Teamwork wins every time

I’ve written quite a lot about the TQS team over the past few weeks. That’s because it’s important to remember that gaining the TQS is all about teamwork.

Good teamwork doesn’t just happen.

There’s a lot to creating effective teams, but it always starts with the senior team. That’s why one of the early posts in the series was about preparing the senior team to support your TQS development.

There are still quite a few senior managers who are less aware of the differences between the TQS and inspection than you would like them to be. This means you will need to allocate time to working with your senior team to ensure they have the right level of understanding of the TQS.

Then there’s the issue of getting a working team together.

Of course, there are teams within teams, and teams working in different areas of your organisation. There are larger teams and smaller teams. There are teams with more influence than others.

Your job is to keep them focused and moving in the right direction. This can be easier said than done.

That’s why I wrote a post entitled: Is your TQS team really working as a team?

It’s a good question. You need the answer.

I also wrote about the TQS Part B team.

It’s important to give some thought to how best to help the people working on Part B. Often they are not as heavily involved with the TQS development journey as those who are working on Part A. They can be forgotten, unless you keep reminding yourself that they need to be included in just about everything you do.

Finally, I brought many of the key issues together in the post: Fantastic TQS team – what’s the secret?

That’s a post that shows what you can achieve when you take your team seriously and take the time to build a strong TQS team.

So now you know.

Teamwork wins every time.

Teamwork will definitely help you to achieve the TQS.

Fantastic TQS Team - What's the secret?

My series of posts on the TQS team has generated some discussion in TQS training sessions we have been running.

The issues are always about that secret ingredient that makes one team successful and another team – well, less so.

I’m not sure there is a secret, but there are a few things that really help.

Check out if your TQS team would benefit from doing any of the following.

Focus on systems and processes, but also think about their deployment.

It’s important to work on the systems and processes you know you need, and it’s necessary that you do this. You will need an organisational needs analysis (ONA). You will need a way of measuring the impact of what you do in employer organisations. You will need a system for managing the employer’s relationship with your organisation.

It’s essential to your TQS success that you have sound systems and processes for managing your work with employers in place. It’s also important make sure they are used consistently.

The organisations we have worked with which make most progress with the TQS most quickly think about their new or revised systems and processes and how they will be implemented at the same time.

In TQS terms they think about getting sound systems and processes set up, but they think about the deployment of those systems and processes, too.

On quite a few occasions I’ve seen assessment dates put back and applications stalled because the work has been done on getting the right systems and processes devised, but little or no thought has been given to getting them used. As a result, take-up of the new ways of working is piecemeal.

Therefore, the secret ingredient in the TQS mix is not related to getting the right systems and processes in place. It’s about having a plan in place to ensure they will be used

Get the principal/CEO on the TQS team.

If the person at the top on the organisation is actively involved in your TQS development work, progress towards certification will be faster than if it is left to people with less authority to ensure that things happen.

With the most senior person in the organisation on the TQS team things just happen faster. If you have the authority of the person who leads your organisation behind you, it works wonders when you have to deal with the pleas from people who want to carry on doing things as they always have, or to devise their own way of working with employers in their department, or faculty or on a particular site.

If it’s not possible to get the most senior person involved in making sure that your organisation does embrace change, then the second best option is to have someone on the TQS team who can act with the most senior person’s authority.

Check out if you really have senior management support.

Doing this boils down to a very simple question.

Can the TQS team insist?

In lots of provider organisations the TQS team is not in a position to insist the new approaches to managing employer engagement are used.

If this team can’t insist, if the team members can only exhort, then some people will adopt the new approaches, and some won’t. Some will make use of the new CRM system. Some will keep their employer database to themselves. Some people will use the new ONA. Some will just carry on talking to employers about training.

Check out if you have the support that will allow you to insist. Then make sure you insist on changes where they really are necessary.

What do you need to do now?

It’s easy really.

Be clear about what you can do and what you can’t.

Separate the tasks linked to devising new ways of working from the tasks of implementing them.

Get on with the developmental work.

When it comes to implementation and to making sure the systems and processes are embedded, stand back.

Look to the highest levels of management to take the lead here.

Remember that the TQS team knows how to steer the ship, but there aren’t enough team members to man the oars, too.

See also: Your route to TQS certification: adopt a realistic timetable.

Who’s on the TQS (Part) B team?

It’s very easy, when thinking about the TQS, to focus exclusively on the requirements on Part A. After all, you need to achieve Part A in order to be in a position to be certificated for Part B.

Focusing on Part A often means that the people you are going to call on to work on the Part B application are excluded from a lot of your TQS activity. As a result they don’t really know what is expected of them when they come to be involved.

This is causing problems in quite a few provider organisations. Are you facing these same problems?

Problem one: Wrong focus

The person who will lead on a Part B isn’t sufficiently familiar with the TQS requirements to be aware of the differences between TQS Part B and the requirements of assessment and inspection frameworks with which your organisation is more familiar.

When critiquing applications I’ve seen lots that are all about the curriculum, about courses and about learners.

Solution: Plan ahead.

Decide early who will be writing the TQS Part B submissions. Keep these people involved in all your TQS development activities. Make sure they develop their understanding of the requirements of the standard before they are asked to write anything.

Problem two: No close links with the Sector Skills Council (SSC)

Some provider organisations just haven’t made the time to build up good working relationships with the relevant SSCs.

In some cases this means that a Part B application isn’t clear about the SSC’s footprint, so the writers can’t explain to the readers which areas of the SSC’s remit the application covers. People1st, for example, covers fourteen different industries, including hospitality, catering and travel and tourism.

As a result, some providers define their application in terms of their curriculum and not with reference to the SSC.

I’ve seen applications that deal with all aspects of care: childcare, adult care, social work and care in the education world and so on. I’ve also talked to Part B writers who don’t see any reason to change such an application.

I’ve seen applications that muddle the work of Skills for Logistics (freight logistics) and GoSkills (passenger transport).

Solution: Make sure your Part B specialists are familiar with the relevant sector

Whoever is writing your Part B application needs to know that these applications are reviewed by the relevant Sector Skills Council (SSC) once they are submitted, and the SSC’s reviewer will identify issues and questions for the assessors to pick up on.

Therefore, make sure your Part B specialists are familiar with the work of the sector, as it is defined by the SSC, and make sure it is very clear how you are supporting the work of the SSC in the application.

Problem three: You don’t actually have a relationship with the sector

When it comes down to it, some provider organisations are not working closely with the sector where they want to gain Part B certification. Sometimes they think they are; sometimes they know they aren’t.

To have sector expertise you need to know what the issues facing the sector are. You also need to know how you are supporting the sector – as opposed to how you are supporting individual employers – to deal with at least some of those issues.

The sector has local, regional, national, and in some cases, international dimensions. Does your sector expert know how you support your sector at each level, or how your work contributes to the work of the sector at different levels?

Is your sector expert active in the work of the SSC and other relevant bodies, for example, some of the trade associations?

If not, are you sure you have sector expertise?

Solution: Get to know the SSC

If this is your problem, start building relationships with your SSC and with your National Skills Academy (NSA), if you have one. Build up your contacts and your knowledge over time, but start now.

Problem four: Part A and Part B applications are completed in isolation

You know why this happens. There’s the issue of time. There are other priorities. You had good intentions, but somehow co-ordinating everything is more difficult that you anticipated.

As a result the emphasis of the two parts of the application is different. Worse still some of what you say in Part A is contradicted in Part B. Where you have more than one Part B then conflicting statements are sometimes made in the different applications.

Solution: Sequence the writing of Part A and Part B

It really is the solution.

Sort out Part A first and then think about Part B. Your Part B writers will be more confident about their tasks, if they know what has been said about the whole organisation. They will have some guidance in front of them to help them to shape and construct a good Part B submission. They can also share Part B applications within the organisation if there is more than one Part B being written.

So, in the end there is a lot you can do to support your Part B writers. The most important thing to do is to bring them into the TQS team as soon as possible.

How about starting that process today?

See also: What's the real difference between Part A and Part B of the TQS?

Is your TQS team really working as a team?

You created a team when you first started work on the TQS. Perhaps you have a steering group. Perhaps you have a monitoring group.

However you have chosen to divide up the TQS responsibilities, is every one working together to achieve the TQS?

If your organisation is like most provider organisations, then your team members are probably working in their own ways and focusing on the things that are important to them. Maybe they’re not really working on the TQS much - except when you have your TQS meetings.

Here are three things to do to help your team to work better together.

Work together on defining the key management processes

You need to work out the key processes for managing your employer/customer journey. Do this as a team if that will work. If not, bring the team together to agree and to approve the processes which have been devised.

Make it clear that approval of a process also entails getting involved in ensuring that people use the process.

For example, if the TQS team agrees that all employer information is to be recorded on your CRM, then they must share the responsibility for making sure this happens.

Create a timetable of tasks to be completed

When you begin work on the TQS and you start to make your list of what needs to be done, you will probably be overwhelmed by all the things that end up on the list.

Other people will feel the same way, too.

Above all you need to help every one else to avoid that feeling of being overwhelmed, because you want the other members of the team to take action. People who are overwhelmed by a task are unlikely to take action, so it’s in your own interests to help them to keep control of their involvement with the TQS development work.

Therefore, you need a timetable of tasks, and agreement within the team, about what will be done when.

Make sure the list of activities is realistic. It’s very easy to set up a timetable that is just too demanding. Once your team members fall behind, they will become demoralised and give up. They’ll stop attending team meetings and just quietly drop out of things.

Use your TQS team meetings to check progress and to find ways of helping the TQS team to meet deadlines and complete tasks on time.

Give feedback on progress

When people are working on something new they need to know how they’re doing. When people are being asked to take on extra roles and extra tasks they need to know that they are making progress with the TQS and that their efforts are appreciated.

Make sure you monitor what is happening and take steps to help people to avoid mistakes. This means that when you give feedback on progress, your comments will be positive. You will be able to reinforce success.

Every one likes to be associated with success, so this will help your organisation to make the progress you know is needed.

Keeping a team together, even a motivated and committed team, takes time and effort. Your progress towards TQS certification will be faster and smoother if you think about how the TQS journey should be managed as well as about how to achieve the TQS itself.

See also:

Three Questions – Karen Kimberley
Preparing the senior team

Who should be on your TQS team?

There’s a simple answer to this question.

It depends.

It depends on where you are in your TQS development journey. It depends on how large your organisation is. It depends on how you are approaching the way you use the TQS. It depends on how quickly you aim to gain the TQS.

You might need more than one team, or you might need to change your team during the life of your TQS project.

However, you will need the following at some point in the development process.

The big guns

You will need senior management support for your work with the TQS. Some of the changes that you are likely to need to make must be made at the highest level, so you need backing and support at that level.

This might mean that your most senior person is on your team. It might mean that a member of the SMT is on your team.

The beavers

You will need people who will just keep on working on the TQS. They will be building up people’s understanding of what you are doing. They will be keeping their teams and their colleagues moving in the right direction. They will be modifying their practice to ensure you meet the requirements of the standard. They might be rewriting your processes. They might be reworking your employer journey.

They might not have a high profile, but their work will make all the difference to your success.

The promoters

Some people are good at helping other people to understand what your organisation is trying to do. These people are your promoters.

Your promoters might be working with people within your organisation. They might be working with your employers. They might be working with your stakeholders, including the relevant Sector Skills Councils.

Whoever they are working with they keep on explaining why it’s important to gain the TQS, what your organisation will gain from being certificated, how your reputation will be built as a result of certification and how you will be even more responsive to the needs of employers as a result of your success.

You need a number of promoters on your team.

The application writing team

The application writing team is an important team. It is this team that makes or breaks your application.

There are four principal roles in this team: the principal writer, the principal reviewer, the principal evidence gatherer and the project manager.

You need a minimum of two people in your application writing team. This team needs time and space to allow it to succeed.

I’ve written before about the application writing team. There is a link to that post below.

The whole organisation team

Sooner or later you need to ensure that you take every one with you, so that you can be confident that every one endorses your work with employers and with the TQS.

So now’s the time to think about who is on your team and if you need to shake it up.

See also:

Preparing the senior team
What, no team? – big mistake number three

Preparing the Senior Team

Senior staff in your organisation are likely to be involved in the TQS verification visit. You will need to ensure they understand their role in the process leading towards TQS certification.

Here are five actions to take sooner rather than later.

Explain the differences . . .

TQS assessment is different. Let senior people know this. Explain that other assessments senior people may have taken part in are rather different.

Use briefings, newsletters and one-to-one meetings to help you to get your message across.

Produce clear messages and repeat them often

It’s not enough to produce your wonderful guide to the TQS. Make the messages more personal.

“Everything you need to know about . . .” is a possible heading for your guide.
“Three things you need to remember about ….” could also help you.

However, reiterating your messages often is even more important.

Don’t let people forget their role in the TQS assessment and verification process.

Go through the application with senior managers

Make sure senior managers understand that it is your application that is assessed. Then make sure they are aware of what has been said in the application about aspects of your work for which they are responsible.

Think about who you would speak to in order to verify practice with the different parts of the TQS. Then discuss the specifics of the application with those people.

Use the magic words often

In the TQS world the words consistency and standardisation have magical qualities. So much of the TQS is about proving you have systems and processes in place and operational. Talk to the relevant senior managers about some of the issues about standards and systems they need to be aware of.

Ask managers the: “How do you know …” questions.

How do you know that every employer who receives a visit from the college has an organisational needs analysis?
How do you know that employers really do value programme x or y?
How do you know that employers are gaining more from our programmes now than they did three years ago?

Spend time explaining that the TQS is about more than what you achieve. It’s about the systems and processes you have in place to help you to deliver what you promise to employers consistently.

Preparing your senior team for the TQS assessment and verification process will be a lot simpler, if you follow this advice.

See also:

What ... no team ...
TQS assessment is different
Build a good TQS portfolio . . .