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PCCA Journal|2

nd

Quarter 2010

30

quadrants: 1) Need is high/Skill is low, 2) Need is

high/Skill is high, 3) Need is low/Skill is high, and 4)

Need is low/Skill is low. This provides a framework for

how to focus your people-development thinking. The

tasks with high need and low skill level (quadrant 1)

should get your first dollars. However, also consider

the tasks in other quadrants. Even if your people are

good at something, when the cost of failure or loss

is high, training is imperative. Now fill in quadrant 1

(See Exhibit 3). Some topics that are common across

the industry are pre-bid evaluation, pre-job planning,

job start-up, short interval planning, job cost analysis,

productivity feedback, change order management, job

status review, closeout, and post-construction review.

Consider your target audience. One size does not

fit all when it comes to effective training. The content

should vary by job title. Field staff use different skills

and knowledge than project managers. Senior project

managers need more business and people management

skills than the project managers they manage. The

senior team has to deal with broader industry issues

than the mid-level managers, so their training focus

should be different. The delivery method should vary

by job level, also. As you move from field to office,

the training methods and content should reflect those

changing audiences. For example, meetings manage-

ment training has a different focus if the audience is

a group of superintendents versus senior executives.

Although there are some common practices, field staff

generally require training examples directly applicable

to the field environment or they will not use them. A

daily huddle meeting is very different from a quarterly

financial review.

The training should be industry-specific and practi-

cal. The issues that field managers face in construction

are very different from those experienced by their peers

in manufacturing or technology. For example, generic

meetings management training will not be as effective

as construction-specific meetings management train-

ing designed specifically for field staff. They will more

easily relate to the curriculum, see the application, and

use it more effectively if they can see how it directly

applies to what they do everyday. Choosing the most

targeted, focused training programs will extend your

training dollar and give you the greatest return. Exhibit

4 helps illustrate this concept. Furthermore, there are

market sectors within the construction industry such as

heavy civil, specialty, and general contracting, and the

development needs of each level within each industry

sector can vary widely. Find content and material that

speaks to the right level and group to be most effective.

After you define the focus of your training, do not

waste it on a poor delivery. Invest in a high-quality

training and development program. Consider important

adult learning characteristics before you decide on who

and how to train your people. Some of the characteris-

tics of great learning experiences include:

Relevant, real-life, and practical

Good leader/trainer/teacher

Challenging learning environment

Creative, unique, and interactive delivery

All learning styles (visual, auditory, written, kines-

thetic) impact design and delivery;

Participants are moved in some way, often to take

certain actions

Fun—learning should be fun, especially for adults

Investing in targeted, experiential training is the

greatest risk-reducing investment in a tight, competi-

tive market. Determine the highest returns on your

training dollars. When the training is strategically

An Upside to the Downturn

Continued from page 28

The Need/Skill Matrix

1

2

4

3

Need is High

Need is Low

Low Skill

High Skill

Exhibit 2

Training Focus

1

2

4

3

Need is High

Need is Low

Low Skill

High Skill

Sample Quadrant 1 Items

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t +PC 4UBSU 6Q

t 4IPSU *OUFSWBM 1MBOOJOH

t +PC $PTU "OBMZTJT

t 1SPEVDUJWJUZ 'FFECBDL

t $IBOHF 0SEFS .BOBHFNFOU

t +PC 4UBUVT 3FWJFX

t $MPTFPVU

t 1PTU $POTUSVDUJPO 3FWJFX

The Need/Skill Matrix

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