Standards of Performance Technology

There are 10 Standards of Performance Technology: Standards 1 “4 reflect the four basic principles that underlie all successful performance improvement efforts; Standards 5 “10 represent a systematic process for implementing the four principles. The following section briefly describes each of the Standards and suggests some potential examples and outputs.

PT practitioners who have earned the CPT designation provided the following comments. These comments and more are on www.certifiedpt.org.

"...the certification is an indication for me to show others that people in our profession aspire to high standards..."

Debbie Simpson, CPT, Texas Instruments, DFAB Training Manager

"When clients ask about the CPT designation, I have an opportunity to explain my systemic approach to solving their performance problems. I find this distinction sets me apart from other organizational consultants .

Jeanne Strayer, CPT, Performance Solutions Group

"The first time I showed the CPT designation to a client, he said, 'What the heck (edited version) is that?' After I explained what it meant , he was intrigued, saying, 'It's about time you got some standards and rigor into your profession.' Then I told him that there always were standards and rigor, but now you will know if the HPTer in front of you practices the standards with rigor. Now he was very intrigued."

Miki Lane, CPT, Senior Partner, MVM Communications

"CPT signifies that the HPT field is maturing, and recognizing its accomplishments in establishing an important body of knowledge and principles for practice. My CPT signifies a commitment to mastering and contributing to that body of knowledge. The CPT assures my clients that my practices represent the state of the art, based on sound principles and ethics."

Rob Foshay, PhD, CPT, Vice President - Instructional Design and Quality Control, PLATO Learning, Inc.

"Watch the charlatans and one-week-workshop-wonders quiver as the real CPTs arrive ."

Kenneth H. Silber, PhD, CPT, Associate Professor, Educational Technology, Research and Assessment, Northern Illinois University.

"Certification as a Performance Technologist says you know how to make it happen. You can get the results."

John Amarant, CPT, Principal, Vanguard Consulting

The Standards are as follows :

Performance Standard 1: Focus on Outcomes

Focusing on outcomes and results helps your clients focus and validate the vision, mission, and business goals of the organization and client. You determine what it is you are trying to solve by focusing on accomplishments and what will be measured or accepted as evidence that the business need was met. Examples may include helping clients reach consensus on what outcomes add value or conducting thorough performance analyses (operational, environmental, gap).

Performance Standard 2: Take a Systems View

Look at situations systemically taking into consideration the larger context including competing pressures, resources constraints, and anticipated change. Taking a systems view is essential because organizations are complex, dynamic systems that affect organizational and group performance. A systems approach considers the larger environment that affects processes and other work. You consider alignment issues and determine areas of leverage affecting work, worker, and workplace. Examples may include considering the larger environment when you analyze, design, develop, implement, and evaluate a plan; or modeling systems thinking to address business needs.

Performance Standard 3: Add Value

Adding value is inextricably related to how you do the work and the work itself. Value is the constant at the heart of all important ideas concerning strategy and management. When you approach your work systematically with passion and thoroughness, you add value. You paint a landscape that will help your clients fully understand the implications of their choices, set appropriate measures, identify barriers and tradeoffs, and take control. Examples may include focusing on issues that matter to clients, or presenting facts and evidence related to problems, opportunities, and changes.

Performance Standard 4: Work in Partnership with Clients and Other Specialists

Utilize partnerships or collaborate with clients and other experts as required. The essence of partnership is collaboration involving all stakeholders, as well as experts and specialists in the fact-finding, planning, and decision processes. Working collaboratively means leveraging the expertise and influence of others while trusting and respecting each other's knowledge and expertise. Solid listening and communicating skills are paramount. Examples may include establishing relationships with clients by including all stakeholders and other specialists in identifying business needs and making decisions; or working toward common goals and using energy to find solutions to potential problems, opportunities, and challenges.

Performance Standard 5: Be Systematic ”Needs or Opportunity Analysis

Be systematic in all aspects of the process including the assessment of the need or opportunity. Needs or opportunity analysis examines the current situation at any level to identify the external and internal pressures affecting it with the ultimate goal of aligning the client's activities and priorities. In a systematic way, you determine the type of functional analysis required and develop a plan or process for conducting it in collaboration with your client. Based on output, a business case is built for action or non-action. Examples may include determining the scope of the analysis including objectives, personnel, data requirements, sources, uses, tools, and time frames ; or determining hypotheses regarding why the current situation at any level (society, organizational, process or work group) exists. The output is a statement describing the current state, the projected future state, and the rationale or business case for action or non-action.

Performance Standard 6: Be Systematic ”Cause Analysis

Cause analysis is about working in collaboration with your client to determine why a gap exists between desired and actual performance or performance expectations. Examples of causes for poor performance are lack of the knowledge or skill required to perform successfully or insufficient feedback from managers and supervisors. The output of cause analysis is a statement of why performance is not happening or will not happen without some intervention.

Performance Standard 7: Be Systematic ”Design

Design is about identifying the key attributes of a solution to the performance problem. You, as the performance improvement specialist, will identify and describe one or more performance improvement interventions in detail. Examples of designing performance improvement interventions may include designing a blueprint for an education and/or training program to improve the knowledge or skill level of performers; or redesigning a job, process, or system.

The output is a communication that describes the features, attributes, and elements of your recommended performance problem solution and the resources required to actualize it:

• What intervention(s) do you recommend? Why?

• What will be required to develop and implement the intervention(s)?

• Which is preferred? Why?

Performance Standard 8: Be Systematic ”Development

Development is about creating or acquiring some or all of the elements of the solution. You may choose to do it personally or as part of a team, or you might outsource the effort. Examples of elements that may need to be developed include training materials for instructors and participants tools; or techniques to support a new or re-engineered process; the physical components for a redesigned workspace; or changes in policy or procedures for HRD practices such as hiring, retention, compensation, or benefits. The output is a complete performance intervention (product, process, system, or technology with all its elements and components ) that is ready for implementation.

Performance Standard 9: Be Systematic ”Implementation

Implementation is about deploying the solution and managing the change required to sustain the solution. In general, you help clients adopt new behaviors or use new or different tools. Examples of development activities may include helping the client track change, identify and respond to problems, communicate the results, and make recommendations for continuous improvement; or train people who will deliver the training; or assist the target audience in adopting the new behaviors, executing the new process, or using the new tools. The desired output is an implementation strategy that supports changes in or adoption of behaviors that are believed to produce the anticipated results or benefits.

Performance Standard 10: Be Systematic ”Evaluation

Evaluation is about measuring the efficiency and effectiveness of what you did, how you did it, and the degree to which the solution produced the desired results so you can compare the cost incurred to the benefits gained . This Standard involves identifying and acting on opportunities throughout the systematic process to identify measures and capture data that will help identify the results of the program in terms of merit and value to the worker, work, work environment, and organization environment. Examples of actions you may take during evaluation include evaluating the results of a program or project by gathering data and comparing what you find to some standard, goal, or client expectation; or modeling the importance of evaluation by evaluating your own methods and processes. The output is an evaluation report that documents the evaluation process and findings and makes recommendations for future improvement.