---
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.

---

## Core Principle

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

---

## 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.**

---

## 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.**

---

## 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

---

## 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.

---

## 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

---

## 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.

---

## 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.
