HPT Process (.pdf) or (.gif)

Non-Instructional Interventions

Instructional Interventions

The Future

References

Links

Human Performance Technology (HPT)...  What is it?

Thousands of pages have been written to describe what HPT is.  Summarizing it is difficult but practical.  Therefore, in 30 seconds or less, how could one describe HPT?  

Human Performance Technology is... the systematic analysis of how people perform their work, the search for improvement opportunities, and the design, development, and implementation of solutions that help people be more efficient, effective, and successful in their work accomplishments.  Improvement possibilities may result from performance deficiencies or simply better work practices.  Solutions may consist of training or instruction, of effective use of job aids or better tools, of job reorganization, and of many other ways of eliminating barriers to people's highest potential for accomplishment.

As a relatively new professional field of study, many different definitions can be found for HPT.  ISPI, the professional organization from which HPT draws much of its origins, offers a similar but more in-depth definition of HPT.

Another process model is taught by experts in the HPT field as well  The performance process model shown below is similar to the model ISPI proposes, as well as to the general ADDIE model that is a foundation of most instructional design courses.

When it comes to delivering, HPT offers the promise/possibility of:

• Alternative solutions to more complex problems (more than just a training solution)
• Increased productivity
• Emphasis on measurable outcomes
• A more systematic and systemic approach
• More comprehensive

Alright, this HPT stuff sounds interesting.  Where does the process start?

The highlights of the ISPI HPT process model are as follows:

• Performance Analysis (environmental or operational) => quantifies a performance gap
• Cause Analysis => investigate to understand why the gap exists
• <= Evaluation throughout process => to ensure being on the right track
• Intervention Selection and Design => this is the culmination of the previous steps
• Intervention Implementation and Change => putting the intervention in place

Since Analysis is the first step in every model, it warrants further discussion.  There are several common practices for how and where to start analysis.  Joe Harless (1983), widely credited with coining the term Front-End Analysis, lays out a clear sequence for identifying and isolating performance problems:

A valuable tool during the analysis phase is the Needs Assessment.  The question of why to conduct a needs assessment is nicely addressed by Liebler, Parkman, and VanKampan in this excerpt from their newsletter article (http://www.cepworldwide.com/newsletter/newsletter_issue_2_3.html):

Why conduct a needs assessment?

Needs assessments can serve as a valuable tool to help manage the rapid changes taking place within organizations today - including mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring, downsizing, globalization, and technological advances, just to name a few. Needs assessments are appropriate when:

• You have been asked to implement a training solution;
• You have been asked to help with a performance issue; or
• Your organization is implementing a change that will have a large impact on one or more areas.

Once a thorough analysis is complete, the HPT professional should have adequate information to go about selecting the appropriate intervention(s) necessary to address the performance gap.

At the heart of all work HPT professionals engage in, lies a requirement for ethical fortitude.  The integrity and reputation of HPT as a profession relies on each practitioner to understand the difficult nuances that can sometimes be present in this field and act in an ethical manner.  ISPI provides a helpful tool for the HP technologist to refer to when considering standards of business practice and conduct.  This document can be used as a reference or job aid for clarifying the ISPI standard of performance and conduct.

The practice of HPT is complex and difficult.  No one HPT professional is capable of mastering everything in this field, even though it is relatively new.  Specialization is becoming more common. Practitioners find it necessary and beneficial to collaborate, share ideas, work together, and build teams in order to meet the demands that clients bring.  Online communities for HPT consultants to exchange ideas and help each other are become more common.  ASTD offers just such a community of practice site for consultants and  HPT professionals.

The remainder of this guide will provide more depth on instructional and non-instructional interventions.

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