Strategic training aims at producing results for the organization with training as a means. While tactical training ensures that a knowledge or skill is imparted to the participant, the strategic training goes beyond and ensures that the learning that takes place in the class room is applied at work and makes a difference to the results of the organization.

1. Strategic training
Comparison with tactical training, case studies and service description
Akshaya Centre of Excellence
(www.acoe.in)
1

2. Overview
 Advantages of strategic training
 Strategic training services of ACE
 Illustration with case studies
ACE confidential 2

3. What is strategic training?
 Tactical and strategic trainings
– Tactical training aims at teaching the subject to the participants;
Conveys knowledge and information
– Strategic training aims at producing specific, measurable results
for the organization with training as a means
 Major differences
– In tactical training, the content design, content delivery and
program roll out are intended to make the training more effective
– In strategic training, content design, content delivery and
program roll out are intended to bring about a change in the
individuals who collectively create specific, measurable impact
on the organization
 Let us see how…
ACE confidential 3

4. Tactical training
 What is a tactical training unit?
– Co-ordinates / operationalizes the training needs of an
organization
• Trng materials
• Nominations
• Attendance
• Feedback
– Focus: Focus is on fulfilling learning need of the organization as
expressed by business units
– Scope: Scope is limited to fulfilling the expressed learning need
in an effective manner. Training function not responsible for
producing results for the organization based on training
– Content design and content delivery are focused on
effectiveness of learning; Aplicability of learning in the workplace
incidental
– Program roll out happens incidentally
ACE confidential 4

5. …Tactical training
 What is good about tactical training?
– Learning need of the organization is fulfilled systematically
– Possible to provide most effective training for a given need in a
cost effective manner
– Monitors quality of training
 Limitations of tactical training
– Not equipped to ensure that learning is applied at work place
– Not equipped to ensure that the learning translates into results
for the organization
– No seamless flow from business decision making to ground level
training and back.
ACE confidential 5

6. Limitations of tactical training
 Training unit does not work as a strategic partner to the
business units
 Difficult to measure translation of learning into work-
place results
 Difficult to ensure full participation of employees due to
target pressures of their roles
 Benefits are limited to isolated instances and are not
aggregated into measurable organizational benefits
ACE confidential 6

7. Strategic training
 What is a strategic training unit?
– Extension of a tactical training unit
• Includes all that a tactical unit contains and more
– Focus: Focus is on fulfilling a business need of the organization
through training.
– Scope: Scope extends to ensure that the learning is used in the
workplace to produce results for the organization
– Content design and content delivery are focused on making the
learning applicable at workplace. Effectiveness of learning is a
part of this larger focus on applicability
– Program roll out is specifically designed to ensure coverage of
participants at required levels. It is only when change occurs in a
certain quantum that measurable benefit accrues to the
organization.
ACE confidential 7

8. Benefits of strategic training units
 Includes all that a tactical training unit offers and offers
more
 Ensures that learning is applicable at field work
 Defines metrics to measure impact of learning on field
work
 Integrates the improved results at work to consolidated
business benefit
 Functions as a strategic partner to business units
ACE confidential 8

9. Kirk Patrick model view
 The Kirk Patrick model of training effectiveness has four
levels
– Level 1 – Immediate response
– Level 2 – Retention
– Level 3 – Change of behavior at individual level
– Level 4 – Observable change at Group or organization level
 Tactical training units typically operate at level 1 and
level 2 while strategic units take training to level 3 and
level 4.
ACE confidential 9

10. Training effectiveness pyramid
ACE confidential 10

11. Strategic training units
- Nuts and bolts

12. Overview of STU
 Process to capture the field issues in work environment
 Methodologies such as courseware engineering to tailor-
make the courses based on inputs from field
 Roll out model to ensure ease of participation
– Target pressure makes it difficult to make a batch of employees
go through a series of courses. The roll out model must factor in
this hurdle and yet succeed
– Apart from class room sessions, multiple other modes of learning
are also used which make it easier for employees to access
training.
 Defining metrics and gathering data to monitor effect of
learning on work environment
 Integration of pockets of work-environment results into
measurable business benefit.
ACE confidential 12

13. How does it work?
 Initial phase
– Conduct a survey to identify critical pain areas that affect
business results
• In the longer run, create a process to ensure that field issues are
input into a knowledge base on an on-going basis and is used for
creation / updating of courses
– Define scope and syllabus of courses to address pain areas
– Identify modes in which course-lets are administered
• The modes would include class-room training, multi-media based
individual learning, expert talks, web-based discussions etc.
– Design a roll out model that maximizes participation
– Define metrics structure to assess impact of learning on work-
environment
ACE confidential 13

14. …How does it work?
 On-going phase
– Develop and administer the courses
– Gather data for metrics and monitor impact
– Refine courses, roll out model based on participant feedback,
participant inputs and observations of monitoring metrics.
 When the on-going phase lasts over a period of time, the
strategic training initiative yields measurable business
benefits
ACE confidential 14

15. Case studies

16. Key characteristics of strategic
training
 The strategic training case studies should be viewed
from following points -
– Objective of the training
– Training content
– Training delivery
– Participation mode
– Results
ACE confidential 16

17. Case study - 1
E-Architect training

18. Background
 Business context
– Emergence of e-business technology as a sizeable market
space
– Needed to capitalize on the new market
– Needed staff with architecting skills
– Shortage of staff with e-business technology skills both in-house
and in the market
 Solution – Train software architects from different
technology backgrounds in e-business technology
– Defined skill levels
• Level 1 – Technology aware
• Level 2 – Project-reday (Is hands-on; can be deployed in projects)
• Level 3 – Experienced
• Level 4 – Expert and can mentor other architects
ACE confidential 18

19. Tactical training
 Target of the training – To develop awareness about e-
business space
 Training content – Power point presentations with
theoretical content
 Training delivery – class room presentations
 Participation mode – To-be architects taken off from their
regular projects to under go 4 – 6 weeks of full time
training
ACE confidential 19

20. …Tactical training
 Results –
– Small percentage of the batch completed the training as
participants were taken off the training and deployed in projects
due to billing pressures
– Those who completed the training were at skill level 1
(Technology aware)
– Resulting skill level was insufficient to penetrate deeper into
customer accounts
 Summary
– Training met the business goal very partially
ACE confidential 20

21. Strategic training
 Target – Develop ‘n’ number of E-architects who are at
skill level 2
 Training content –
– Theoretical presentations
– Class room assignments
– Mini project to be completed at desk
– Architecting exercises
– Panel discussion with senior architects
 Training delivery –
– Class room presentations
– Mini project at work station
– Live discussions
ACE confidential 21

22. …strategic training
 Participation mode –
– Trainee architects chosen from projects that were in lean phase so
as to avoid project pressure
– Part time participation – 2 hrs taken off from project and 2 hrs added
to their routine; Overall, 4 hrs / day for close to 12 weeks; ensured
that the participants could still be billed
 Results –
– Regular attendance due to lean project phase
– No billing pressure and hence most participants completed the
course
– Produced sufficient number of architects with level 2 skills who could
be deployed into projects
– Hands of business leaders no more tied because of shortage of skills
 Business goals fully met
ACE confidential 22

23. Strategic E-architect training
snapshot
Design Study of
Proposal Technology
Tier 3 pattern
survey
complex
project
writing evaluation
Completion of end-to-end mini
Tier 2 project
Class room presentations
Tier 1 Class room assignments
ACE confidential 23

24. Comparison of strategic and
tactical training
Comparison Tactical training Strategic training
factor
Target Level 1 Architects Level 2 Architects
Training content Theory with power point 1. Theory with power point
presentations presentations
2. Mini project
3. Architect assignments
Training delivery Class room presentations 1. Class room presentations
2. Mini project at desk
3. Panel discussion with
Architects
Participation 1. Employees taken off from 1. Billable employees in lean
billable projects phases of the project
2. Full time participation for 4 2. Part-time participation for
– 6 weeks 12 weeks
ACE confidential 24

25. Critical success factors
 Size, structure and complexity of the mini project
– The project should be non-trivial, yet small enough to be
completed during extra hours
– The project should have the complete life cycle and provide
exposure to the trainees on all decision making involved in the
project
 Realistic architecting exercises
 Ease of participation
ACE confidential 25

26. Case study - 2
Project management training

27. Background
 Increase in share of fixed price projects
 Significant losses from fixed price projects as they could
not be delivered within schedule and budget
 Lack of project management skills identified as one of
the root causes
 Solution –
– Train project managers so that they execute projects efficiently
– Save project cost to reduce losses and further increase profilts
ACE confidential 27

28. Earlier tactical trainings
 Target – awareness of project management concepts to
some project managers
 Training content
– General project management theory in power point slides
– Class room assignments
 Training delivery
– Class room presentations
– Disparate courses conducted at isolated instances
 Participation mode
– Training program pre-scheduled for 2 or 3 day durations
– Ad hoc selection of participants some times nominated and
some times volunteering forming a batch
ACE confidential 28

29. Tactical training - Results
 Poor turn up of nominated participants (quoting project
pressures)
 Content was mostly dismissed as “good-in-theory but
does-not-work-in-practice”
 Little impact of training on project parameters
 No impact on business results
ACE confidential 29

30. Strategic training – project
management
 Training target
– To train all or at least a critical mass of project managers in a set of
project management topics aimed to plug critical pain areas of
project management
– The training in turn should have an impact on project results and
hence increase profitability of projects
 Training content
– Designed based on a survey of critical pain areas and packaged
into a set of courses
– State-of-the-art theory presented through power point slides
– Examples and case studies from real successful projects
– Class room assignments simulating live project scenarios
 Training mode
– Faculty presentation interspersed with audio/videos
– Follow up off-line discussions and mentoring
ACE confidential 30

31. Strategic training – project
management
 Participation mode
– Most courses were of 1 day duration for ease of participation
– No strong interdependence among the courses and hence no
sequence or pre-requisites
– Did away with the calendar and batch model
• Forming a batch and making them go through a series of courses
was infeasible
• Project pressures and unforeseen customer interactions meant that
seamless continuity of the batch was nearly impossible
– Courses offered in a rain model
• Courses scheduled on a weekly basis and announcements sent out
on a weekly basis
• Project managers just look up their schedule for the week and if
there is a course that they haven’t already attended is scheduled,
they would nominate themselves.
ACE confidential 31

32. Results
 Courses became very popular and nominations were
always full
– Content was relevant as it addressed the critical pain areas with
real-life solutions that could be applied back at work
– Courses were interesting as faculty presentations were
interspersed with audio / videos
 Because of the popularity, a large part of the project
manager population could be made to go through a
series of courses voluntarily
 Correlation studies conducted showed that the training
had a positive impact on ensuring reduced overruns and
increased quality
 Reduced overrun in turn reduced losses from fixed price
projects and resulting in increased profits.
ACE confidential 32

33. Comparison of strategic and
tactical training
Comparison Tactical training Strategic training
factor
Target To develop awareness To reduce project overruns
Training content Theory with power point 1. Theory with power point
presentations presentations
2. Solutions based on
successful real-life projects
3. Audio / videos
Training delivery Class room presentations 1. Class room presentations
2. Follow up discussions
Participation 1. Duration 3 – 4 days 1. More courses of 1 day
2. Continuous batch duration
2. No need for batch
continuity
ACE confidential 33

34. Critical success factors
 Survey of pain areas to ensure that the courses are
relevant to the project managers
 Solutions from real-life successful projects ensured that
the trainees would like to take back the lessons and
apply them at work
 Ease of participation
– Courses could be attended in any order
– Duration was just 1 day which the PMs could afford easily
ACE confidential 34

35. ACE SERVICES
ACE confidential 35

36. Strategic training services of ACE
 Program design
– Survey and training requirement study
– Curriculum design
– Roll out planning
 Curriculum development
– Power point slides
– Case studies
 Program rollout
– Class room training delivery
– Moderation / facilitation of any web based forums
– Assessments
– Monitoring metrics ACE confidential 36

37. Customized proposal
 For a STS proposal specific to organization, information
on the following lines would be needed –
– The nature of existing training infrastructure – Tactical or strategic?
– Is there a process to funnel-in learning from field issues back into
courseware?
– Are there pain areas that are hurting business targets and can be
mitigated through training? If so, is there a process to address
these pain areas through training?
 Basic data such as employee strength, typical target
audience for training, subject areas, number of people to
be trained, geographical spread etc.
ACE confidential 37

38. Thank you