established key milestones

• Maintained consistent communication with the team throughout the project

• Reported informally and formally throughout the process - kept a detailed record of progress

• Assisted both departments come to a better understanding of what was needed at various stages of the project

• Evaluated the outcome after the program had been offered and made recommendations for future development.

Outcome

The professional development program was delivered successfully with a higher than expected enrollment. As a result of careful planning and consistent documentation, this program served as a strong foundation for future collaborations between departments.

Lessons Learned

Clear and consistent communication is an absolutely essential key to success. Both formal and informal communication were used to ensure that stakeholders are clear about the type and frequency of communication to be expected during the project.

After all meetings, a short follow-up communication should be sent out to highlight the upcoming action items and help keep everyone on track. An even more ideal situation would be to keep everyone on track with an application like Slack or Asana where regular updates can be made and the whole team notified.