Facilitator Development Programme
Background and who should attend
Using UIMPROVE Facilitators in projects and meetings, and for the control and improvement of processes dramatically improves productivity and effectiveness. Training Facilitators creates a strategic resource that can be allocated in line with the organisation's priorities. It takes just one project that delivers a better outcome, on-time and on-budget to create a return on the investment. Every other improvement and benefit is a bonus.
The Facilitator Development Programme teaches participants the UIMPROVE approach to organisational improvement and provides them with the knowledge and skills to facilitate this. The UIC has been training people for this role in a wide variety of industries and organisations since 1992 and the programme is always being refined and improved based on the practical experience of those we train.
This is a 9 day programme spread over 3 x 3 day modules. The period between each module should be around 2 months allowing participants to gain experience of using what they have learned in the intervening time. It is ideal if Facilitators can be allocated to assignments both before and during the programme. Modules 2 and 3 incorporate review and planning of these.
The role of Facilitator is usually a part-time activity, taken on in addition to the day job. The Facilitator Development Programme is specifically designed for people who will have to take up a formal Facilitator role in meetings or projects.
This programme will not only provide your organisation with a highly capable facilitation resource, it will also dramatically accelerate the rate and efficiency of improvement. Additionally, you will develop 12 people who are structured in their thinking, highly capable of improvement and get a good grasp of the cross-functional nature and complexities of the organisation through the assignments they carry out.
What are the benefits of having a pool of Facilitators in an organisation?
Strategy
- The resource can be aligned with organisational strategy and focused where the greatest need/return is
- Demonstrates top management commitment to improvement
The rate of improvement
- Creates a 'critical mass' for improvement
- Increases organisational capacity and the rate of improvement
- Builds on and supports the work done through other UIMPROVE training courses
- An internal resource is better for continuity and follow up
Developing the organisation
- Taps into and develops the talent in the organisation
- Promotes organisational learning
- Allows more people to be directly involved in improvement
- The skills are developed and retained within the organisation
- Ensures a more structured approach to projects
- Provides a consistent approach to and a common language for improvement
- Improves meetings
Developing individuals
- Gives individuals a broader view of the organisation through involvement in projects
- Increases job satisfaction
- Today's Facilitators are tomorrow's senior managers and directors
Costs
- Costs less than external provision
- The cost of training is soon recouped in the benefits the resource brings to the organisation
What your Facilitators will be able to do
Facilitate Annual Project Planning
- Convert organisational strategy into departmental or team objectives
- Identify and prioritise the projects to be done over the next 12 months
- Produce a departmental or team plan
- Scope and produce a remit for each resulting project
Facilitate project teams
- Identify and follow a project methodology
- Break the project down into component tasks and produce a project plan
- Use tools and techniques
- Ensure balanced participation
Facilitate a Project Kick-Start
- Obtain a wide range of involvement at the outset
- Use a structured approach, tools and techniques to ensure balanced participation
- Carry out scoping and initial planning
- Save time
- Increase understanding, alignment and commitment from those involved
Facilitate a Project Refocus
- For projects that have stalled, had a change of leader or reached an important junction
- Obtain a wide range of involvement
- Use a structured approach and tools and techniques to ensure balanced participation
Facilitate a Process Planning Event
- Use a structured approach and analytical tools (specifically an Ishikawa Diagram and Deployment Flowchart) to plan a new process
Facilitate a Process Analysis Event
- Use a structured approach and analytical tools (specifically an Ishikawa Diagram and Deployment Flowchart) to understand and analyse an existing process
Facilitate a Customer Involvement Event
- This is very similar in format to a Project Kick-Start, the difference being that the participants are customers
Facilitate a Project Update
- Reconvenes the group from the Project Kick-Start to report on progress, present findings and proposals, obtain their feedback and input
Facilitate Piloting and Implementation Events
- For projects that have reached the stage where proposals first need to be tested, then incorporated into routine operation
Facilitate a Project Review
- Use a structured approach and tools and techniques to review and learn lessons from a completed project
Facilitate meetings (regular, e.g. a Team Meeting, or one-off)
- Help plan the agenda
- Use tools and techniques
- Ensure balanced contribution
- Review
Facilitate Systems Events
- A Systems Event is for a management team (leader and Direct Reports) and enables them to work on controlling routine operation by:
- Identifying the systems and processes for which they are responsible
- Defining the aims of the systems and purposes of the processes
Facilitate a Routine Operation Review
- Also aimed at management teams, the purpose is to take an annual look at the big picture of how all systems and key processes are performing, whether resourcing is right and whether any interventions are needed.
A brief overview of the programme
Module 1
Focus on organisational improvement and projects
- Understanding the role - what is facilitation, what is a Facilitator?
- Background to the ideas - a brief history of improvement in organisations
- Key Concepts - ideas that underpin the approach
- Tools for Planning and Organising
- Introduction to projects
- The UIMPROVE Projects Framework
- Annual Project Planning
- Project Kick-Starts
Module 2
Focus on meetings and additional assignments
- Review session - what people have applied since last time
- Effective meetings
- Techniques for Productive Meetings
- Getting the Basics Right
- Getting Information Across
- Getting Things Done - Making interventions in meetings
- Tools for Evaluation and Decision-Making
- Project Events continued
- Customer Involvement Event
- Project Update
- Project Refocus
- Project Review - Facilitating throughout the life of a project
- How to do Real Work in meetings - Putting structure to a topic
- Planning for forthcoming assignments
Module 3
Focus on piloting and implementation, controlling and improving routine operation
- Review session - what people have applied since last time
- Introduction to processes
- How to control a process
- Routine Operation Events: System Events, Routine Operation Review
- How to improve a process
- Tools for Analysis
- Project Events concluded
- Process Planning Event
- Process Analysis Event - Piloting and implementation of projects
- The Piloting and Implementation Methodologies
- Piloting and Implementation Events - Planning for forthcoming assignments
- Review of the programme