Get the most out of training day: be systematic about finding trainers who understand your business.EXECUTIVE SUMMARY * A CPA (Computer Press Association, Landing, NJ) An earlier membership organization founded in 1983 that promoted excellence in computer journalism. Its annual awards honored outstanding examples in print, broadcast and electronic media. The CPA disbanded in 2000. FIRM THAT'S EXPANDING, with more staff at various professional levels and perhaps scattered Scattered Used for listed equity securities. Unconcentrated buy or sell interest. among different offices, may find it increasingly difficult to manage its training through its human resources The fancy word for "people." The human resources department within an organization, years ago known as the "personnel department," manages the administrative aspects of the employees. department. * A FIRM SHOULD IDENTIFY its long-term goals Long-term goals Financial goals expected to be accomplished in five years or longer. and organize its training around them. It should be clear about its policies and initiatives as well as methodical me·thod·i·cal also me·thod·ic adj. 1. Arranged or proceeding in regular, systematic order. 2. Characterized by ordered and systematic habits or behavior. See Synonyms at orderly. in its development approach. The partners can use needs assessment to decide what training to give and how to proceed. * PARTNERS MUST BE CLEAR about what benchmark skills and attributes the firm's staff members should display at each career stage before choosing training programs to develop them for successive professional levels. Firms should look for gaps in staff competencies or skill sets by office or industry groups served. * OUTSIDE TRAINERS WHO OFFER GENERIC programs without developing and incorporating an understanding of the firm's culture into their presentations won't do the most effective job. * PARTNERS NEED TO ALLOW ENOUGH TIME to vet vet common idiomatic version of veterinarian. trainers by checking their Web sites, interviewing them and talking to Noun 1. talking to - a lengthy rebuke; "a good lecture was my father's idea of discipline"; "the teacher gave him a talking to" lecture, speech rebuke, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, reproval - an act or expression of criticism and censure; "he had to their clients to determine whether their services and style are compatible with CPA firms. * IMPORTANT QUESTIONS INCLUDE: Has the trainer worked with CPAs? Does he or she understand the target market (for example, midmarket companies, regional clients or Fortune 1000 businesses)? Does the trainer understand how the skills he or she teaches will be applied in actual work settings? A good trainer will ask to speak with managers and staff to learn about the firm. You know it will be a long morning when the consummately con·sum·mate tr.v. con·sum·mat·ed, con·sum·mat·ing, con·sum·mates 1. a. To bring to completion or fruition; conclude: consummate a business transaction. b. proficient-looking trainer of the business and marketing strategies session you're attending begins by asking the audience: "Do you know what your customers want?" No, you think, because I have clients, not customers. CPA firms and other professional service providers say outside trainers who understand their culture--or even their special vernacular--are rare. The problem that arises: When firms obtain instruction not tailored to their profession, they may waste money and time--resources better used for billable work and practice development. But don't despair. This article offers tips to help a CPA firm analyze what employees should learn--a process known as needs assessment--and choose trainers appropriate for its staff. HASTE CAN MAKE WASTE Often a workplace crisis or one chronic irritant ir·ri·tant adj. Causing irritation, especially physical irritation. n. A source of irritation. irritant, n 1. an agent that causes an irritation or stimulation. 2. too many will push a firm to make a quick decision to get its people training directed at solving the problem of the moment. For example, a partner may ask the human resources manager to find a public speaking course for a promising senior accountant who lacks confidence in his presentations. Or poor report writing may prompt a frustrated frus·trate tr.v. frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing, frus·trates 1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: principal to insist her staff take a business writing course. Or a disillusioned dis·il·lu·sion tr.v. dis·il·lu·sioned, dis·il·lu·sion·ing, dis·il·lu·sions To free or deprive of illusion. n. 1. The act of disenchanting. 2. The condition or fact of being disenchanted. manager may decide he needs to learn how to conduct successful meetings after a disorganized dis·or·gan·ize tr.v. dis·or·gan·ized, dis·or·gan·iz·ing, dis·or·gan·iz·es To destroy the organization, systematic arrangement, or unity of. , contentious assembly drags on and accomplishes nothing. In reaching for a remedy, be aware that haste can make waste. Fast solutions sometimes help the parties emerge stronger, but generally such efforts are Band-Aids. Instructors for "soft skills" programs (such as public speaking or leadership courses) who don't connect with the CPA culture aren't as effective as those who do. Don't choose a trainer for a nearby office or cheap rates, either. Without a well-thought-out staff development program designed for a firm's long-term objectives, results are likely to be disappointing (see "Firm Up CPA Skills" page 42). SKILLS WANTED Administering effective staff training requires a firm to be clear about its policies and initiatives and methodical about professional development. A firm should start by identifying its strategic goals: Perhaps you want to become the local leader in servicing banking clients within three years or have senior accountants in different segments reach a cross-selling revenue target within a certain time frame. To get there, begin by examining your current training strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis SWOT Analysis A tool that identifies the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of an organization. ) in the goal-setting context. Highlight what your firm does well and where it needs to improve. Create an action plan to train employees in skills that need to be stronger. (For more information see "Strategic Planners Lead the Pack," JofA, Dec.01, page 26 and "Meyners Mines Its Talent," JofA, Sep.02, page 47.) To develop a training program that supports firm goals, partners should discuss--and answer--the following questions: * What are our training-and-development needs? Identify what programs you have in place to develop the skills and attributes needed for each career level. As you inventory your firm's current technical and nontechnical training programs, break them down by professional level, location and industry group. List your training offerings and identify gaps between the firm's expectations and what its education program teaches. Determine the number of training hours each employee gets throughout the year, both internally and externally. * What benchmark skills and attributes do we expect staff to display at each career level (staff, senior-in-charge, manager, senior manager)? Apply well-thought-out competency COMPETENCY, evidence. The legal fitness or ability of a witness to be heard on the trial of a cause. This term is also applied to written or other evidence which may be legally given on such trial, as, depositions, letters, account-books, and the like. 2. benchmarks to each level. Partners should determine skill categories essential for client service (accounting expertise, client relations, leadership ability and technical, communication and management skills, for example) and describe what proficiency pro·fi·cien·cy n. pl. pro·fi·cien·cies The state or quality of being proficient; competence. Noun 1. proficiency - the quality of having great facility and competence at each level looks like (see the exhibit "Competency Benchmarks for CPAs" on page 41). For example, staff-level accountants might show management competency by allotting time productively, asking for clarification on assignments and understanding where a specific task fits into the larger client deliverable. Senior staff's management skills could encompass delegating, explaining an assignment and managing client and staff expectations, for example. A manager or senior manager would be able to assume overall engagement responsibilities including staffing, billing and client satisfaction. * Are there skill gaps for staff in other offices or service niches? Make sure your training program doesn't overlook the needs of staff members who work in regional offices and service niches. Do they meet the firm's competency benchmarks? Construct new training programs or alter existing ones to ensure all your professionals learn the skills you want them to have to serve clients well. * Should we train in more than one way? If your firm relies on only one teaching format (lectures from senior internal staff, outsourced external training at colleges and universities, self-study or on-the-job training) branch into other types of education. Use online training providers and other CPE (Customer Premises Equipment) Communications equipment that resides on the customer's premises. CPE - Customer Premises Equipment opportunities in partnership with local colleges, clients and the community Bringing in ideas from other sources can enliven en·liv·en tr.v. en·liv·ened, en·liv·en·ing, en·liv·ens To make lively or spirited; animate. en·liv  en·er n. your business; it keeps staff more interested and is more
efficient, sources say. Also capture on-the-job training: Recruit some
of your staff members and coach them in effective training techniques so
they can serve as internal instructors. Offer their services both
one-on-one and to groups.* How successful are our training programs? Develop measurement tools to see whether you get what you want from each training program. Use control group studies, impact assessments, cost-benefit analyses and/or management surveys. Systematically track on-the-job accomplishments by surveying supervisors, analyzing performance evaluations Performance evaluation The assessment of a manager's results, which involves, first, determining whether the money manager added value by outperforming the established benchmark (performance measurement) and, second, determining how the money manager achieved the calculated return or using self-assessment questionnaires. Most firms gauge a teaching program's effectiveness solely by asking participants to fill out postsession evaluation forms that rate how well stated objectives have been met. Find out how new information and a trainer's methods affect staff performance as well. The firm needs to know whether benefits outweigh out·weigh tr.v. out·weighed, out·weigh·ing, out·weighs 1. To weigh more than. 2. To be more significant than; exceed in value or importance: The benefits outweigh the risks. costs and whether the desired effects The damage or casualties to the enemy or materiel that a commander desires to achieve from a nuclear weapon detonation. Damage effects on materiel are classified as light, moderate, or severe. Casualty effects on personnel may be immediate, prompt, or delayed. last. Evaluate training efficiency and impact by performing a cost-benefit analysis cost-benefit analysis In governmental planning and budgeting, the attempt to measure the social benefits of a proposed project in monetary terms and compare them with its costs. . Add expenditures for outside trainers, materials, facilities and administrative expenses. If your trainer is a staff member, add other less evident costs such as the opportunity cost of time (the instructor's net hourly billable rate times the total number of training/preparation/travel hours) and staff participants' time. Then assess the effect training has had on employee performance. Business writing instruction should measurably improve a CPA's competency; if the trainee's communications are clearer, he or she should make fewer mistakes and get more work done. If supervisor feedback or staff performance evaluations show this hasn't occurred, then costs outweigh benefits (and you won't want to use that trainer again). * How do we decide when to make changes to our training program, and what changes should we make? Use periodic (annual or semiannual Semiannual An event that occurs twice in a calendar year. Notes: A bond with semiannual coupons would issue payment once every six months. See also: Annual, Bond, Coupon Bond ) needs assessments and analyze surveys to help your firm gauge when economic, industry or firmwide shifts call for adding to the firm's program. Create a training database (a consultant or an internal IT department can do this in Access, for example) that tracks and reports all programs by category, cost, staff level, hours and industry area. Once the firm has such a database, the administrator who oversees training will be able to click a button to generate detailed reports and get guidance for deciding what CPE to add as well as how to construct new programs, develop internal staff trainers or choose outside trainers. * How can we align align (  līn),v to move the teeth into their proper positions to conform to the line of occlusion. our training with the firm's short- and long-term strategic goals? Whether your firm creates a new training program or modifies one that's already in place, use SWOT analysis to make sure its short-term goals support the organization's overall aims. For example, a firm that aspires to be the leading health care advisory firm in its region within three years will need to make sure its training gives its professionals skills that will wow health care clients. HOW TO PICK A TRAINER After a CPA firm decides what its development needs are, the next step is to choose the trainer. A firm should be as organized about selecting one as it is about conducting an audit. Check trainers' Web sites, interview principals and talk to vendors' former clients to determine whether their service and style support your objectives (see "Web Resources," page 43). Make sure the trainer understands how the skills she or he teaches will be applied in actual work settings. Ask whether she or he has worked with CPAs before and find out whether the trainer understands your target market (midmarket companies, regional clients or Fortune 1000 businesses, for example). * Does the trainer offer a one-size-fits-all approach to his or her educational programs? A cookie-cutter approach to training is less effective than one that presents materials specific to CPA firm culture. * Does the trainer express sincere interest in getting to know your firm structure, vocabulary, expectations and goals? Expect a good trainer to ask to speak with several managers and staff and meet with them on-site to learn more about the firm. He or she should obtain and read the organization's client alerts, newsletters and professional publications to better understand its marketplace. A trainer who is committed to serving the needs of accounting professionals will read the business literature you read and will be aware of the issues confronting your firm and its clients. * Does the trainer provide customized case studies, hypothetical Hypothetical is an adjective, meaning of or pertaining to a hypothesis. See:
* Does the trainer tailor programs to the firm's educational and organizational development objectives? Look for trainers who want to know why your firm wants a particular program, where it fits into overall objectives and how they can help the firm achieve broader professional development goals. The trainer should be concerned about your firm's overall approach to training and development--not just one training session. * Does the trainer provide evaluation methods to enable the firm to measure the effectiveness of each training session? Good trainers recognize the importance of accountability and as part of their services offer a measurement system that can capture the success of the training program in meeting stated course goals and evaluating the impact of the program on technical or behavioral change. Recruit a trainer who provides you with the tools to help you account for every professional development dollar. * Does the trainer recognize time constraints In law, time constraints are placed on certain actions and filings in the interest of speedy justice, and additionally to prevent the evasion of the ends of justice by waiting until a matter is moot. and handle most of the administrative details associated with running the program? The less hand-holding the better: You want a trainer who makes his or her own photocopies and brings a laptop Same as laptop computer. laptop - portable computer and supplies, for example. * Is the trainer a problem solver? Does he or she try to find innovative ways to add value, such as conducting a joint training session for key clients and the staff members who work most closely with them? Good trainers act as business partners and suggest ways to solve your firm's problems, increase staff productivity and improve client service. Look for a trainer who is dedicated to serving your firm. RETURN ON INVESTMENT It takes time and patience to put a high-quality professional development program in place, but firms that organize how they want to grow and identify what their staff members need can avoid short-term fixes and be more productive than firms that don't. Careful preparation and clear goals help firms recruit trainers who understand the accounting profession and can impart the skills their people need to propel pro·pel tr.v. pro·pelled, pro·pel·ling, pro·pels To cause to move forward or onward. See Synonyms at push. [Middle English propellen, from Latin the business. Such groundwork also reduces development costs while providing the firm with professionals who are more highly skilled at each career level and, better yet, able to give your clients the excellent, up-to-date service they expect.
Competency Benchmarks for CPAs
Each successive level of expertise incorporates the skill level
as employees learn more and develop within the firm. The left
column indicates the business skill category.
Staff In-charge/senior
Professional Reads and interprets Demonstrates solid
knowledge financial statements; judgment when
performs specific interpreting data;
accounting tasks helps staff to develop
as delegated. professional acumen,
Technical Demonstrates proficiency Trains others on
skills in use of firm-specific/ software applications.
industry-specific
software.
Client Responds quickly to Serves as the primary
relations client inquiries and client contact on
demands; builds engagements; identifies
relationships with peers ways to provide
at client sites; forms additional and better
community/association service to clients;
alliances. reads client industry
publications.
Communication Writes concisely and Writes concisely and
skills coherently; prepares and persuasively; provides
assists in the delivery useful feedback on
of both internal and staff writing; speaks
client presentations; confidently and
demonstrates confidence knowledgeably when
and assertiveness presenting to others.
when interacting with
clients, colleagues and
supervisors.
Management Manages time and Delegates tasks
skills tasks appropriately; appropriately; explains
asks for clarification purpose and goal of
on assignments as each task to staff;
necessary; understands manages staff and
where a specific task client expectations.
fits into the larger
client deliverable.
Leadership Seeks learning Determines personal
ability opportunities; assumes career path at the firm;
responsibility for tasks provides effective
that challenge current coaching and timely
level of ability; takes feedback to develop
calculated risks. staff.
Manager Senior manager
Professional Stays current on Develops expertise
knowledge regulatory and industry in a particular industry
changes affecting or service area;
clients. identifies ways to share
knowledge firmwide.
Technical Identifies ways to Shares technical
skills manipulate technical best practices
software to meet firmwide.
client needs.
Client Takes responsibility Speaks frequently at
relations for client satisfaction; conferences and writes
takes a leadership articles for trade
role in professional publications; meets
and community or exceeds firm
organizations; identifies benchmark for revenue
and sells client generation; develops
service opportunities. the client service skills
of the team.
Communication Reviews and develops Identifies overall
skills staff writing and strengths and
speaking skills; weaknesses of team
defuses conflict and communication skills
confrontation and and recommends
develops a high- individual and collective
performing team improvement plans;
of staff members; serves as a model for
speaks confidently and effective writing,
persuasively to clients. speaking and
interpersonal
communication.
Management Assumes overall Develops the
skills project management management and
responsibility, including supervisory skills of
staffing, billing and the team; ensures
client satisfaction. overall work-product
quality, including
efficient allocation of
billable time and
resources.
Leadership Recognizes talents and Serves as a role model
ability weaknesses of staff for leading a successful
and intervenes with engagement team;
constructive feedback monitors both formal
and action plans as and informal
appropriate, performance feedback
processes to ensure
effective staff
development.
Source: Point of Action, Boston, www.pointofaction.net.
A Popular Perk In a recent survey, 81% of responding firms said they preferred to invest in career-related continuing education continuing education: see adult education. continuing education or adult education Any form of learning provided for adults. In the U.S. the University of Wisconsin was the first academic institution to offer such programs (1904). for employees over all other types of benefits. Web Resources The following organizations offer training in a number of different disciplines. * 1 to 1 Coaching. Business, executive and life coaching  This article needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling.You can assist by [ editing it] now. training, books, articles and other coaching resources. www.1to1-coaching.com. * 360-Degree Feedback. The process in which you evaluate yourself on a set of criteria, your manager evaluates you, as do your peers and direct reports. www.360-degreefeedback.com. * Academy of Coaching. Offers a 10-month program to become a certified See certification. management effectiveness In management, the ultimate measure of management's performance is the metric of management effectiveness which includes:
www.academyofcoaching.com. * BPR (Business Process Reengineering) See reengineering. BPR - Business Process Re-engineering Online Learning Center. A learning center for reengineering teams. Provides change management resources, benchmarking and best practices. www.prosci.com. * Cornell Management Simulation, For business students, offers executive seminars, not-for-profit training. Participants play against other teams, not the computer. Can be used as standalone stand·a·lone adj. Self-contained and usually independently operating: a standalone computer terminal. training or with other materials. www.cms-training.com. * CyberU. Comprehensive guide to online management courses with a broad selection of accredited accredited recognition by an appropriate authority that the performance of a particular institution has satisfied a prestated set of criteria. accredited herds cattle herds which have achieved a low level of reactors to, e.g. classes and learning resources in all facets of management. http://management.cyberu.com. * Digital Distance. E-learning that addresses corporate and professional competency, growth and certification. Consumer education courses online. Demo courses and free online resources. www.digitaldistance.com. * Hay Resources Direct. Provides self-scoring assessment tools on areas such as competency, learning, management development and values. http://trgmcber.haygroup.com. * HR Outfitters. Teaches organizations to meet training, development and human resource challenges with leadership and sales training products, as well as related consulting services Noun 1. consulting service - service provided by a professional advisor (e.g., a lawyer or doctor or CPA etc.) service - work done by one person or group that benefits another; "budget separately for goods and services" . www.hroutfitters.com/training.htm. * Initiative Tasks & Leadership Training. Includes icebreaker icebreaker, ship of special hull design and wide beam, with relatively flat bottom, designed to force its way through ice. When the icebreaker charges into the ice at full speed, its sharply inclined bow, meeting the edge of the ice, rises upon it, and the weight of exercises, warm-ups, games, group work activities, trust activities and initiative tasks for group work and leadership training for all ages. www.geocities.com/initiativetasks. * Instigo.com. Management seminars delivered live on the Web using audio streaming See streaming audio. technology. www.instigo.com. * IOMA IOMA Institute of Management and Administration IOMA Instituto de Obra Médico Asistencial (de la Provincia de Buenos Aires; Spanish) IOMA International Oxidative Medicine Association IOMA International Online Music Awards .com. This Institute of Management Administration site contains free articles on all aspects of business management, including how to manage a specific department, how to handle employer/employee relationships, how to save money on technology and more. www.ioma.com. * J.J. Oehler Corp. Coordinates with your business to train employees and document performance in many subject areas and industries. www.trng.com. * Know Me. Interactive board games This is a list of board games. This page classifies board games according to the concerns which might be uppermost for someone organizing a gaming event or party. See the article on game classification for other alternatives, or see for a list of board game articles. that are training tools for team building, managing change and developing trust and relationships. www.knowmegame.com. * Learning Circuits. Presents a monthly suite of feature articles, departments and columns that examine new technologies and how they are being applied for workplace learning. www.learningcircuits.com. * Manage Train Learn. Provides e-learning courses and online management training. You can test-drive e-learning courses. www.managetrainlearn.com. * ManagementLearning.com. Tutorials and readings on leadership, delegation, behavior and communication. Interactive learning for aspiring as·pire intr.v. as·pired, as·pir·ing, as·pires 1. To have a great ambition or ultimate goal; desire strongly: aspired to stardom. 2. and practicing managers alike. www.managementlearning.com. * Managers Forum. Web-based training/online learning tools for sales, management and leadership. http://managersforum.com. * MasteryWorks Inc. Provides talent management systems and Web-based tools that enhance leadership skills and position organizations to achieve a competitive edge. www.masteryworks.com. * Mega Learning. Offers experiential ex·pe·ri·en·tial adj. Relating to or derived from experience. ex·pe  ri·en learning through business
simulation Business simulation is simulation used for business training or analysis. It can be scenario-based or numeric-based, and it sometimes involves simulation games on personal computers or board games. training modules.www.megalearning.com. * Sique.com. Offers synchronous Refers to events that are synchronized, or coordinated, in time. For example, the interval between transmitting A and B is the same as between B and C, and completing the current operation before the next one is started are considered synchronous operations. Contrast with asynchronous. and asynchronous Refers to events that are not synchronized, or coordinated, in time. The following are considered asynchronous operations. The interval between transmitting A and B is not the same as between B and C. The ability to initiate a transmission at either end. online learning programs. www.sique.com. * WorkTracks. Explores workplace issues facing new supervisors and managers, offering guidance on these key issues to help define your management style: ethics ethics, in philosophy, the study and evaluation of human conduct in the light of moral principles. Moral principles may be viewed either as the standard of conduct that individuals have constructed for themselves or as the body of obligations and duties that a , hiring, firing and teamwork (product, software, tool) Teamwork - A SASD tool from Sterling Software, formerly CADRE Technologies, which supports the Shlaer/Mellor Object-Oriented method and the Yourdon-DeMarco, Hatley-Pirbhai, Constantine and Buhr notations. . www.worktracks.com. MAP the Way Practitioner's Symposium, the AICPA AICPA See American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). practice management conference, June 8-11, 2003, highlights many development issues. For more information, go to www.aicpa.org or www.cpa2biz biz n. Informal Business. biz Noun Informal business Noun 1. .com. RELATED ARTICLE: Firm up CPA skills. Needs assessment tools Growing firms that have personnel at different levels, in regional offices or in niche markets A niche market also known as a target market is a focused, targetable portion (subset) of a market sector. By definition, then, a business that focuses on a niche market is addressing a need for a product or service that is not being addressed by mainstream providers. may find it a challenge to stay on top of staff members' needs to learn new skills or strengthen core competencies A core competency is something that a firm can do well and that meets the following three conditions specified by Hamel and Prahalad (1990):
CAT--which a firm or an individual can use to identify business strengths or where growth and skills are needed--offers competency models for fraud prevention, detection and investigation; audit; business and industry/new finance; government; personal financial planning Financial planning Evaluating the investing and financing options available to a firm. Planning includes attempting to make optimal decisions, projecting the consequences of these decisions for the firm in the form of a financial plan, and then comparing future performance against ; and Eldercare/PrimePlus. A user can employ the CAT to assess his or her level of proficiency in a functional specialty, a broad business perspective, leadership qualities and personal attributes. For more information, go to www.aicpa.org or www.cpa2biz.com. Organizations These organizations provide valuable online resources related to staff development: * The American Society for Training & Development (ASTD ASTD American Society for Training and Development ASTD American Society of Training and Development (Alexandria, Virginia) ASTD Air-Sea Temperature Difference ASTD Air Supported Threat Defense ), www.astd.org. * The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM SHRM Society for Human Resource Management SHRM Saw Horse Roof Mount (construction) ), www.shrm.org. KERRY McDONALD is president of Point of Action, a Boston consulting company Noun 1. consulting company - a firm of experts providing professional advice to an organization for a fee consulting firm business firm, firm, house - the members of a business organization that owns or operates one or more establishments; "he worked for a that trains professional services (job) professional services - A department of a supplier providing consultancy and programming manpower for the supplier's products. staff. McDonald's e-mail address See Internet address. e-mail address - electronic mail address is kmcdonald@pointofaction.net; her organization's Web site is www.pointofaction.net. |
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