Training Plan

Training Plan

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Design an onboarding training program for new hires
• Create a skills development curriculum for your team
• Build a compliance or process training module
• Structure a mentorship or cross-training program

DO NOT use this skill for one-off workshop facilitation guides, academic course design, or customer education content. This is for internal employee training programs.

Core Principle

TRAINING MUST CHANGE BEHAVIOR, NOT JUST TRANSFER INFORMATION — EVERY MODULE NEEDS A MEASURABLE SKILL OUTCOME THE LEARNER CAN DEMONSTRATE.

Phase 1: Brief

Required Inputs

GATE: Confirm brief before proceeding.

Phase 2: Design

Curriculum Structure

1. Learning objectives — 3-5 specific, measurable outcomes using action verbs (create, demonstrate, apply — not "understand" or "learn about")
2. Module breakdown — divide the topic into logical modules, each with one primary objective
3. Time allocation — minutes per module, total hours
4. Prerequisite mapping — what learners need before starting each module
5. Assessment method per module — how you verify the objective was met

Module Design Template

For each module:

• Title and objective (one clear outcome)
• Content outline (key concepts, not full scripts)
• Activity or exercise (practice the skill, not just read about it)
• Assessment (quiz, demonstration, peer review, or project)
• Estimated time

GATE: Present the curriculum outline and wait for approval.

Phase 3: Build

Deliverables

1. Complete Training Plan Document

• Program overview with business context
• Full module-by-module curriculum
• Facilitator notes for live sessions (if applicable)
• Self-paced materials list with recommended resources

2. Assessment Rubrics

• Clear criteria for passing each module
• Scoring guide for subjective assessments
• Remediation path for learners who do not pass

3. Tracking Sheet

• Learner progress tracker (spreadsheet format)
• Completion dates, scores, and status per module
• Overall program completion criteria

4. Resource List

• Tools, platforms, or materials needed
• Estimated costs (if any)
• Setup instructions for the training environment

Phase 4: Polish

Program Evaluation Framework

1. Reaction — post-training feedback survey (did they find it useful?)
2. Learning — assessment scores (did they acquire the skill?)
3. Behavior — 30-day check: are they applying the skill on the job?
4. Results — 90-day check: did the business metric improve?

Iteration Notes

Provide 3 specific recommendations for improving the training after the first cohort completes it.

Example 1: New Hire Onboarding (1 week, 5 modules)

• Module 1: Company overview and values (1 hr, self-paced)
• Module 2: Tools and systems setup (2 hrs, guided)
• Module 3: Role-specific workflows (3 hrs, shadowing + practice)
• Module 4: Communication norms and meeting cadence (1 hr, live)
• Module 5: First project with mentor review (3 hrs, on-the-job)

Example 2: Sales Process Training (3 days, existing team)

• Module 1: Updated sales methodology overview (1 hr, live)
• Module 2: Discovery call framework + role play (2 hrs, live)
• Module 3: Proposal writing with template (2 hrs, self-paced + review)
• Module 4: Objection handling scenarios (1.5 hrs, live workshop)
• Assessment: Record a mock discovery call, peer-reviewed with rubric

Anti-Patterns

• Death by slides — information dumps without practice produce zero behavior change. Every module needs hands-on activity.
• Vague objectives — "Understand our product" is not measurable. Use "Deliver a 2-minute product demo covering 3 key features."
• No assessment — without verification, you are hoping, not training. Always include a check.
• One-size-fits-all — experienced hires and beginners need different paths. Offer skip options or advanced tracks.
• Training without follow-up — skills decay without reinforcement. Build in 30-day check-ins.

Recovery

• User unsure of learning objectives: Ask "After this training, what should someone be able to DO that they cannot do now?" Extract objectives from the answer.
• No time for live sessions: Convert to fully self-paced with video walkthroughs and async assessments.
• Too much content for the time available: Prioritize ruthlessly. Cut nice-to-know content and keep need-to-know only.
• No subject matter expert available: Build the structure and flag content gaps for the user to fill with their domain knowledge.