Professional Development Becoming an agile employee through continuous learning and improvement Some of the material in this presentation was drawn from

Professional Development

Becoming an agile employee through

continuous learning and improvement

Some of the material in this presentation was drawn from the following sources:• http://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=Director,%20Business%20Process%20Management&l=Cali

fornia• http://www.bpmpartners.com/bpmcentral_thebpmjobsboard.shtml• http://www.monster.com• http://www.abpmp.org/jobbank.cfm• http://www.simplyhired.com/a/jobs/list/q-business+process+manager/l-California• http://www.odinjobs.com/BPM_job_market_overview.html• http://www.bpmenterprise.com/jobs/

What is Professional Development?

Professional development is the series of activities a person undertakes to attain skills and knowledge for both personal development and career advancement

It encompasses all types of facilitated learning opportunities, ranging from college degrees to formal coursework, conferences and informal learning opportunities gained through experience

It has been described as intensive and collaborative, ideally incorporating an evaluative (assessment) stage

There are a variety of approaches to professional development, including consultation, coaching, participation in communities of practice, lesson study, mentoring, reflective supervision and technical assistance

BA 553: Business Process Management 2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_development, accessed 26 March 2012.

Pursuing Professional Development As MBA students, some of you will end up working a company’s HR

program

One of the goals of any HR program is to ensure that employees are sufficiently skilled to do their jobs, and are up to date with technology and methods used to develop the company’s products and services

Because of this, many organizations have a formal professional development program, including a requirement for professional development plans (PDPs) as part of the performance review process

However, the items in these plans are often not “stretch” goals, as they are tied to employee evaluations and bonuses

In addition, these plans are often only related to development activities that enhance your current role, or possibly your next role – they don’t focus on your career in its entirety

Therefore, it is crucial that you consider developing and maintaining your own professional development plan


Keep in Mind When Creating Your PDP

1. It’s up to you:

As mentioned on the previous slide, you should take responsibility for developing your own PDP

For those who happen to have bigger goals that don’t involve working for the company, the company PDP is pretty meaningless

Even if your company helps you develop a plan, it’s always a smart idea to create one of your own – it helps you identify and take action on growing the skills needed to achieve your true long-term career goals, whether or not they involve your current company


Next 2 pgs: Scivicque, C. (2011). “Creating Your Professional Development Plan: 3 Surprising Truths”, accessed 26 March 2012. http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2011/06/21/creating-your-professional-development-plan-3-surprising-truths/.

Keep in Mind When Creating Your PDP (Cont’d.)

2. It’s never final:

A PDP is not written in stone. It can -- and should -- be revised on regular basis. Goals shift, people change, circumstances present new challenges and opportunities - as a growing professional, you have to remain nimble

Once you have a plan, it can be revised - regular review is an essential component of any PDP so, as things change, you can make adjustments

In addition, as you see change on the horizon, you can proactively plan for it, thereby driving your career rather than sitting in the passenger seat


Keep in Mind When Creating Your PDP (Cont’d.)

3. It’s never done:

You never “get there” with regard to professional development

As with BPM, you achieve your milestone targets, but then set new targets so progress can continue

If you want to continue moving forward in your career, you must continue growing your skills

Learning is a lifelong process, and your PDP is a career-long tool. As long as you’re a professional, your PDP will be a big component of your Career Success Toolkit


Steps in Creating Your PDP

Professional Development is really about learning and improvement. As with any improvement effort, professional development follows the P2DCA cycle (purpose-plan-do-check-act).

1.Identify your goals: areas to be included in your PDP:

Visualize your future and determine where you’d like to be and what you’d like to be doing in 5, 10, 15 years

Make sure you have “SMART” goals:

Specific (not something vague, but something concrete)

Measurable (have a way to measure that you got there)

Attainable (you have or can get the tools or skills needed)

Realistic (something that can be achieved in the timeframe)

Time-bound/Timely (a specific timeframe in which it will be achieved)


Steps in Creating Your PDP2. Identify development areas to help you achieve the goals:

Skills and knowledge Degrees or professional certifications Experience Relationships Personal attributes or qualities, such as:

Communication skills Ability to influence others Ability to manage difficult conversations or employees Tolerance for stress, ambiguity, and change Time management ability Visioning and strategic thinking ability Motivation, enthusiasm, energy Introspection (objectively identifying your own strengths and weaknesses) –

the MBTI and the learning styles assessments were examples of this

3. Assess your current status in each of the development areas



4. Lay out a plan for getting there (see examples in course handouts):

Document the needed items in the form of activities, including any activities involving others

Develop a Gantt chart (schedule)

Identify which items need to wait (due to your financial situation, family situation, availability of your support network, or other ongoing activities such as school)

Identify which items need to be done before others

Document these in the schedule, with realistic timelines

Adjust the schedule as you make progress



5. Work the plan, and update or modify it as needed:

Get started on your activities – do what you can right now

Measure progress against the plan and modify it if the timeframes or activities need to be changed

Add new goals: as you move through your life, you will find that you identify new aspirations – add these to your PDP

Continue to re-examine your existing goals: if the goals change, develop a new plan to achieve them


Some Professional Development Activities

Formal educationGet an advanced degreeGet a degree in another fieldTake “continuing education” courses for CEU credits

Non-university learning opportunitiesAttend online workshopAttend conferences or seminars: after the seminar, report to your boss or other people in your organization, what the most important things are that you learned from the programRead professional and academic literature related to your subject, as well as other areas of interestJoin online forums and groups – read the blogs and respond to themObtain certifications in areas related to your field

For all learning experiences, whether it is reading, seeing, thinking or attending, apply the R2A2 formula to the learning areas: Recognize, Relate, Assimilate, and Apply - these actions will help you grow in the direction of your goals


Some Professional Development Activities

ExperienceDo a CPT or internshipVolunteer for new tasks in your workplace (e.g., improvement teams)Ask for and accept lateral moves in the company to learn about the entire operation (Chevron example, HP example)Request temporary assignments to other units or departments in the companyParticipate in your company’s mentor program: request a mentor if there is no programRequest work on projects requiring coordination across the organizationConduct a “lessons learned” assessment for a failed projectWork in different sorts of organizations to get broader experience

NetworkingJoin professional societies in fields related to your career, as well as areas of interestJoin a Community of PracticeWrite a published paper, speak at a conference, or do keynote speech for a local groupJoin a community organization as a Board member or Council memberDevelop a "master mind" group of four or five people with whom you can openly discuss ideas in a nonjudgmental way


Life Development Plan

You can use this same approach for achieving whatever you want in your life

Some sites refer to these as “personal development plans”

They include more than just career information:

Family planning choices Travel experiences Physical health goals Financial goals Social goals (e.g., new hobbies or friendships)


The Professor’s ExampleFormal educationBachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems EngineeringMaster of Science in Systems Engineering ManagementPhD in Management

Other learning opportunitiesCertified Project Management Professional (PMP), PMICertified Manager of Quality and Organizational Excellence, ASQCertified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP), INCOSE Teaching courses at SVU, and helping with faculty development at SVUMember of multiple professional internet groups in my field: Co-chair of Infrastructure Working Group of International Council on Systems Engineering

(INCOSE) Produced pamphlet in January on the Application of Systems Engineering in DesignMember of multiple professional internet groups: IQPC BPM Institute LinkedIn: Lean Six Sigma group, iSix Sigma Network, BP Group, Process Excellence (PEX)

Network, Organization Development (OD) Network, TRIZ and Innovation group, Operational Excellence group, Systems Thinking group


The Professor’s Example (Cont’d.)

Experience

Worked as an industrial engineer, process improvement consultant, trainer, change management consultant, professor, quality assurance manager

Worked with organizations in various industries: electric power, middle school education, health care, high tech manufacturing, software, oil and gas, defense, construction

Worked with organizations from many countries: USA, UK, Italy, China, Singapore, Thailand

Networking

Senior member of the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) and its Construction Division subgroup

Member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) Silicon Valley chapter, and various related Communities of Practice within PMI

Member of American Society for Quality (ASQ)



Networking (Cont’d.)

Author or co-author of multiple published papers and articles:



Networking (Cont’d.)

Speaker at numerous conferences:


ASEE = American Society of Electrical EngineersASQ = American Society for QualityCCCMHA = California Council of Community Mental Health AgenciesEUCI = Electric Utility Consultants, Inc.

EPRI = Electric Power Research InstituteIIE = Institute of Industrial EngineersNCOSE = National Council on Systems EngineeringOMMI = Operation Maintenance and Materials IssuesSWE = Society of Women Engineers

LEGEND:

Documents

Professional Development Becoming an agile employee through continuous learning and improvement Some of the material in this presentation was drawn from