training-plan

name	training-plan
description	Designs employee training programs with learning objectives, curriculum structure, delivery methods, assessment criteria, and completion tracking. Use when upskilling your team.
allowed-tools	Read Write Glob
metadata	{"author":"matthewhitcham","version":"1.0"}

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.

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Core Principle

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

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Phase 1: Brief

Required Inputs

Input	What to Ask	Default
Training topic	"What skill or knowledge area does this training cover?"	Must be provided
Audience	"Who is being trained? Role, current skill level, group size."	New hires, beginner level
Business goal	"What business outcome should improve after this training?"	Faster ramp-up time
Duration	"Total time available for training? (hours, days, weeks)"	1 week (5-10 hours total)
Delivery method	"Self-paced, live sessions, blended, or on-the-job?"	Blended (self-paced + live)
Assessment needs	"Do learners need to pass a test, demonstrate a skill, or just complete the material?"	Skill demonstration

GATE: Confirm brief before proceeding.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.