HPT: Guerrilla Style
Leveraging Requests for Training
Fred Nickols, CPT
© Fred Nickols 2015
1
Session Overview
A Little Context
Some Cases
Some Models
Some Strategies, Tips &
Theories
 A DIFFERENT Way of
Looking at Things




© Fred Nickols 2015
2
Training in Context
© Fred Nickols 2015
3
A Little Wisdom
“War is much too important a matter
to be left to the generals.”
Georges Clemenceau
© Fred Nickols 2015
4
A Little Heresy
“Gee, all I said was that human performance is much too important a
matter to leave to the human performance technologists.”
© Fred Nickols 2015
5
Case 1 – Examiners
 Citicorp Services
 Lost or Stolen Travelers
Checks
 A Request to Develop
Training
© Fred Nickols 2015
6
Time On & Off Station
Time on
Station
60%
40%
© Fred Nickols 2015
Time off
Station
7
Case 2 – Financial Aid
 Financial Aid Forms (FAF)
at ETS
 Referral from Booz 
Allen
 “Improve Productivity via
Training”
 A Request to Develop
Training
© Fred Nickols 2015
8
FAF Processing
FAFs
Batch and
Data Entry
Edit by
Computer
OK ?
Y
Continue
Processing
N
Resolve
© Fred Nickols 2015
9
Hidden Re-Work
FAFs
Batch and
Data Entry
Edit by
Computer
OK ?
Y
Continue
Processing
N
Reject for
Resolution
Reason
Known ?
Y
Resolve
N
Re-Run Edit
© Fred Nickols 2015
10
Case 3 – Medical Claims
 Health Insurance
Company
 Claims Processing
Operation
 New Automated System
 A Request for Training
© Fred Nickols 2015
11
Health Claims
Claims
Batch and
Data Entry
Edit by
Computer
OK ?
Y
Pay or Deny
N
Reject for
Resolution
Review,
Resolve &
Reenter
© Fred Nickols 2015
12
Case 4 – Reject Rate
 Health Care Industry
 Nurse Aide Assistants
 Certification Test
(Registration)
 Forms Batched, Scanned
& Edited
 The Reject Rate is “Too
High”
© Fred Nickols 2015
13
Registration Processing
Reg Forms
Batch
Scan
Edit
OK
?
Yes
No
Resolve
?
Yes
No
Reg Forms
To Registrants
© Fred Nickols 2015
14
Production Work System
Controller
Registrant
Processor
Registrant
Blank
Registration
Form
Inputs
Outputs
Completed
Registration
Form
Filling Out the
Registration
Form
© Fred Nickols 2015
15
The Target Model
© Fred Nickols 2015
16
An Idealized View
© Fred Nickols 2015
17
The Results
© Fred Nickols 2015
18
Case 5 – Load Rate
 Custom Operations
Division at ETS
 “Keep an eye on things
for a while”
 Internal clients
concerned about rates
 Objective: Lower the
load rate
© Fred Nickols 2015
19
Load Rate
Vacation &
Sick Time
+
FICA &
Medical
Direct
Costs
+
Office
Expense
Indirect
Costs
+
..
Other Cost
Centers
Direct
Costs
x
Charges to
Programs
Load
Rate
+
Corporate
Allocations
© Fred Nickols 2015
20
Performance Domains
$$
Operational
Financial
Human
© Fred Nickols 2015
21
PI Tips for Trainers
 Seek and ye shall find
 Keep your eyes and
ears open
 Ask lots of questions,
especially “why”
questions
 Listen past the
answers
 Tweaking trumps
reengineering
© Fred Nickols 2015
 Movement is the
enemy
 Do it once; better yet,
don’t do it at all
 Situate control in the
performer
 Look for disruptions to
time on task
 Keep it simple
 Draw pictures !!!
22
Tom Gilbert
 Gilbert’s Third Leisurely Theorem:
“For any given accomplishment, a deficiency in performance
always has as its immediate cause a deficiency in a behavior
repertory (P), or in the environment that supports the
repertory (E) or in both. But its ultimate cause will be found
in a deficiency of the management system (M).”
Human Competence: Engineering Worthy
Performance (1978), p.76.
© Fred Nickols 2015
23
Douglas McGregor

“…the performance P of an individual at work in an industrial
organization is a function of certain characteristics of the
individual I, including his knowledge, skills, motivation,
attitudes and certain aspects of the environmental situation E,
including the nature of his job, the rewards associated with his
performance, and the leadership provided him.

P = f (I
a,b,c…E m,n,o)
The Professional Manager (1967), p.5
© Fred Nickols 2015
24
The Performance PIE
P = f (I...E…)
P
I
© Fred Nickols 2015
E
25
Training in Context
© Fred Nickols 2015
26
Recommended Reading
 Roadmaps to Results

http://www.nickols.us/roadmaps.pdf

http://www.nickols.us/serendipitous.pdf

http://www.nickols.us/finding.pdf

http://www.nickols.us/strategic_view.pdf

http://www.nickols.us/darn_problems.pdf
 Serendipitous Performance Consulting
 Finding the Bottom-Line Payoff for Training
 Training: A Strategic View
 Why those Darn “Training” Problems Won’t Go Away
© Fred Nickols 2015
27
Q&A
© Fred Nickols 2015
28
Contact Information
Fred Nickols, CPT
Managing Partner
Distance Consulting LLC
812 Coshocton Ave – Suite 303
Mount Vernon, OH 43050
(740) 504-0000
fred@nickols.us
www.nickols.us
© Fred Nickols 2015
29