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1. Plan for success

It’s no accident that to participate in the National Teaching and Learning Change Programme all Subject Learning Coaches must be nominated by a senior manager in their organisation. Although the support offered through the programme is free of charge, NTLCP involvement does require investment from the provider, not least in terms of providing time and cover for staff to attend the subject coaching networks and the Professional Training Programme. Prudent managers will want to capitalise on this investment and get value for money. Time spent planning what your organisation would like to get out of the initiative can substantially increase your chances of success. Here are some of the features that can contribute to successful implementation of NTLCP.

Establish a goal

What do you want to achieve? The question is deceptively simple, but the answer is likely to be complex and to affect other strategies and development plans. As a manager, you are uniquely placed to draw together initiatives that complement each other and develop a strategic plan that can satisfy multiple priorities and, in so doing, contribute to the organisation’s quality improvement plan. The GROW model that underpins the Professional Training Programme may help you to clarify goals that are most relevant to you and your organisation.

  • What are your key targets and priorities?
  • How can NTLCP contribute to those targets and priorities?

Whether your goal is large or small, developing a realistic vision on which to focus will significantly increase your chances of success.

Communicate the vision

Once you’ve established your vision of what you want to achieve from your involvement in the programme, it is vital that you communicate this widely. If you are to secure ‘buy-in’ and motivate others to work with you and your Subject Learning Coaches, you need to make the vision clear to everyone and promote the benefits of getting involved in the programme.

  • What can you, as a leader or manager, do to signify the importance of the programme’s contribution to your overall strategic objectives?
  • What communication channels already exist in your organisation that you could use to promote your plans (staff newsletter, the intranet, notice boards, meetings, for instance)?

It is your leadership and support that will make your organisation’s goals a reality. In effect, you’ll be the senior management ‘champion’ — adding credibility to the initiative and encouraging others to see it as a significant contribution towards overall quality improvement.

Develop an action plan

Turning the vision into a clear action plan will increase your chances of success and provide a structure for others to follow. Your action plan need not be complex, and you don’t need to adopt formal project planning methods, but it should firmly establish the business case and include a degree of quality control. Typically a simple action plan will do the following:

  • establish the scope, objectives and outcomes and set the time frames within which these are to be achieved
  • establish how it links to or supports other projects
  • identify who will benefit from the project
  • ascertain constraints and risks to be sure that the project is feasible and that, as far as possible, you have anticipated and eliminated any potential barriers
  • identify the resources needed to deliver the project objectives, including personnel, and who is responsible for managing the project
  • break the work down into manageable, measurable and achievable tasks, setting timelines for each milestone
  • specify working methods and schedules
  • detail how the project will be evaluated and the outcomes disseminated.

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