Project Alignment:

The first phase of Front-End Analysis (FEA) is a project alignment.

 

The purpose of a project alignment is to determine what the exact needs of the requesting manager are; this will form the basis for precisely measuring the success of the overall project.

 

Most frequently, requests are made based on “wants” or interventions that will not in and of themselves meet the business goals of the requesting manager.  The most common of these types of requests is a request for training when the total solution will require modifying the motivation system (e.g., people are rewarded for doing the wrong thing and/or punished for doing the right thing) and/or some other non-training support (e.g., tools are needed, the work design is inefficient, inputs are unavailable, etc.).

 

During the alignment phase, the analyst determines exactly what is being requested and what the final business result of the overall project should be, based on the client’s needs.  This need is determined as a function of what is not being produced, i.e., what measurable results the manager is not getting from personnel on the job.  This also forms the basis for calculating the return on investment (ROI) for the project.

 

Since projects never occur in a “perfect world,” during the alignment the analyst also determines what parameters will govern and constrain the conduct of the project.  Examples of parameters and constraints include: deadlines, regulations, safety aspects, political aspects, unwritten rules of the organization that must be followed during the analysis of the project, the people who will assist in terms of scheduling appointments and getting materials, and any areas that are specifically prohibited from being examined or investigated during the analysis.

 

A key element of the alignment is to determine which employees produce the results to standard.  These employees are the ones who will be analyzed to find out exactly how they produce the results that their processes can be documented and then provided either to new employees or current employees who are not producing the result to standard.  If there is no employee who is producing results to standards, then the mastery performance will be evolved.

 

The final result of the alignment phase of the project is for the analyst to clearly understand and have agreement with the client (the requesting manager) as to exactly what will be produced at the end of the project.

 

Examples of accomplishments to be produced at the end of the project include such things as:

 

• Employees who, at the end of a training program, are competent to produce job-relevant results

• Equipment operating to specifications after a malfunction

• Maximum time between failure of systems or equipment

• Customers who understand the limitations of a system

• Customer complaints at or below a maximum number

• Sales of products and services

• Production and/or quality at or above a specified standard

• Revenue/profit/costs at specified levels

 

During the project alignment, the analyst will determine if the results the requesting manager wants involves new performance for current employees or by new employees.  If so, a New Performance Planning Front-End Analysis will be done.  If the results management wants are to be produced by current employees doing processes and activities they have done in the past but are now doing below standards, a Diagnostic Front-End Analysis will be done to determine the causes and recommend solutions.