Action Planning enables learners to identify significant aspects of the content, which they intend to apply in the work place in order to improve their level of performance.  A well-designed action plan also provides guidelines to ensure the action items are written in performance terms, are do-able, and will make a significant impact.  Action planning enhances the likelihood of transfer, and also provides a baseline for transfer evaluation after 2-3 months.

At the end of each course, every participant is walked through an action-planning exercise in which they demonstrate how they will apply the skills and knowledge acquired in the course. Consider using industry-specific situations and real-world goals in structuring these course action plans in order to best match the participants’ training to their job challenges. Thorough and thoughtful coverage of action planning means your employees are ready to hit the ground running once training has been completed.

Typical action plans include the following elements:

• Goals – what the participant wishes to achieve
• Tasks/actions steps to reach the goal
• Support/resources needed to achieve the goal
• Timeline for achieving the goal
• Payoff –what value will goal achievement bring to them, their team, or the company?

Providing participants with an example of action plans stirs them to think in the ways we want they to think and aids in action plan construction.  Here is an example of an “action plan starter” I use in a Business Acumen course:

In the next few weeks I will look at the different projects in our business unit that have involved making a business case for capital expenditures, inquire about the discount rate that we use to determine NPV (Net Present Value), and review those business cases in which I might have been involved to compare how our company’s business case process relates to the theory of discounted cash flow. So that I will be better prepared to provide useful information to determine the cash flows of future business cases.

Action planning is a proven method that aids in successful of training transfer to the workplace.

Additional training and development ideas can be found at www.davebasarab.com .