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Training Project Managers* Few members of your staff are of greater importance to your firms success than are your project managers. Their pivotal role among clients, contractors, and staff requires them to possess a unique set of skills. Unfortunately, many project managers are forced to learn on the job. The benefits to them and the firm of a formal training program are great. What should a project manager training program include? REQUIRED SKILLS There are three broad areas that should be covered: communication skills, interpersonal skills, and technical management skills. Communication Skills Project managers need to possess a wide range of communication skills. Their importance to the marketing effort is well-documented. Well-managed firms seek to involve these individuals at a very early stage in contacting a potential client. As a result, their experience and skill at marketing and selling is essential. Some firms encourage and pay for project managers to take courses in these topics at local colleges. Other communication skills are also important to project managers. In particular, negotiating, effective writing, and public speaking are vital to PMs Their involvement in negotiating contracts and communicating with other members of the project team such as consultants makes this an obvious area of focus for your training efforts. There are a number of commercially available negotiating courses available. Many design professionals are poor writers. Much of their writing suffers from wordiness, improper punctuation and capitalization, run-on sentences, and a long list of other grammatical faults. This inability to write effectively and properly reflects poorly on your firm. Many local community colleges and universities such as the University of Wisconsin Department of Engineering Professional Development periodically offer effective writing courses. There are many speaking opportunities for project managers. Examples include community groups, social organizations, client meetings, project team meetings, and marketing situations. Public speaking is high on most individuals' list of major fears. This fear is often overcome only through practice. While some project managers practice presentations before the project team or family members, others seek more directed and instructive environments offered by groups such as Toastmasters. This organization has local affiliates in nearly every major U.S. city. Interpersonal Skills Project managers are people managers. They must know how to direct, motivate, and manage their project team, contractors, clients, suppliers, and many other individuals with whom they interact. For some this is a natural ability; for others it requires extensive training in human psychology. There are numerous sources to help your project managers improve their ability to work with people. A skill that is very difficult to teach is leadership. Some individuals exhibit natural leadership skills; others can learn techniques to improve their leadership ability. Perhaps the most difficult to learn is that of delegation. Many design professionals tend to be poor delegators; ego-driven, they often lack trust in their subordinates' skills. As a result, these individuals feel the need to be involved in all aspects of the project at all times. Not only does this overburden them, it hinders the performance of project team members. Learning how to delegate is a painstaking process that must be reinforced by the example of top management and by providing the tools and systems to permit adequate supervision of subordinates. Technical management skills To be effective, a project manager must have a complete understanding of technical management skills. This covers a broad range of project activities. Project budgeting, scope determination, personnel planning, and quality assurance reviews are only a few of these tasks. There are a number of outside sources of assistance in developing or enhancing these capabilities. In particular, the American Institute of Architects offers a self-assessment program in. project administration. There are also the annual (held in early January) week-long course offered by the University of Wisconsin Department of Engineering Professional Development and programs offered by a number of local affiliates of the national professional societies. In addition, a number of excellent texts are available on these topics. DEVELOPING YOUR TRAINING PROGRAM Most firms managers are oblivious to the how and why of an ongoing training program. This continuing education of staff and management requires a commitment, a plan, and a budget. Unfortunately, most firms leave this process up to each individual, clearly subjecting the firm's future to chance. Farsighted firm managers offer opportunities for staff and management to learn or improve their skills. Methods vary, ranging from in-house seminars to paid tuition at local colleges. Training not only improves skills, but serves as a morale booster and a fringe fringe benefit while protecting the firm's future. Employee turnover is often the rationalization for not providing formal training. "Why train someone else's staff at our expense?" is the philosophy. Many high-technology companies experience a significant increase in employee productivity after having developed and funded comprehensive formal training programs. Experience indicates similar results for architects and engineers. It is clear that the cost of training is more than matched by productivity increases and is favorable toward training. In general, training goals fall into three categories: 1. Teaching employees and managers how to perform a new or unfamiliar task within their current job. 2. Helping employees and managers improve their performance on their present job. 3. Preparing employees and managers to handle new jobs. Staff/management training There are two major areas of training for an organization: staff and managerial. Staff training usually consists of enhancing specific skills such as drafting, CADD and product/service knowledge. Training in these areas is usually very direct, observable, and objective and can be broken into a number of discrete parts or elements. Managerial training, however, usually focuses on communication skills, supervisory skills, human relations, etc. Although these types of skills are more subjective and harder to quantify and measure,they may have a greater impact in your organization. A firm may have the finest, most talented engineers or architects in the country, but without proper supervision, direction, and motivation, this talent may be unproductive. DETERMINING IF TRAINING IS NEEDED Often training is conducted for fairly limited reasons. These include teaching new skills to recent or current employees, retraining employees in skill areas they may have lost or not used in many years, and keeping employees abreast of changes in technology and design. Your first step in the training process is to determine the need for training. A thorough needs analysis should be performed on the organization by employee and position. In assessing the organization's needs, it is necessary to look at the firm as a whole. What are its strengths and weaknesses, and how does it compare to its competition? In determining the firm's overall needs, it is necessary to look at both short- and long-term needs. For example, if a senior partner who has handled most of the firm's marketing will be retiring in two years, now is the time to start training a replacement. It is important at this level of assessment to consider the short- and long-term goals of the firm. These will have an impact on what the training needs are, or will be. Another important aspect of this organizational assessment is the climate of the firm. The firm's attitude and motivational level will have a great impact on the success of any training programs that are instituted. One method of assessing the general training needs and attitude of staff is to conduct interviews and questionnaire surveys of senior management, project managers, etc. The second level of assessment, along position lines, will help determine more specifically what training is needed and where. A thorough analysis must be done on each position in the firm to determine not only the duties and responsibilities of the position, but also the needed skills a person must have to successfully do the job. This type of assessment involves a formal, systematic study of a position that covers a number of items. This includes what persons in each position do in relation to information or other people; what procedures and techniques they use; the equipment, tools, machinery, etc. they need; the products or services that result from their effort; and the skills, traits, and attributes required of the person in the position. Last, an analysis needs to be done on all employees and partners to determine what skills each person has or lacks. This will help determine what training they may need to better perform their job, what position they can move into next, and what job they could grow into in the future. Assessment of employee skills may involve reviewing performance evaluations, reviewing work, completing questionnaires, and conducting skills or ability tests. When looked at as a whole, the identification of training needs is an involved and complex procedure. It will, however, allow a firm to assess its strengths and weaknesses, focus attention where needed, and grow in the direction desired. ESTABLISHING YOUR TRAINING PROGRAM Few firms have a well-established training program. Most firms simply take advantage of isolated seminars and, often, only senior management attends these programs. Training is often considered the responsibility of the individual, who is expected to plan, schedule, and finance a program. As a result, most firms are not adequately prepared to respond to the need for new services or to meet changing market conditions. A staff training program requires a long-term commitment and a recognition that the payback may not be immediate. Regular training will result in a more productive and profitable firm. How should a training program be developed? 1. Have senior management make a commitment to a continuing program. A program that is conducted on an irregular basis will never achieve its goals. 2. Establish an educational planning group composed of three or four individuals representing all staff levels and chaired by a principal. This group should be charged with developing and managing the training program, researching training options and techniques, and preparing specific programs. They should meet regularly (at least once a month) and should operate on a priority basis. 3. Develop a training plan and schedule. This should include choosing various types of training programs, establishing training priorities and goals, and outlining who is eligible for each program. In addition, a schedule should be established to control the training process. 4. Establish a training budget as part of the annual budgeting process conducted by the firm. These are funds that should be spent and not viewed as an area to cut if the firm experiences temporary declines in workload. 5. Inform your staff of the various training options available and what items the firm will pay for. 6. Require those attending outside educational programs to disseminate their information to other staff members. This could be done at lunch meetings where short presentations are made, or in a summary report on the program. 7. Vary the types of training programs used. Many options are available, including:
8. Review the performance of your training program. At least once a year, the entire program should be reviewed for its effectiveness, cost, and impact on morale and productivity. The budget must be evaluated for its short- and long-term cost-effectiveness. WHAT MAKES FOR EFFECTIVE LEARNING? Probably the most critical factor determining the success of training is the motivation and attitude of the people being trained. The trainees should want to be trained and should believe that the training will have positive results. There are a number of steps that can be taken to help foster these feelings, before and during the training process. The most important is that the goals and desired outcomes be conveyed to the trainees. During training sessions, there should be rewards for learning the material. Reinforcement must be provided for making use of what was learned and for proper learning or training behavior. Trainees will learn remember material that they consider to be meaningful and important. Every training program should begin with an overview of the material to be covered and an explanation of how it relates back to job problems or performance The material should be broken into logical pieces, and these should be put into a rational, progressive sequence. The terms used and the technology discussed should be familiar to the trainees. New terms and technology should be presented in a manner that the trainees can relate to. Visual aids should be used whenever possible. TRAINING PRACTICE AND METHODS There are a number of different methods by which training materials can be presented. The method of presentation will determine the effectiveness of the program. No single method can be used for all types of material. A training program should be designed for maximum efficiency within the constraints of time, cost, location, equipment availability, etc. Lecture method Probably the most familiar and widely used instructional method is the lecture. It is usually done live, but it may be presented on videotape or audio tape. From a training and learning standpoint, the lecture is one of the weakest methods. It usually involves no interaction, practice, study, or testing of the material presented. Classroom training Traditional classroom training is basically a series of lectures. Classroom training allows for modifications and enhancements to the lecture method by providing workbooks, small group discussions and practice, multiple sessions with homework, regular testing, etc. This approach is certainly more effective than a simple lecture and is appropriate for more complicated training. It could be adopted for almost any type of staff training. This could include specific technical skills, such as drafting, drawing, CADD, etc. This is especially true when enhanced with a lab setup, using CADD terminals or drafting, for hands-on practice. Programmed learning Probably the best method, at least for skills training, is programmed learning. This method breaks the training program down into many smaller parts that are put into a logical sequence. At the end of each section or module, the participants are tested and given immediate feedback as to their understanding of the material. Training courses of this type are much more difficult and costly to develop, and they usually involve programmed texts or workbooks. There are many advantages to this type of training approach. It is designed to be individually paced, with each participant moving at an individual speed. Frequent testing can determine whether the material is being learned. Group discussion This method is very familiar to most professionals and can be used as a separate approach in and of itself, or in conjunction with lectures. In this method, small groups discuss issues or problems and work out new ideas, solutions, proposals, etc. It is most effective for teaching problem-solving and decision-making skills, presenting complicated or difficult material, or chancing opinions and attitudes. As such, it is probably must useful for management, rather than staff-level, training. It is particularly useful in human relations, communications, and supervisor training programs. Depending on the nature of the material covered, it may include intense confrontation and discussion or argument, role playing, case studies, management games, simulation exercises, etc. This is only an overview of training program approaches. All of these programs can be used either in-house or at outside locations, but are typically conducted off the job, or off-site. These approaches take the trainees away from their regular jobs. In many cases, programs away from the work site will result in a more productive learning atmosphere. On-the-job training Another type of training method is on-the-job training (OJT). This is often used in training for specific skills. Trainees learn while they are actually on the job and are being productive. OJT is usually combined with classroom training or other off-the-job approaches as well. Internships are an example of this approach. The OJT approach may be used for drafting, design work, etc. Firms often combine the OJT method with other approaches for better results. Program evaluation The purpose of a training program is to increase employee and organizational performance and productivity. The evaluation of any training should therefore focus on measuring these factors. MANAGING THE TRAINING PROGRAM A decision must be made whether to develop and provide training in-house or to purchase programs from outside vendors. There are advantages and disadvantages to either approach. A primary consideration in deciding to start in-house is whether you have the expertise and the facilities to do so. Another major consideration is your budget. There is a cost to providing training. As with any other project, costs need to be determined and a budget established. The overall budget must cover a number of items. These include training materials and supplies, facility use/rental, instructors' salaries, price/cost per trainee, plus the loss of productivity while the trainees are off the job. As a rule, a design firm should spend at least 5 percent of its annual total revenues on training. Consideration must be given to a program's timing as well, to determine what month, week, or days of the week are most convenient. The location and facility must be chosen. Participants, supervisors, and managers must be notified of all details. Some of the above steps can be eliminated if a decision is made to go with an outside training provider. However, careful effort should be put into evaluation and choosing an outside provider. Sources/providers There are literally thousands of outside providers of training programs. Most, if not all, professional organizations, such as the AIA, either conduct or sponsor professional training. The American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) is an organization that would be a valuable contact. The same is true for the American Society for Personnel Administration (ASPA). Other providers of training services are management consulting firms, industrial psychologists, and colleges, universities, and other schools. Numerous books have also been published on the subject of training. Check with local and university libraries for titles on this subject. Training of young staff should begin immediately on graduation. The AIA has developed an excellent method called the Intern Development Program (IDP). This program provides a structured framework that exposes young, unlicensed architects to the specific areas of practice required to pass state licensing exams and eventually contribute to their employers' practices. The IDP also provides special advisors and offers a series of study guides covering all areas of architectural practice. As noted earlier in this article, the AIA has developed a self-assessment program. Under this program, a practitioner can complete an examination on a subject and receive a grade to determine which areas require further attention. *Special thanks to Donna Gaines, Gaines International (312) 654-2900, for her assistance in preparing this article.
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