ProgressIt ®--Supporting Your Inner Coach provides follow-through support after a course, a workshop or any other learning event. We use this innovative service to:

	Deliver systematic coaching follow through, once a learning event ends.
	Keep line managers informed about what their colleagues learned while away, and to report on the business results from their new learning.
	Enable Human Resources departments to offer evidence of specific business gains stemming from a particular learning experience. ProgressIt ® tackles these by a nine-week support service and a report at the end summarising progress.

It works through the MLA web site and the home page looks like this:

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  Goals

At the close of a learning event, participants identify up to three personal goals they will try to reach over the next nine weeks. These are usually expressed in behavioural terms:

Examples

	"Within the next nine weeks I will give two presentations and ask for feedback from my line manager."
	"Within the next fortnight I will meet with my section and run a brainstorm session on ways to improve performance."
	"Within a month I will put my new learning into practice by preparing for and conducting a coaching session."
	"I will spend at least half an hour preparing for my team meeting"

Participants write their goals on a simple Input form and the MLA Administration team transfers the data to ProgressIt ®

Participants can suspend, amend or delete a goal if necessary. Each time the participant reports on progress towards an agreed goal they also indicate how close they are to achieving it.

  Reminders

Over the next nine weeks after the learning event, ProgressIt ® sends regular prompts about goals to participants. These arrive as e-mails about every other week.

Participants use the e-mails to go directly to a secure part of the web site and enter their response. They can also visit at any other time, using a personal ID number issued by ProgressIt ®.

Participants report progress on goals by adding material to their progress page. This also has space for comments from Associates, see below. The report page looks like this:

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  Associates

Participants may identify up to three such people who might include:

	Line manager, section head, departmental boss and so on.
	'Buddy' or coaching colleague from a learning event
	Friend or work Associate
	Mentor or anyone else willing to provide feedback and encouragement.

Associates provide advice, feedback and encouragement as participants strive to reach agreed gaols.

When a participant files a progress report, associates also receive e-mail notification, though this is at the user's discretion. Using the e-mail, the Associate can go directly to the relevant report read the results and add suitable comments.

This can be particularly useful for busy line managers. While they may be unable to attend frequent meetings, they will usually spare time to use e-mail to offer advice and encouragement.

  Learning points

When participants file a progress report, they indicate how close they are to achieving their goal. Once they achieve it, ProgressIt ® invites them to record what they have learned from the experience and sends an e-mail congratulating them on their achievement.

  The Summary Report

At the end of the nine-week period, ProgressIt ® creates a group report showing

	How far participants achieved their goals
	What each participant did to achieve their results
	What they learned as a result

Being rooted in the work situation, the goals, actions and learning points from the report provide line managers and the HR department with previously unobtainable and invaluable information about the individual and business impact of the learning event.

  Use of ProgressIt ®

While ProgressIt ® supports MLA clients running in-house learning events, we can also provide it as a separate follow through support to companies running their own events or using those by other suppliers.

  Conclusion

The current service is charged per individual user and the cost is a relatively small proportion of the overall costs of a learning intervention. Because it supplies hard evidence about the results of an intervention, it is an important evaluation tool for justifying the investment made in the particular learning event.

ProgressIt ® is an evolving system. In future, it may offer further support such as expert advice on goals and be a basis for a group to share their problems and solutions as they put their new learning into practice.

If you would like to use ProgressIt ® please contact: Andrew Leigh, Director, Maynard Leigh Associates, Marvice House, Bishops Road, London SW6 7AD, e-mail andrewl@maynardleigh.co.uk or telephone 020 7033 2370

ProgressIt ® Home page

ProgressIt ® and the Kirkpatrick Model