Context & Conditions:

“Wasted Resources: A Human Performance Analysis of the Printing Process in the General Computer Lab at the Watson School of Education,” a performance improvement analysis, was completed in the summer of 2006 in partial fulfillment of a course entitled: MIT 502: The Systematic Approach to Performance Improvement. Under the guidance of Dr. Arnold Murdock this analysis was conducted in response to a substantial increase in the amount of toner, paper, and maintenance costs in a Watson School of Education computer lab.

Scope:

The performance analysis identified the gap between what “should be happening” and what “is” actually occurring. A project plan was completed which covered all aspects of the performance improvement plan including: a perception analysis, a performance analysis, performance intervention strategies (for each of the four levels), a feasibility analysis, and an evaluation plan. This project was completed during one summer session.

Role:

As a performance technologist I conducted the performance analysis and created the performance improvement plan. I researched the organizational structure and conducted interviews and performance observations. The performance analysis identified the gap between the “actuals” and “optimals.” The performance improvement plan defined a budget, schedule, and the resources needed to close the gap. 

Reflection:

This course oriented me to and allowed me to explore the fascinating field of performance technology. Instead of assuming training to be the solution to any problem this course broadened my horizons and required me to look at a problem as a performance issue that can be solved in a number of ways, one of which being training.