Evaluation is often avoided in human performance technology (HPT), but it is an essential and frequently catalytic activity that adds significant value to projects. Knowing how to approach an evaluation and whether to use qualitative, quantitative, or both methods makes evaluation much easier. In this article, we provide tools to help determine…

Grounded in the work of W. Edwards Deming, this article describes the basics of systems thinking, viewing a business as a system, and contrasts improving a system with solving a problem. The article uses the human body as a metaphor to describe the various aspects of viewing a business as a system at the concept level and maps the Deming cycle,…

How paradoxical that evaluation, the main purpose of which is to establish value, often seems to return to the lowest value of anything that people do! Too commonly, in the authors' experience, evaluation is avoided or paid as little attention as possible. Due to its typically unloved nature, evaluation can be trapped in a low-level, minimalist…

Discusess the interest in calculating the return on investment (ROI) of training and other human performance technology interventions that helps determine the effectiveness of training. Suggests that when Level 2 assessment is done correctly, it matches the job and shows that skills and knowledge transfer were successful. (LRW)

Discusses the use of action planning to measure the return on investment (ROI) for use with performance improvement interventions. Describes how this process is used and presents a case study showing how one organization built evaluation into the performance improvement process and positioned action planning as an application tool. (Author/LRW)

Discusses work-related documents in organizations that can be useful to performance analysts and evaluators and provides an overview of three types of document analysis useful to performance technologists: tracking, content analysis, and case study aggregation analysis. Describes the advantages and limitations of document analysis and how it is…

To perform rapid analysis one must ask the right questions at the right time and engage in active listening. This article examines the fundamentals of rapid analysis: business need, performance requirement, work processes, interventions, and evaluation. Includes an analysis completeness checklist (organizational need/opportunity, economic…

Provides a practitioner's overview of the processes, models, and lessons learned from a successful application of Level Three training evaluation theory, tools, and principles. Focuses on the development and implementation of a program for a fast track, cost-effective evaluation that balances organizational needs, regulatory requirements, and…

Discussion of human performance technology and a shift from emphasizing training to emphasizing performance focuses on a review of articles from "Performance Improvement". Results show most articles were focused on processes and particular interventions in business and industry and did not include evaluation that addressed added societal…

Discusses needs assessment and evaluation as strategic processes within the human performance technology framework and explains how practitioners can coordinate these two steps to save time and money in performance improvement interventions. Describes a performance improvement framework and how needs assessment and evaluation relate to the…

Provides a case study of human performance technology (HPT) that illustrates how adaptations from other cultures can be successful. Discusses mission statements; desired employee performance; cause analysis; improvement review; overview of the complete business process by management; and objective and subjective evaluations. (LRW)

Discusses the evaluation component of instructional design, suggests a performance technology approach to improve evaluation, and describes the Rummler-Brache Organizational Alignment Model that provides guidelines for systematically identifying the key variables when reorganizing training toward more appropriate evaluation. (LRW)

Drawn by a vision of solving performance problems in a systematic, systemic and results-based approach, training professionals are turning to human performance technology (HPT). However, many who try to implement HPT find themselves struggling to measure the improvements their interventions are designed to achieve. Ford notes that these…

Discusses the increasing emphasis on evaluation in the fields of training and performance improvement. Suggests considering why the evaluation is being done, what is being evaluated, and how the data will be used to make it more useful. (LRW)

Performance improvement practitioners can be stymied to solve clients' problems. Clients may fail to recognize problems, would rather address symptoms than root causes and practitioners unable to convince clients to institute a meaningful solution. Practitioner can use internally developed data to build a case for action, create a clear vision of…