A Lean Mean Learning Machine
Photo by Matteo Vistocco on Unsplash
Even at large organizations, a lean learning team is often the reality. Here are just some of the things you’re juggling.
Assessing the learning needs of the moment
Identifying the best training approach
Developing and updating programs
Evaluating the effectiveness of your offerings
Marketing and communicating to the organization
Building a learning culture
Planning for the future and piloting innovations
How do you get it all done? What’s the best way to use the people and resources you have? How do you transform into a lean mean learning machine?
Here a few guidelines we follow when we’re helping learning teams refine the way they operate.
1. Identify “waste” in your processes.
Waste is a Lean Six Sigma principle used in process improvement for manufacturing. Of the eight total types of waste, we like these five for the learning context:
Defects: Your mind might go to the small mistakes we spot during the development phase. But defects are bigger mistakes during the scoping phase that take us down the wrong road. This could stem from miscommunication or the lack of partnership and questioning during the analysis phase. These misses might result in a finished product that isn’t delivering the right results, or they might mean rework and the waste of precious time and resources.
Overproduction: At Tangram, we call this “Too Much Training” (TMT). We’ve all experienced this: In an effort to meet all the possible needs and ensure learning transfer, we overdesign and overcomplicate the learning solution, leading to a development and then regular maintenance headache until the program is eventually redesigned (and we do it all over again).
Waiting: Time is money, right? Are we experiencing (or contributing to) unnecessary delays in our workflow? These delays might be due to a lack of alignment about the process, or perhaps a critical conversation or negotiation that is long overdue. For that matter, do we even know how long our processes take and why? Start by sitting down and mapping out a problematic process end to end — it’s very enlightening!
Non-Utilized Talent: Are the right people doing the right things on your team? There may be a misalignment of talent and skills, and you may have team members who could be contributing in new ways that haven’t been explored. In your next 1:1s, ask your team members to share what they’re most passionate about, what they wish they could do more of, and where they think they can make a unique contribution.
Excess Processing: A cousin of TMT, excess processing can mean designing a Lamborghini when a Kia will do just fine. A Lamborghini takes longer to build and costs way more, and if you’re strapped for time and resources, is it really necessary? Wouldn’t a Kia also get you from Point A to Point B? Excess processing can also be any step in a process where a disproportionate amount of time and effort is being spent.
Looking for waste together can be an energizing team activity. Implementing routine project debriefs can be one approach, or consider holding a bigger-picture brainstorming meeting structured around identifying the five types of waste across all your processes. Once you identify things you want to streamline, the next step is to prioritize the ones you want to go after first.
2. Set aggressive targets.
The streamlining effort is amplified when you establish concrete measures to track and make progress toward. These can even be formal KPIs — to improve speed to market or reduce costs by a specific amount — that the team shares and contributes to together. Here are some ideas for improvement targets:
Improve the time to deliver a course by X days
Reduce costs in a certain area by X amount
Take on a new item from our To-Do list above without impact to any metrics
We recommend setting targets before doing any waste identification activities as a way to motivate you to stop old behaviors and adopt new ones. It also makes the process more palatable to have tangible proof of your efforts — and streamlining is hard work!
3. Tell your story.
Continuous improvement exercises make great team activities, and they’re also inspiring stories to share with your organization. Streamlining requires us to adopt new mindsets and behaviors and think critically and creatively. Finding ways to tell your story to your leadership and your organization gives your team a chance to shine and celebrate their learning and growth.