August 13, 2008

Business Performance P/L Announces Updated Training Benchmarking Software

Business consulting firm Business Performance P/L this week announced the release of the third edition of their training practices benchmarking software package for assisting organizations improve their learning capability.

Melbourne, Australia – With endemic skills shortages and the ongoing war for talent, organizations are placing a sharper focus on retaining and upskilling their employees. This week sees the publication of the latest edition of Business Performance P/L’s benchmarking tools for measuring how well companies are building employee capability.

The Training Management Maturity Model is now in its Third Edition and is packaged with a set of analysis and reporting tools. This pack is designed for training professionals managing a training function and wanting to compare their training practices with best practice. The model is uniquely structured around these four improvement phases: (i) develop effective training administration processes; (ii) ensure the quality of delivered training programs; (iii) formulate training plans linked to the organization’s strategy; and (iv) focus on measurable organizational, team and individual performance.

Vicki Heath, Director of Business Performance P/L, explained, “There are excellent benchmarking tools around. Investors in People and the People Capability Maturity Model are two prime examples. However, being HR tools, these are too generic to be of much practical use to training and learning managers. Our Training Management Maturity Model fills this gap by being very specific to assessing the learning capability of an organization. Also, by taking a phased approach in which improvement is achieved in stages, organizations can better plan their improvement efforts and budgets.”

This new edition sees a complete revision of the package with the addition of an eight-step process guide for planning, completing and reporting a benchmarking exercise. The benchmarking pack is designed for people new to organizational assessments as well as for seasoned assessors. The pack also now includes an expanded set of analysis and reporting tools. The analysis spreadsheet calculates scores for each maturity level and outputs the maturity level achieved by the assessed organization. In addition, the results are displayed automatically on a full-sized bar chart. The chart can be easily exported to the final assessment report.

Heath added, “What is most important in any assessment is uncovering actionable tasks that the organization can do to take it forward. The Training Management Maturity Model is practical through and through, leading the organization to examine its key practices and identify deficiencies. The assessment can then be conducted again at a later date to check on progress.”

The assessment form and analysis and reporting worksheet are reusable and fully customizable. They are supplied as common Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel files. The package can be used on any Microsoft Windows-based PC with Word and Excel installed. The guide is supplied as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file. Adobe Acrobat PDF files are readable on almost any computer. The Adobe Acrobat Reader is available as a free download from the Adobe website.

Business Performance P/L has made available the Maturity Model Wall Chart as a free download. The complimentary download and the full package are available from the Business Performance P/L website at http://www.businessperform.com/html/training_systems.html

Contact: Les Allan, Director, Business Performance P/L, +61 (0)408 314941 or

 Download PDF version        http://www.prlog.org/10104250.html

May 26, 2008

Business Performance P/L Announces New Training Evaluation Toolkit

Business consulting firm Business Performance P/L this week announced the release of a comprehensive new guide and toolkit for measuring and reporting the impact of employee training.

Melbourne, Australia, May 26, 2008 – Even though U.S. organizations alone spend upwards of 100 billion dollars each year on employee training and development, most do not evaluate the effect of that expenditure on organizational results. The American Society for Training and Development reports that less than 10 percent of companies attempt to measure the bottom-line impact of their employee training efforts.

The new Training Evaluation Toolkit released by Business Performance P/L this week is designed to lift the lid on training investments. Vicki Heath, Director of Business Performance P/L, explained, “Many training managers and consultants have understandably been reluctant to put much effort into measuring training impact because of the expense and time involved. Also, they recognize the difficulty of separating the impact of training from other non-training factors influencing results. With our new toolkit, all the practical guidance and measurement tools are in one place.”

The author of the evaluation toolkit, Leslie Allan, added, “As any professional trainer knows, the performance benefits resulting from employee training are often interlinked with other non-training factors. The difficulty in separating out these non-training factors has scared many trainers away from conducting meaningful organizational impact evaluations. This toolkit has simplified the process so that even people not versed in statistics or finance can conduct a credible evaluation exercise.”

The toolkit provides simple yet effective tools for calculating non-financial benefits, such as productivity, efficiency, quality, customer satisfaction, and so on. With the use of the financial tools, these can then be converted to financial values. These include Benefit to Cost Ratio (BCR), Return on Investment (ROI), Payback Period and Net Present Value (NPV). As an added benefit, the toolkit includes methods and templates for quantifying what has come to be known as the “intangible” benefits of training.

Trainers have a number of methods available to them to isolate the impacts of training and to quantify the results. This guide provides easy to follow selection charts to help trainers decide which is the best method for which situation and then gives them the necessary tools to complete the evaluation task.

The guide also comes complete with an array of data collection forms, analysis spreadsheets and reporting templates. These are all provided in softcopy format so that trainers can customize and reuse them time and again.

Heath went on to say, “Whether you are a novice or experienced professional, with this comprehensive training toolkit you will be able to plan your evaluation exercise, collect all relevant data, isolate non-training factors and then analyze and report the results convincingly to your key stakeholders.”

The reusable and customizable forms and worksheets are supplied as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel files. The toolkit can be used on any Microsoft Windows-based PC with Word and Excel installed. The guide is supplied as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file. Adobe Acrobat PDF files are readable on almost any computer. The Adobe Acrobat Reader is available as a free download from the Adobe website.

Business Performance P/L has made available the introductory chapter of the guide and the resource list as a free download. The complimentary download and the full toolkit are available from the Business Performance P/L website at www.businessperform.com/html/training_evaluation_toolkit.html

ABOUT LESLIE ALLAN:
Leslie Allan has been assisting organizations improve their capability for over 20 years. He has contributed in various roles as manager, consultant and trainer within the manufacturing and service industries, both for public and private sector organizations. Mr. Allan’s external and internal consulting roles have seen him lead successful projects in strategic planning, workplace communications, and quality and HR information systems. He is also a seasoned instructional designer and trainer, having taught programs in both vocational colleges and industry. Mr. Allan is a prolific writer on business issues, with many journal and web articles to his credit. He is also the author of five books on employee capability, training and change management.

ABOUT BUSINESS PERFORMANCE PTY LTD:
Established in 2003, Business Performance Pty Ltd provides business and management consulting services globally in a range of business areas. From its website, the company also proudly supplies a wide selection of business and management software products designed to make managing organizations easier and more effective. Products featured include tools, templates and guides in the areas of training and employee development, project management, organizational change and career planning. All products can be purchased and downloaded easily from anywhere in the world from the Business Performance Pty Ltd website at www.businessperform.com

Contact: Vicki Heath, Director, Business Performance P/L, +61 (0)408 314941 or

 Download PDF version        http://www.pr9.net/business/hr/8243may.html

May 20, 2008

Business Performance P/L Releases Revised Training Effectiveness Toolkit

Business consulting firm Business Performance P/L this week announced the release of the second edition of their comprehensive guide and toolkit for measuring and improving the effectiveness of employee training.

U.S. companies alone spend more than $100 billion dollars per year on workplace training. With the recent downturn in the economy, training expenditures are coming under increased scrutiny. Ironically, most organizations have little idea of the real impact of their employee training programs. People in charge of training, on the other hand, are struggling to get the most out of their programs as budgets are being squeezed.

The newly released second edition of the “From Training to Enhanced Workplace Performance” toolkit is two books in one. The first part walks the reader through how to get the most impact from training programs whilst the second part is a comprehensive guide on how to measure that impact. The toolkit’s author, Leslie Allan, explains, “With this edition, I provide many more practical examples and build on my successful PRACTICE Approach to improving the effectiveness of training. The book includes real-life case studies of organizations struggling with ineffective training programs and how they successfully applied the lessons learned.”

Vicki Heath, Director of Business Performance P/L, adds, “The new edition also includes all of the forms and templates needed for readers to build effective learning and working environments conducive to skill development and application on the job. In addition, the book provides data collection forms and worksheets for measuring benefits of training at multiple levels; anywhere from participant reactions all the way to return on investment. All tools are customizable to the reader’s specific requirements.”

The forms and worksheets are supplied as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel files. The toolkit can be used on any Microsoft Windows-based PC with Word and Excel installed. The 245 page guide is supplied as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file. Adobe Acrobat PDF files are readable on almost any computer. The Adobe Acrobat Reader is available as a free download from the Adobe website.

Business Performance P/L has made available the introductory chapter of the guide and the resource list as a free download. The complimentary download and the full toolkit are available from the Business Performance P/L website at www.businessperform.com/html/effective_training_tools.html

ABOUT LESLIE ALLAN:
Leslie Allan has been assisting organizations improve their capability for over 20 years. He has contributed in various roles as manager, consultant and trainer within the manufacturing and service industries, both for public and private sector organizations. Mr. Allan’s external and internal consulting roles have seen him lead successful projects in strategic planning, workplace communications, and quality and HR information systems. He is also a seasoned instructional designer and trainer, having taught programs in both vocational colleges and industry. Mr. Allan is a prolific writer on business issues, with many journal and web articles to his credit. He is also the author of five books on employee capability, training and change management.

ABOUT BUSINESS PERFORMANCE PTY LTD:
Established in 2003, Business Performance Pty Ltd provides business and management consulting services globally in a range of business areas. From its website, the company also proudly supplies a wide selection of business and management software products designed to make managing organizations easier and more effective. Products featured include tools, templates and guides in the areas of training and employee development, project management, organizational change and career planning. All products can be purchased and downloaded easily from anywhere in the world from the Business Performance Pty Ltd website at www.businessperform.com

Contact: Vicki Heath, Director, Business Performance P/L, +61 (0)408 314941 or

 Download PDF version        http://www.pr9.net/business/hr/8150may.html

March 08, 2008

Business Performance P/L Announces New Succession Planning Product

Business consulting firm Business Performance P/L this week announced the release of an exciting new tool and guide designed to assist organizations effectively identify and track potential career moves of future leaders.

Product author, Andy Beaulieu, has nearly 20 years of experience in the human resources and organization effectiveness field. His initial exposure to succession planning occurred while working for a regional insurer a decade ago. “A good, visual succession planning tool really crystallizes top management’s thinking about the next generation of leaders. However, the costs and challenges of implementation can discourage even large organizations.” His approach of helping organizations achieve results quickly, without waiting for major systems or change initiatives to take effect, led him to develop this easy-to-use, yet highly capable, tool for planning and managing leadership succession.

Les Allan, Director of Business Performance P/L, adds, “This tool cuts through the complexity and administrative overhead of other succession planning solutions. Yet its graphics are among the best I’ve seen, and the easy-to-use reports are effective. I was impressed at what Andy had achieved using Microsoft Excel – a tool that virtually every organization already uses every day.”

Beaulieu adds, “The new Succession Planner allows organizations to track and display the succession nominations of its emerging leaders. The included Process Guide lays out a simple business process for collecting, reviewing, and validating those nominations in a way that creates alignment across the organization. For succession planning to thrive, the process has to be strong, with HR and top leadership playing key roles. The tool just enables the process, but in a way that makes succession decisions easy to see.”

The new tool is designed to ease the pain of succession planning with some well thought out features. For example, the tool displays the succession status of incumbents in an informative Organization Chart that is automatically updated with changes. Another useful feature is the “CP Matrix” that plots the distribution of staff using the key variables of contribution and potential. Automatically generated reports inform key leaders about any individual and any position in the database, plus a simple scorecard displays some key succession metrics for the organization.

The tool is supplied as a Microsoft Excel template and can be used on any Microsoft Windows-based PC with Excel 2002 or later installed. Accompanying the tool are two key resources: a User Guide for those administering the tool, and a Process Guide to assist HR in setting up a strong succession planning process. Both resources are supplied as Adobe Acrobat PDF files, which are readable on almost any computer. The Adobe Acrobat Reader is available as a free download from the Adobe website.

For those wanting to try out the tool before purchase, Business Performance P/L has made available a trial version of the tool as a free download. The trial version is complete with sample data that can be modified, so customers can see how the tool will work in their organization. The tool’s author is also available to help organization’s implement their succession planning process.

The complete succession planning pack and the free trial version are available for download from the Business Performance P/L website at www.businessperform.com.

ABOUT ANDY BEAULIEU:
Andy has over 20 years of performance improvement experience as both an internal specialist in global organizations and as an external consultant. Based in Washington DC, USA, his services span the spectrum of technical and interpersonal interventions. He has developed and implemented large-scale tools and systems to improve organizational effectiveness, and he has also coached and trained managers to improve their individual effectiveness.

Andy holds a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University, and undergraduate degrees in engineering and business from the University of Pennsylvania. He has authored ten chapters in books on organizational effectiveness, most notably multiple entries in the renowned “Pfeiffer Annual” series published since 1971.

ABOUT BUSINESS PERFORMANCE PTY LTD:
Established in 2003, Business Performance Pty Ltd provides business and management consulting services globally in a range of business areas. From its website, the company also proudly supplies a wide selection of business and management software products designed to make managing organizations easier and more effective. Products featured include tools, templates and guides in the areas of training and employee development, project management, organizational change and career planning. All products can be purchased and downloaded easily from anywhere in the world from the Business Performance Pty Ltd website at www.businessperform.com.

Contact: Les Allan, Director, Business Performance P/L, +61 (0)408 314941 or

 Download PDF version        http://www.pr9.net/business/hr/7561march.html

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