Human Capital Development

Issues Issue #1: Funding Issue #2: Tools Available Issue #3: Leadership Involvement Issue #4: Policy and Guidance Issue #5: Insufficiently Developed Workforce Issue #6: Succession Planning

Issue #1: Funding Strategic Gap: Funding obstacles impede employee and workforce development Strategy: 1. Make employee training a leadership priority 2. Full-Time Training Coordinator at each Division/District 3. Dedicate 5% of the labor costs to annual workforce development (separate line item to include travel and labor costs)

Issue #1: Funding Obstacles: Development is not considered a priority by leadership USACE is a reimbursable organization and costs (i.e. time not allocated to a project) may hurt the customer Inconsistent distribution of training dollars within the organization

Issue #1: Funding Required Resources: ATMP/USACE Learning Network Primary Training Coordinator position (Full-time) Metric: 90% of training dollars allocated and utilized for employee development 100% of IDPs completed by employees and approved by supervisor Every employee will complete 100% of mandatory training

Issue #2: Tools Available Strategic Gap: People are not aware of tools and processes available/not available for development Strategy: 1. HQUSACE should develop an employee development website to include employee development and training information (i.e. tools and processes available) 2. Establish a Training Coordinator at the MSC and/or District level to keep workforce aware of training tools and opportunities

Obstacles: Lack of communication to the workforce Lack of workforce time to research opportunities Lack of guidance at the MSC, HQ, and District levels Required Resources: ATMP/USACE Learning Network Primary Training Coordinator position (Full-time) Guidance at the HQ, MSC, and District levels Issue #2: Tools Available

Metric: Training Coordinator position at MSC level and/or District within one year of mandate Measure current data within the tools available as linked ATMP and the Learning Network

Issue #3: Leadership Involvement Strategic Gap or Issue: Leaders/managers do not consistently communicate with employees about their development and that limits effective performance, satisfaction, and retention Strategies: – Development/training program for managers that requires meeting several times during the year. To keep them updated on current sources of development. To emphasize and demonstrate the benefits of employee development (e.g. increased productivity)

Issue #3: Leadership Involvement – Cover strengths, mentoring, etc. – Establish expectation that managers’ real job is about people – Promote acceptance of developmental assignments – Orientation of new employees to the LDP Level 1 program Develop incentives for managers who develop their employees and incentives for managers to give to their employees

Possible Obstacles: – Too many demands on managers’ time. – Management and leadership mindset is not “people first” – Lack of coaching and mentoring support for managers Required Resources: – Top down leadership – Enforce mandated LDP program – Training – Coaching for managers and constant reinforcement – may require an investment in extra bodies – Career Development Plans and Resources – Engagement by Communities of Practice Issue #3: Leadership Involvement

Metric: – Exit surveys with every departing employee (Standardized form; Questions should relate to employee engagement and development; Answers kept anonymous) – Employee wellness (Use of sick leave, etc.; Should be quantified by organization in order to pin point problem areas) – Retention rates (By career series)

Issue #3: Leadership Involvement – Analysis of what is taking management time away from focusing on employee development Example question to ask: How much of your time is currently spent on mentoring and coaching? Or How much of your time is spent in CEFMS, on RM functions, HR work, etc.?

Issue #3: Leadership Involvement – Annual survey of employees regarding their development Do you know where your training plan is? Do you know what your job expectations are? Do you feel valued?

Strategic Gap or Issue: Policy and Guidance is not formulated and updated – or communicated throughout the organization – Not enough organizational discipline to understand and adhere to current policy and guidance – Lack of accountability for compliance. Therefore, everyone fends for himself or herself… no institutional knowledge. Issue #4: Policy and Guidance

Strategies: – USACE PDT for assessing and evaluating development programs Takes into account changing organization and workload – Develop central database or source for information Includes all info related to employee development (LDP, Regulations, Career Development Plans, SOPs, etc.)

Issue #4: Policy and Guidance Bulletin board for each organization Opportunity for each district or division to have a page for information Awards for successful programs Workload and technical competency plans with a forum for comment – Communicating availability Ad campaign Incentives to try out the website (puzzles, games, new insight from the chief, etc.)

Possible Obstacles: – Funding – Balancing resources across the organization Required Resources: – Webmaster (Centralized) – Person to track P&G and update Issue #4: Policy and Guidance

Metric: – Employee feedback link – Counter on website to see how many people are accessing it – Program evaluations completed online to track use of the website and programs Issue #4: Policy and Guidance

Issue #5: Insufficiently Developed Workforce Strategic Gap: Retaining a developed workforce Backfilling short-term vacancies with qualified, developed employees Lack of a qualified deployable workforce Strategy: Training the people that we have now Mentoring Providing cross-training opportunities Establish 5% funding for employee development

Possible Obstacles – Funding – % of the workforce that is unreceptive to training and mentoring (mentors and mentees) opportunities – % of the workforce that is ineligible/unable/ unwilling to deploy CONUS/OCONUS – Workload (Amount, Type) – Leadership support of employee development Issue #5: Insufficiently Developed Workforce

Required Resources – Mandate the use of IDPs by management – Funding – Full ATMP (Automatic Training Management Program) implementation – Develop a website for specialized learning opportunities Metrics – 100% of the workforce has an IDP that is completed – Measuring % of high priority development that is completed – 90% of training monies executed Issue #5: Insufficiently Developed Workforce

Issue #6: Succession Planning Succession Planning: A plan to build the future and sustain organizational capabilities by identifying core competencies, leveraging developmental opportunities, and accurately forecasting retirements and vacancies that will allow all employees to reach their highest potential performance level.

Issue #6: Succession Planning Strategic Gap: – Tools not readily available or widely known – Plans are not kept current or used by management

Strategies: – Each MSC develop a formal succession planning process that identifies core competencies. – Each Division/District develops a succession plan that identifies key elements, such as, forecasting future workload and requirements; performing workforce analysis/projections/ gap analysis; identify strategies to fill gaps, identify budget issues. Issue #6: Succession Planning

– Incorporate the need for local leadership development programs into succession planning to create opportunities to develop employees and ensure transfer of institutional knowledge. Issue #6: Succession Planning

Possible Obstacles: – Time – Management Involvement – Funding – How often it is updated

Required Resources: – Managers and Admin. Support – Dollars for Overhire – Workload Projections – Eligible retirement list – Recruitment Team Metric: – How many hired v. how many needed (Timeframe filled in, percentage filled, on board percentage) Issue #6: Succession Planning

Closing Remarks Be Audacious!! Let’s do it! Development for all!!