In our last post we discussed one of our three pillars in our plan to overcome obstacles and assure success. This plan is based on three pillars (or strategies); simple, standardized, and shared. When discussing the simple pillar, we decided that in order to achieve simplicity in DIY training initiatives it requires that we create a fine-tuned result statement, are able to break a broad task into smaller steps, and to let the video speak first and audio second.
Today’s post focuses on our second pillar; standardized. Giving a lot of thought to standards is essential to promote consensus and commitment within a community, in order to facilitate and enable the practices of sharing and reusing. In giving thought to these standards, we believe there are three elements that every training initiative must encompass:
1. Title; that communicates the expected result
- What is the exact result this brick will create?
2. Media; video (.mp4)
- Every training presentation should be output or converted as video (.mp4) file
3. Length; roughly 1-4 minutes long
- Once we enter the three-plus minutes range, we should re-assess and see if this result can be broken down into two (or more) useable pieces which produce a different outcome
It is also important to be flexible during any process. For instance; think of a DIY training project as a collection of bricks. When constructing something such as a fire pit or walkway, modifications occur during the course of the project. When disruptions or variations cause us to adjust the plan, it is not the brick we are going to change, it is what and how we are going to assemble the bricks to still reach the desired result (such as the fire pit or walkway). This holds true to different training courses within an organization.
The best practices that we find create standards. Strive to adhere to the standards first, why make a process more difficult than it needs to be? The enemy is complexity. When we create simplicity by agreeing to standards, we enable the practice of reusing and sharing – which is our last pillar in assuring success for DIY training programs.
Do you have a daunting task that you feel could be standardized, maybe even broken into multiple tasks?
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