Guy W. Wallace
www.eppic.biz

Performance Modeling

• Is a process for gathering data and reporting human performance requirements within business processes
• Is best done via a group process using
  -  Master performers (current state)
  -  Subject matter experts (future state)
  but can also be done via observations and individual interviews; this approach works, but it takes longer and typically costs more
• Requires strong "directive" facilitation skills
• Organizes the performance view by "Areas of Performance"
  -  That segment the overall business process performance into logical chunks for analysis purposes
• Is then used to systematically derive the following:
  -  Human asset requirements
      -  Knowledge
      -  Skills
      -  Physical attributes
      -  Intellectual attributes
      -  Values
  -  Environmental asset requirements
      -  Information/data
      -  Facilities
      -  Budget
      -  Tools/equipment
      -  Materials/supplies
      -  Consequences
• Feeds the design/development of performance-based T&D

Questions to Ask to Get the Data
...learn to paraphrase the following...

• Area of Performance
  -  What are the major phases, cycles, or elements of the performance process?
  -  How can we break this performance up into some logical segments and minimize gaps and overlaps?
• Key Outputs
  -  What are the key deliverables/outputs produced within this Area of Performance?
  -  What does the performer create and use themselves or hand off to the next work process/ AoP?
• Measures
  -  What measures would you use to assess and determine whether or not the output was acceptable?
  -  What are the most important "customer" requirements for the output?
• Key Tasks
  -  What are the tasks performed to produce those outputs?
• Roles/Responsibilities
  -  For each task, which roles are involved and what is their level of responsibility?  Execute?  Support?  Input to?  Review and feedback?  Approve/reject?
• Gap
  -  Where do the outputs typically fall short in meeting the measures?
• Causes - dE/dK/dI
  -  Is the cause of the performance gap due to a lack of environmental supports?  Would the right tools, materials, information, direction, or other support fix the gap?
  -  Is the performance gap caused by a lack of the performer's knowledge and/or skill, i.e., could training fix this gap?
  -  Is the gap due to selecting the wrong people for the job?  Do performers typically lack physical, psychological, or intellectual capability to do the tasks?

At EPPIC, we have found that using a team or group approach (versus individual interviews/ observations) for conducting the "performance modeling" analysis not only saves time, but it creates tremendous ownership by the participants in the resulting model of performance.  In reality, interviewing or observing a performer seldom provides the analyst with all of the information needed to develop a complete Performance Model, and analysts' individual perceptions of what is really going on differ depending on their experiences.  By involving a mix of participants on the Analysis Team and involving them in the process, group synergies develop that result in much greater detail and accuracy, and even more importantly, customer acceptance.

It is critical to create a diverse Analysis Team of participants.  These should include master performers who are experiences in the tasks involved, and subject matter experts (those who may be knowledgeable in theory of the task but who do not do it in their current job assignment to a level of mastery).  Also, it is sometimes appropriate to include supervisors and managers of the target audience, and perhaps on occasion, novice performers.

• Group process and facilitation skills
• Conceptual and concrete thinking abilities
• Articulate; strong verbal communication skills
• Flip chart writing skills
• Active listening skills
• Systems thinking
• Problem solving
• Decision-making
• Handling conflict

We have several related articles available on our Web site (www.eppic.biz), including

• "lean-ISD^SM via the PACT^SM Processes" by Guy W. Wallace
• "lean-ISD white paper" by Guy W. Wallace
• "PACT Facilitation" by Guy W. Wallace
• "Areas of Performance" by Guy W. Wallace
• "Developing Performance-based Curriculum Architecture Using a Group Process/Using a Group Process to Create Performance Models and Knowledge/Skill Matrices" by Guy W. Wallace, Ray Svenson, Douglas McKenna, and Karen Kennedy
• "The Return on Your PACT Process Investment" by Peter R. Hybert
• "Debriefing the PACT Processes Analysis and Design Meetings" by Guy W. Wallace
• "Technology Transfer Training Using the PACT Processes for Training & Development" by Dottie A. Soelke and Guy W. Wallace
• "PACT Processes for T&D-MCD-lite" by Guy W. Wallace and Peter R. Hybert
• "Performance Modeling for lean-ISD" by Guy W. Wallace, Peter R. Hybert, and Kelly R. Smith

About Guy W. Wallace

Guy has been in the T&D business since 1979 and a consultant to the Fortune 500 since 1982.  A member of ISPI since 1980, he has served on many committees and task forces and served on the ISPI board of directors as the treasurer (1999-2001).