Human Performance Engineering, LLC Service Descriptions

Performance Improvement
Human Performance Engineering, LLC., is a management consulting company that optimizes both business process and human performance. The combination of these is essential.

Our Goals
Expertly support the success of your business processes, programs, projects, or functions. Return substantially more in measurable gains than the investment you make. Increase organizational capabilities for competitive advantage.

All our service offerings are performance based. The goal is not the installation of a tool or program, but to visibly move the needle on productivity, quality, cost, cycle time, or customer satisfaction, with the associated economic benefit.

Our Beliefs
Root causes of performance gaps are often found in the performance environment, not in the performers. Precision countermeasures are less expensive and more effective than global or generic ones. Small changes to business process or human behavior can produce large changes in results. Good consulting means leaving internal stakeholders invested and capable of sustaining changes themselves. Human performance and process excellence are competitive advantages not easily replicated by competitors.

Our Services
Please scroll down or click on a link to read more: Performance Solutions Report Performance Feedback Design Incentive Solutions o Tactical Behavior Change o Strategic Incentive Program Design Performance Based Training o Existing Training Assessment/Adaptation Commitment Based Project Management No Cost Consultation

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Human Performance Engineering, LLC.

HPE@columbus.rr.com

Performance Solutions Report

A Report and Interactive Discussion The central question to answer when we fall short of our performance goals what to change? A systematic approach to this question isolates the few actions to take that will bring about the greatest gains. Youll get an accurate diagnosis of the root causes of even your most complicated performance issues, along with detailed, practical solutions. Based on the scope of your request, the Performance Solutions Report may include: Deliverable Organization Level Solutions Description & Value Specifies your desired relationship with prospects, customers, suppliers, government, competitors, partners, or shareholders, and its potential economic value. Provides a baseline from which to demonstrate project results. Determines the causes of current performance gaps between you and these external entities. Identifies the cost-effective countermeasures needed to improve the external relationship (improvements to productivity, quality, cost, cycle time, risk, and customer satisfaction). Provides a high level design and project plan for closing organization level gaps. Forecasts countermeasure return on investment. Determines if relevant components (business units, functions, departments, locations, work groups) are effectively supporting your business strategy and each other, with regard to the business issue you specify. Calculates the economic value of increasing component strategic alignment. Determines the causes of component gaps (if interfunctional processes are aligned, constrained, missing, or unnecessary) along with the business case for change. Identifies the cost-effective countermeasures that will close component level gaps, such as: o Changes to functional structure, integrated policies, or reporting relationships. o Resolution of white space issues among components expectations, authority, measures, resource allocation, knowledge management, service level agreements, decision making, software configuration, business processes, and customer focus. o Replication of exemplary practices among all components. Provides a high level design and project plan for closing the identified gaps. Identifies process variation, constraints, and design issues that limit throughput, needlessly increase operating expense, create too much work in process inventory, or limit the organizations ability to adapt to changing customer needs. Determines if jobs and tasks support process goals. Identifies cost effective countermeasures that will make the selected business processes more efficient and effective such as: o Customer input segmentation or standardization, resource balancing and scheduling, process simplification, constraint removal, improved information flow, cross-functional goal alignment, automation, inventory reduction, and other process design opportunities. o Resolution of white space issues between job roles (expectations, authority, measures, feedback, customer focus.) Provides a high level design and project plan to improve the business process.

Component Level Solutions

Process Level Solutions

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Human Performance Engineering, LLC.

HPE@columbus.rr.com

Deliverable Job Level Solutions

Description & Value Determines performance improvement potential in the targeted job titles, or where formal or informal job responsibilities are not properly supporting key business processes. Comprehensively determines causes of poor job performance. Identifies cost effective countermeasures that will address gaps in: o Expectations, performance feedback, tools, resources, authority, incentives, training, and human resources (job fit). Aligns the behavior of performers with process, department, and organizational goals. Replicates the behavior of exemplary performers in new or poor performers. Provides a high level design and project plan to improve job performance. Implementation order of countermeasures, for maximum benefit within time and cost constraints. Workaround options where necessary. Implementation plan for all countermeasures. Expected impact on organizational profits and return on investment. Present recommendations, with compelling rationale, evidence, and ROI estimate. Obtain executive feedback and address any remaining cleanup issues. Go/No-Go decision chart on proposed countermeasures. Discussion of resources best suited for implementation phase of selected countermeasures (HPE, internal resources, or other external specialists).

Performance Improvement Strategy

Interactive Executive Presentation

The Value of Performance Solutions: Focused and Complete

We only produce the deliverables from the list above that address your stated goal. Closing a performance gap involving multiple departments would call for all of the deliverables described above. The examination of a single job title would require only the job level deliverables.

Solutions Neutral
Many consultants are constrained or influenced by their domain expertise. Instructional designers see skill and knowledge deficits. Compensation specialists want to market price your jobs. HPE is unbiased in this regard, we allow the performance gap itself to dictate the remedy. Our investigational methods can discover solutions that other resources may be best suited to implement.

Valid, Reliable Results

Our performance analysis starts with a baseline, so you can detect the performance impact of the implemented solutions. Drawing heavily on systems theory and behavioral science, we use a combination of data, interviews, observation, and participation to diagnose and make recommendations. You will see exactly the path we took to arrive at our conclusions.

Less is More
Some executives assume that big improvements require big interventions. Our experience tells us this is not the case. Because of our surgical approach, we often find low or zero cost countermeasures (such as policy changes) result in millions of dollars in additional profit.
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Performance Feedback Design

How do you or your company get better in a complicated and ever changing environment? Performance feedback. Performance feedback allows performers at all levels to know how well they are doing, correct errors, and make planning decisions. Over time, we cannot improve our performance without feedback that is accurate, timely, and useful. Feedback is scalable, from when to order more copy paper, all the way to constructing a superior annual business plan based on examination of past performance and leading market indicators.

Poor measures
Measures are an important aspect of feedback design. Numbers can be reported in an overwhelming number of combinations and dubbed a ratio or key performance indicator. Measure the wrong things, or measure the right things in the wrong way, and you focus peoples behavior on the wrong goals. The following Feedback Design Deliverables can apply to the individual, job title, work group, department, process, business unit, or organization level as required: Deliverable (Output) Future Expectations Model Description & Value A model of clear performance expectations, which will increase the level of collaboration across jobs or functions, in serving both internal and external customers. Expectations are grounded in new definitions of job or department outputs, dimensions, measures, and standards. The new expectations will be: o Vertically aligned (associates, supervisors, managers, directors, etc.) o Horizontally aligned (measures along the process support process goals) Changes to level or scope of authority may be required for performers to deliver on new expectations. A family of new/revised measures that: o Accurately expresses and accounts for new expectations. o Provides a valid and equitable basis for the distribution of rewards (appraisal, bonuses, promotion, etc.) Output measures tell us what issues to focus on, but not how to fix those issues. That is the role of process measures (described below). Output measures are lagging indicators. They provide decision-support based on past performance. A design for how Output data should be: o Captured (PDA, key entry, scan, telephonic system, manual checklists, etc.) o Packaged (comparisons, ratios, trends, graphics, tradeoffs, dashboards, scorecards, etc.). o Delivered (reports, wall charts, PDA, verbal, etc.) based on unique needs of the process or job. Decisions on optimal and minimal feedback availability (real-time, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, on demand, etc.) Working with your IT staff, a user requirements document is written to fulfill feedback information needs.

Future Output Measures

Future Output Measure Requirements Documentation

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Deliverable (Process) Future Process Measures

Description & Value Process measures are those that allow functions, business processes, job roles, and their managers, to investigate, and improve their performance over time. An analysis of where current process feedback is unavailable, inaccurate, untimely, or not useful to performers. A design for future process measures that gives performers the means to respond to errors and other unexpected changes in the environment, for continuous improvement. Process measures are leading indicators. They provide decision-support for future events, allowing performers at all levels to resolve issues before they become visible to the customer. A design for how corrective feedback should be captured, packaged, and delivered to performers. Working with your IT staff, a user requirements document is written to fulfill information needs regarding ongoing job or process management. Modeling of problem solving processes using report data and ad hoc query analysis (if needed). Training in report interpretation and problem solving specific to the performers area of responsibility.

Future Process Requirements Documentation

Job Specific Problem Solving Training

The Value of Performance Feedback Design: Strategic Performance Management

A good organizational feedback system gives you the ability to apply scarce resources (money, material, time) where they will have the greatest positive impact. You will be armed with the information to know both where and how to apply those resources.

Basis for Equitable Distribution of Rewards

You cannot reliably align rewards with performance unless your performance feedback system is both valid and fair. Good measures give a clear signal as to what will be rewarded in the organization, and motivate employees at all levels to think like owners.

Foundation for Continuous Improvement

Feedback is more than just measures and reports. After properly defining roles, it is the most overlooked lever for ongoing performance improvement. Right now, your data has valuable lessons for your performers, but that data may not be packaged and communicated in a way where it can most effectively impact future performance. Properly designed feedback is objective, easy to interpret, useful, and available at the moment of need. Training in performance information analysis increases the effectiveness of decisions at all levels.

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Human Performance Engineering, LLC.

HPE@columbus.rr.com

Incentive Solutions
Incentives solutions create an environment where performers will diligently work towards organizational goals without close supervision. Managers spend a lot of time providing behavioral antecedents (Instructions, training, threats, pep rallies, pleading, and other things that come before performance) but little time designing, deploying, and equitably applying behavioral consequents (those reinforcers that sustain desired behavior over time). Well planned and designed consequents have the lions share of the leverage in motivating performers.

Service: Tactical Behavior Change

This approach to incentives and motivation is appropriate where the manager only has control over local resources. There is plenty of leverage in the effective application of policies and rewards the manager has at their disposal. Tactical Behavior Change is best used with an individual, executive, work group, or to influence a particular process output. Deliverable Performance-Based Job Description Description & Value A complete description of desired job outputs, dimensions, measures, and standards. Identifies what performance or behavior should change as a result of the motivation treatment.

Incentives/Motivation A precise description of the behavior change you want to create for an individual, job title, Analysis Report or work group. An investigation of the environmental influences that conflict with the behavior you want or support the behavior you dont want. A recommended set of new or revised behavioral antecedents for desired behavior (clearer expectations, priorities, signals to perform, and more.) A recommended set of new or revised behavioral consequents for desired behavior (social reinforcers, tangible reinforcers, better matching of antecedents and consequences, and more.) Behavioral Action Plan A precise description of the behavior and results that are the goal of the Action Plan. Development of local behavior or result measures. Behavior/Result data capture plan and tools, to let you know if your intervention is working. Decisions about reinforcement delivery (what, when, how, by who, etc.). Supervisor training in the proper delivery of both social and tangible reinforcement.

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Human Performance Engineering, LLC.

HPE@columbus.rr.com

Service: Strategic Incentive Program Design

This approach to incentives and motivation is appropriate when the organization wishes to use money as the primary reinforcer, or to equitably distribute rewards over many distinct job titles, multiple departments, or the entire organization. Deliverable Incentive Program Design Description & Value Examples of incentive programs include: o Profit indexed performance pay o Attendance, quality, or safety programs o Performance appraisal systems o Other sorts of recognition programs An analysis of the process and results of your current incentive program. Recommended program changes directed at producing more performance impact per dollar spent. Identification of other support gaps that may be limiting the success of your program.

Incentive Program Evaluation

The Value of Incentive Solutions Deliverables Reduce the Cost of Managing

If well intentioned managers find they must micromanage their direct reports to get performance, it is an indication the incentive system is broken. We help managers create a system of reinforcement that becomes self sustaining. Freed of this parental sort of supervision, managers can devote more of their time to strategic issues, such as supplier and customer relationships, as well as employee development.

Capture Discretionary Effort

Research shows that performers are able to produce 50% more than their current average if properly motivated. Incentive program deliverables help capture this discretionary effort and realize strategic objectives. Performers only think and act like owners when the performance environment rewards them for doing so.

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Human Performance Engineering, LLC.

HPE@columbus.rr.com

Performance Based Training

Performance Based Training guarantees your job performers will produce job outputs to standard at the conclusion of training. Performance based training stands in contrast to subject matter training, which seeks to make performers more generally knowledgeable or espouse the right attitude. Would you be more willing to invest in training if you were guaranteed a performance impact?

Service: Performance Based Training

Deliverable Job Model, Training Scope, and Parameters Description & Value Accurate description of job mission, job outputs, job tasks, steps, and their characteristics: o normal, off-normal, or emergency job outputs o output and task dimensions, criteria, importance, speed, frequency, consequences, complexity, influences, etc.) o job model review and validation by management and subject matter experts. Focuses limited training resources on critical job outputs, rather than unattached concepts, tools, attitudes, classes of things, etc. Decision to prioritize each job output and task for training treatment, or eliminate it from training consideration. Reduces training scope to the essential few training skills, and does not train people that dont need it. Specification of training constraints (# of learners, online vs. instructor led, facilities, availability of subject matter experts, deadlines, policies, self or group paced, expertise range of learner population, delivery time allowed, training budget, evaluation methods.). Training design (below) will work within these constraints. Training structure - curriculum (job), courses (job outputs), modules (job tasks), and units (skills). Grouping and sequencing of courses and modules to maximize skill transfer. Training design features required at each level job aid vs. memory, prerequisites, previews, practices, training sequence, delivery sources, delivery media, pacing, level of simulation, evaluation mechanisms, non-training influences. Training tactics needed - advance organizers, retrogressive sequencing, behavior modeling, covert rehearsal, practice, example/non-example, shaping, mediation, compare/contrast, and other special tactics. Learning challenges addressed - psychomotor, rate of performance, long sequences, nonintuitive steps, etc. Value The training design matches the structure of the job. The training tactics fit the unique learning challenges. Training tests define exemplary performance, and provide the means to objectively evaluate trainee performance with this standard in mind. Answers the question will trainees be able to perform effectively back on the job at the conclusion of training?

Training Design

Training Tests

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Human Performance Engineering, LLC.

HPE@columbus.rr.com

Deliverable Training Materials

Description & Value Instructions, examples, worksheets, written feedback, and other materials used by trainees as they practice new skills. They might include hands-on exercises plus coaching, simulator/lab practice, role play, or case studies (responding properly to written scenarios), delivered by a computer, trainer, or both. Good training materials slowly remove supports until new or poor performers can produce job outputs to standard by themselves. Training materials may not be required if the training design calls for job performance aids. Formats include sequential procedures, worksheets, decision tables, flowcharts, and combinations of these. They must match the nature of the task they support and be accessible at the moment of need. Guide the performer in the completion of a task that is too complicated or infrequent to be committed to memory, or where the consequences of error are severe. Reduces the need for human training and coaching. Are a fast, effective, and inexpensive alternative to training performers when steps dont have to be memorized. Inside of every thick training manual is a thin job aid trying to get out! The leaders guide is a job performance aid for the person who conducts the course activities either as the instructor, or the facilitator of self instructional activities. Includes course background, course specifications, leaders preparation steps, day-by-day leader activities of the course, and instructional tactics. A leaders guide may not be required if the training design calls for job performance aids. Tryout of curriculum on a sample of the target audience, within the bounds of existing constraints. Pre-test and post-test of performer skills and knowledge, to show that performers can produce job outputs in expert fashion immediately after the conclusion of training. Observation notes on the selected trainers for future improvement. Refinement of all training materials.

Job Performance Aids

Leaders Guide

Validation Test Results

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Human Performance Engineering, LLC.

HPE@columbus.rr.com

Service: Existing Training Assessment/Adaptation

Deliverable Existing Training Profile Description & Value Worksheet containing complete information on training source (internal or vendor offered), purpose of assessment, goal of training, length, source of content, pacing method, prerequisites, delivery sites, trainee ratio, instructional media used, cost of training, module objectives, design documents, etc. Assessment of existing training content, testing, design, delivery, materials, costs, and efficiency. We can assess both vendor and internally created training. Recommendations. Answers these questions: o Is there in fact a skill and knowledge deficiency in need of correction? o Can any existing training be repurposed, in part or in whole, to meet the skill and knowledge need? o Can training time and costs be reduced concurrent with improving results? o Decisions Adopt as is, reject outright, adopt parts with or without modification Existing training modified by job aid vs. memory decision, curriculum, course, and module designs, materials, tests, instructional tactics, leaders guide, etc. Validation test of revised training to demonstrate improved impact.

Training Program Assessment

Training Adaptation

The Value of Performance Based Training: Cut the Learning Curve

The learning curve is the time it takes a new performer to produce job outputs to standard without supervision. Learning curves can typically take from weeks to a year, depending on the complexity of the job. We can typically reduce the learning curve by 50% or more.

Clone Your Best

If the target of training is a job title with multiple performers, we can replicate the behavior of your best performers to the others and future performers. Exemplary performers do things differently than average performers. Our training design reveals and replicates these best practices to the others. In addition to higher performance, customers served by experts are more likely to give you repeat business. People expert in their jobs are also less likely to turn over.

Save Training Time and Money

Most of the cost of training is the time performers spend away from the job. Our training design limits the training to true skill and knowledge deficiencies, reducing training time. Many designs also require little or no standup instruction, cutting training administration costs.

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Human Performance Engineering, LLC.

HPE@columbus.rr.com

Commitment Based Project Management

Projects in Limbo
In our service oriented economy, incomplete projects are an invisible cost. We dont have the luxury of seeing half assembled machines, half emptied trucks, or half complete new products. If we tripped over these sorts of things every day, we would complete them. Instead we have plans, schematics, budgets, incomplete code awaiting testing, hidden away from sight in our computers. How much time and labor do you have invested in projects, products or services that are not yet ready to be sold or used? What is your calculation of the cost, not only project labor and energy, but missing internal capability and lost customer opportunity?

Meetings on Top of Meetings

Does the administration of project course changes and communication of project status seem to take as much time as doing the project itself? Does it seem that too much command and control is needed to make progress? As Timm Esque points out in his book, No Surprises Project Management, projects suffer from: Constant Crunch Time - projects behind schedule requiring expedites, deliverable rework, overtime, and other costly fixes. Unreasonable Top Down Schedules deadlines imposed by management or customers that dont factor in the actual productive capacity of the project team. Assignment of unrealistic goals actually reduces discretionary effort and removes performer focus from project success. Poor Communication Between Functional Teams each team complains that its feeder team delivers sub-par work. Work is thrown over the wall when the deadline arrives, regardless of the condition of that work. No one can tell when and where project-actual departed from project-planned.

Here are the deliverables of Commitment Based Project Management (CBPM): Deliverable Map Day Description & Value Training to conduct Map Day, which will allow you to produce the following: o A comprehensive Map of customer deliverables, major internal deliverables, and supporting deliverables based on assumptions tested with the entire team and project sponsors. o Map shows deliverables in correct project phase and order, critical path, quality criteria and leading measures. o Owners and users of all deliverables identified. Quality requirements negotiated and agreed to. o Team deliverable commit dates obtained out to the project horizon (6 to 12 weeks), or contingent on prerequisites (e.g. three weeks after design document received). o An action list with dates to provide key inputs to contingent commits. o Reconciliation of bottom up commits with top down schedule.

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Human Performance Engineering, LLC.

HPE@columbus.rr.com

Deliverable Project Progress Review

Description & Value Training to conduct a PPR meeting in which you learn to do the following: o Assess overall project state and make strategic changes if required. o Negotiate scope changes with project sponsors o Anticipate and respond to future risks and needs within the project horizon. o Reconcile team capacity with project sponsor needs. o Create acceptance and ownership of scope changes by all deliverable owners Training to conduct an SPR meeting in which you learn to do the following: o Review and collect performance data on prior week commits. o Introduce scope changes and obtain new commits from team members. o Empower team members to reach their goals through the commitment based approach. o Use CBPM tools to manage the team (described below). Deliverables Tracking Matrix - A spreadsheet template that allows the tracking and managing of team member commits over the life of the project. PAC Chart Graphic representation of Performance Against Commitment (PAC) for project leader, sponsor, and team member feedback. Issues, Actions, Decisions Log - allows tracking and managing of supporting tasks (owned by both team leaders and members) over the life of the project. Early Warning Report - a formal system for team members to identify project risks without fear of punishment. How to launch CBPM methods in your projects.

Subteam Progress Review

CBPM Tools

Implementation Plan

The Value of Commitment Based Project Management: Minimize Project Administration

CBPMs focused, outcome based meetings and simple tracking system minimize administration. In addition, CBPM methods include a strong component of team and team member self-management. In concert, these features free team members to get back to producing project deliverables, and project managers to focus on more strategic issues.

Resolve Issues Before They Impact Your Customer

CBPM methods provide provides incentive for team members to surface deliverables issues before they reach your internal or external customer. This provides more reliable leading indicators of project status, giving you the time to take the steps needed to resolve project issues before they impact the work or expectations of others.

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Human Performance Engineering, LLC.

HPE@columbus.rr.com

Service Support Requirements

This section generally describes the collaborative partnerships for all the services listed above. We want your initiative to succeed as much as you do. It is important to determine whether your internal subject matter experts can provide the support needed for project success. The participation of one or more of the following roles will be a large factor in the results: Role Initiative Champion Project Value Someone at the highest level of our contact that provides the drive to all stakeholders to complete the project. Must be committed to project success. May be one of management described below. Managers are needed to communicate the important of the project and provide access to resources. Managers can then choose be involved as little or as much in the day to day aspects of the engagement as they wish. The people in the job titles that are the focus of the performance improvement effort. One or two of your most experienced performers are needed to model the job and apply their content expertise to targeted questions asked by HPE. Your experts will learn a lot as a result of working with us. Most work today is computer mediated in some way. IT experts are needed with some of our services to help extract performance data from your systems, refine information requirements, and develop the information technology solutions from those requirements. Solutions involving legal, policy or technical issues may require the participation of human resource, legal, or engineering experts. These resources can be internal or external. In some cases, access to customers for survey or interview may help achieve project goals. Customers are usually pleased to be asked their opinions and listened to carefully.

Management

Target Performers

Information Technology Staff

Other Subject Matter Experts Customers

No Cost Consultation
We have a lot of capabilities; you have a lot of potential opportunities to increase your organizations performance. Lets have a strategic discussion to identify the critical few performance improvement opportunities, and estimate the economic and other benefits that would accrue to you and your organization. There is no cost for this consultation.

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Human Performance Engineering, LLC.

HPE@columbus.rr.com