These consist of the following actions:

• Identification and analysis of employee developmental needs.
• Creation of a development plan.
• Development and execution of development activities.
• Evaluation of the effectiveness and quality of development activities.

Identification and analysis of employee development needs

An essential component of proper planning, preparation and successful execution of development activities in the area of human resources is the accurate identification of development needs through competency evaluation and the creation of a competency model.

Competency Model

A competency model primarily defines the expected skill sets, behaviors and attitudes that employees should have in individual work functions, and guarantees that they will effectively fulfill their work functions in accordance with the principles of your organization’s company culture.

The most effective method of evaluating competencies remains 360° feedback, which includes not only evaluation by managers but also self-evaluation, as well as feedback from peers, customers (internal and external), and direct reports.

In the area of competency modeling DRILL offers the following services:

• Design of a competency model for your organization and individual employee workgroups.
• Implementation of the proposed competency model, primarily including evaluation process setup, creation of necessary documents, and training for evaluators and for those being evaluated.
• Creation of tools for the execution of 360° feedback; if necessary, their outsourcing, including data assessment with guaranteed anonymity of evaluators.
• Conducting of an audit of competencies and knowledge in your organization.

Knowledge and special skills evaluation (skills matrix)

The optimal model applied to the evaluation of employee knowledge and special skills is a skills matrix, which precisely defines who should have the necessary knowledge and skills and on what level (extent of knowledge, length of experience). The establishment of these parameters normally corresponds closely to job descriptions and work processes.

In the area of skills matrices DRILL offers the following services:

• Definition skills matrices for individual employee workgroups, creating professional standards; if needed, creating job descriptions and the work processes from which this data is drawn.
• Defining evaluative processes of knowledge and special skills, creating the necessary documents, and training of evaluators and those being evaluated.
• Securing exams and testing for individual types of knowledge and special skills.

Evaluating potential and complex employee evaluation

Employee potential, which can be judged either as career growth potential (progress within the hierarchy) or as potential for professional growth, always includes the following areas: intellectual capacity, ambition, and the will to apply one‘s potential in the given field (within the scope of the given company or organization).

A combination of three elements has been shown to be effective for the evaluation of employee potential: evaluation of competency (the best method is 360° feedback), a Development Center and Professional Personality Profile.

In the area of evaluating employee potential DRILL offers the following services:

• Design, preparation and execution of group and individual Development Centers.
• Design, preparation and completion of Professional Personality Profile.
• Creation of individual development plans and plans for personal and professional development.

Creation of development plans

On the basis of outputs from the identification and analysis of development needs, a development plan is subsequently created. This should emerge at the individual level first, and then as a summary of requirements from individual development plans, which after evaluation and establishment of priorities results in a development plan for the given workgroup, department or organization as a whole. A development plan thus created must be created also with regard to financial and budgetary aspects.

In the area of development plan creation DRILL offers the following services:

• Analysis of outputs from the evaluation of competencies, knowledge and professional skills from Development Centers, and the design of specific development activities.
• Creation of developmental and educational plans.
• Establishment of a budget for the training and development of employees.
• Design of methods and processes for evaluating development activity effectiveness.
• Completion of an audit of the development activity effectiveness.

Design and execution of development activities

We recommend a cycle of competency trainings for the fulfillment of development needs and the plans of individual employees. These consist of group training activities designed to cover main and recurrent employee development needs.

We then recommend that the coverage of individual development needs be secured for example in the form of coaching or other form of individual education.

Competency training

A pivotal advantage when training via coaching is the deliberate focus of the training on selected knowledge and skills, with definition of the current and targeted level of knowledge and skills to which the training should lead.

Our competency trainings are created and managed in such a way as to support the independence and accountability of each training participant. It is not therefore the mere handover of instructions, advice and processes which would create the illusion of a simple and, above all, clear solution. The goal of competency training is primarily to engage each participant in the educational process, the active adaptation and testing of the trainee, and the quest for one’s own personal style for problem-solving and for management of one‘s professional role and the situations which arise from it.

Application projects

An essential component of the training is the linking of training activities to the experience of the participant. This connection must be relevant not only in terms of content, but also time; that is, a participant in the training must – if possible immediately – after its completion receive an opportunity to implement the acquired knowledge and skills in practice. Since this application is not always directly feasible, application projects are created as part of the training, allowing a participant to try out his or her lessons learned with the support of a teacher and direct manager, and with subsequent feedback and assessment.

Evaluation of the effectiveness and quality of development programs

The effectiveness of educational programs is evaluated in three groups:

1. Confirming knowledge

Course participants undergo – typically immediately upon completion of the training – a test of their knowledge in order to confirm the extent to which they have adapted the knowledge administered. If the course is oriented predominantly toward acquisition of skills, and if it is part of practical instruction, participants are evaluated according to their progress by the quality with which they execute sample activities.

2. Application in practice

Together with the responsible employees of your organization, we establish parameters and timeframes against which the outcomes of completed trainings are evaluated in a practical setting. This typically involves verifiable changes in behavior and professional attitude; in certain cases it can involve directly measurable indicators of success or the effectiveness of certain processes.

If the implementation of acquired knowledge in practice is to be most effective, we recommend that upon completing the given training it be supplemented immediately with application projects, or with some form of time-limited intensive coaching or mentoring, either by the direct manager of the given employee or an external coach.

3. Participant satisfaction

Upon the completion of educational programs, participants in all of our courses instantly evaluate the quality of the course, both in terms of content and the work of the facilitator, and also in terms of the quality of study materials and course fundamentals.

This evaluation is supplemented with feedback (a report) from the trainer of the given course evaluating progress and recommending next steps concerning the participant in the course.

In the area of evaluating the effectiveness and quality of educational programs, DRILL also offers the following services:

• Creating a system and tools for assessing the effectiveness and quality of development programs.
• Designing and executing an audit of the quality and effectiveness of development programs.

Managing educational programs and facilitator teams

The DRILL facilitator team is composed of experienced trainers with years of experience, both in the executive space and in the training space. For each area on offer for education and development activities, DRILL has several trainers available who are assigned to the individual trainings in such a way as to provide the best possible match between customer requirements and facilitator personality and experience.

The management and development of educational programs at DRILL adheres to the principles set forth in the ISO 9001:2001 international quality standard, for which DRILL has been certified.