Contract Management Self-paced Instruction Project

In partnership with Three-E Training Inc., BrainWave Solutions members developed a comprehensive contract management training and performance support solution for a provincial government department responsible for acquiring and managing a complex array of services and programs contracts worth over $64 million per annum.

 

The client required a training solution that would ensure that all contract managers across the province correctly and consistently interpreted and applied policy and procedures for a wide range of contract types.

The solution had to meet a number of critical criteria:

• training had to be competency-based, with employees clearly demonstrating their proficiency at managing all aspects of a contract in the final course examination
• training had to be deliverable on an as- and when-needed basis so that employees would not have to wait for classroom sessions
• course design had to accommodate varying levels of staff expertise to minimize wasting time and resources on redundant training
• course materials had to be easily updateable to reflect anticipated changes in ministry policy and procedures
• students had to be able to study on their own, with a minimum of supervision and assistance

 

A self-paced contract management course with a companion performance support system.

The training course was based on a thorough job and task analysis to ensure that all learning objectives aligned with the organization’s performance goals, requirements and constraints.

The course was designed as a series of modules and lessons that corresponded to job functions and tasks. Employees could thus easily learn how to perform a particular task by working through the relevant lessons.

This modular design also allowed employees to take training on infrequently performed tasks just before they had to complete the task, thus maximizing learning transfer to on-the-job performance.

A companion Learning Needs Assessment tool allowed contract managers to create individualized learning plans that addressed their particular training needs. Each learner was thus able to take just the training needed to close his/her specific performance gaps.

To facilitate ease of updating, more permanent core content was embedded in the lesson workbooks, while more volatile content was placed in external, independent reference guides and job aids.

Module and lesson workbooks contained both content and clear directions on how to complete every part of the training, including:

• lesson objectives, study methods, required resources, and prerequisites
• detailed directions to additional, supporting references and performance support tools
• formative questions to reinforce key topics throughout the lessons as required
• summative questions at the end of each lesson and module to test learning acquisition and retention
• enriched question feedback and remediation to identify and correct learner errors

To ensure learner competency, the course contained three stages of evaluation:

• a performance and non-performance-based review at the end of each lesson
• a performance-based test at the end of each module
• a comprehensive final exam at the end of the training

This testing ensured that learners demonstrated their proficiency for each task and function at least three times.

 

The solution we devised achieved results which met and/or exceeded the expectations of the Department, based on feedback from a wide range of Department representatives.

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