You're training R&D professionals to use new technology. What's the most important factor to consider?

No person in an ambitious team that works on relevant outcomes can train everyone on every technique needed. What we nowadays need are people who train themselves. As a team leader you can only give guidance what is needed, and where it may be to find. Team members who 100% percent rely on someone telling them what to do and helping them in every step of the process and tailoring it to their needs, should probably go to a routine job, but not into research.

As per my experience, for using new technology scientist should think about the cost effectiveness, Quality of the product, Compatibility of the that technology or process with the finished product and Scalability of finished product at manufacturing site.

When training R&D professionals to use new technology, the most important factor to consider is ensuring that the training is tailored to their specific needs and workflows. Here are some key considerations: Relevance: Tailored training addressing R&D tasks, showing tech benefits. Hands-on Practice: Real-world exercises for immediate skill application. Customization: Adapting content to diverse team needs. Continuous Support: Ongoing resources and expert access for skill development. Feedback Mechanisms: Channels for input and improvement suggestions. Integration with Processes: Seamless tech adoption in existing workflows. Clear Benefits Communication: Highlighting tech advantages for buy-in.

To introduce new technologies, it is essential to understand the team's needs, the individual maturity of each member, each member's profile, as well as establishing an implementation schedule with close monitoring to support the process.

1. Make sure the training content is directly applicable to user - R&D team. 2. Understand the audience & their skill levels (fresher, new joiners or experienced etc). Custamize the training to accommodate the differences (if any), providing both basic and advanced modules as needed. 3. Incorporate real-world examples and case studies to wase the actual training session. 4. Interactive activities, workshops, and discussions are helpful to engage the session. 5. Ther will be continues support to wase the initial training period.

One strategy I’ve found valuable is to clarify to employees the rationale behind adopting new technology, emphasizing the ROI and how it benefits both the company and individuals personally. When transitioning to digital technologies, conducting a small pilot can demonstrate tangible outcomes such as time saved and improved usability. Crucial to the transformation is effective change management, including thorough training, designated support personnel, and consistent reassurance of company support throughout the process, fostering strong employee buy-in.

I know it is out of fashion but I still use the old SWOT analysis to figure out the next new move, the new technology. Strength/Weakness/Opportunity/Threat. Even writing a technology grant, I focus a lot on the weakness and the threats. Get those down first and see if you can poke holes in them with your strengths and opportunities. Someone else is doing the same thing? Why do you get the grant? Explain why you have the skillsets. Ignoring weakness and threats are the bobsled to ruin. Don't allow your primary reviewer to list the problems. Head them off at the pass. If done honestly a good SWOT can tell you if you are going to succeed. Or move the target until the SWOT makes sense.

Avaliar as necessidades da equipe n?o só ajuda a identificar qual tecnologia introduzir, mas também como adaptar o treinamento para maximizar a ades?o e o aproveitamento. Essa abordagem centrada no usuário final promove um ambiente de inova??o onde as novas tecnologias podem ser integradas de maneira eficaz nos projetos de P&D, impulsionando assim o progresso e a competitividade da organiza??o

Given the high stakes and safety considerations in the oil and gas industry, selecting appropriate technologies that offer precise characterization, advanced imaging capabilities, and comprehensive data analysis tools is essential. Additionally, the chosen technologies should be compatible with industry standards and regulatory requirements, ensuring that the failure analysis meets rigorous quality and safety standards. By investing in the right technology, you equip your team of young failure analysts with the right tools they need to conduct thorough investigations to meet customer needs, identify root causes, & propose effective solutions, ultimately enhancing the company's reliability, safety, & reputation in the oil and gas sector.

La frase equivocarse rápido y barato también aplica para la implementación de este tipo de proyectos a través de pruebas pilotos a menor escala y con grupos reducidos que permita la recolección y análisis de feedback para ajustes. Esta adopción de manera gradual con metodología ágil permite la interacción con las herramientas, quienes a su vez colaboraran de manera indirecta con la customización, pruebas de compatibilidad y se familiarizarán con el uso, detectando de forma temprana si cumple con las necesidades esperadas y logra los objetivos planteados.

Effective training with smart objectives, helps build a successful, stronger team. Poor training leads to lack of confidence, mistakes, costs, lack of efficiency. Having a continuous learning plan, builds each individual in a team and allows them as individuals and a team to succeed.

In my experience, hands-on training is very effective. Specially when dealing with machine handling. It is better taught in front on the machine and let the trainee perform or apply what they have learned.

In my experience, when transitioning to a new technology, it is indeed crucial to not only understand its pros and cons but also to train your team to get accustomed to use it efficiently. A well trained team is a well-oiled machine that can lead to enhanced efficiency and foster innovation within the industry. Additionally, training on newer technologies empowers team members to tackle complex challenges with confidence, facilitating breakthroughs in R&D endeavours. Such a continuous learning approach leads to a win-win situation for both the company and the team members as it enriches the skill sets of the individuals eventually benefiting the organisation.

Training and refresher training is very important to run operation smoothly and moreover it motivates employees to learn new things; in my view onsite training with some hands on experience is the best way to learn and understand something

Some upper management officers would prefer training to be one-time / one-day thing to 'save time', but from personal experience, this isn't effective. Effective training would have to be over multiple instances/days, during which we make sure that our trainees are truly grasping what is being taught. Not just memorizing the steps / process, but also understanding the concepts at work + how those concepts produce the results at the end. By understanding those concepts, when our trainees encounter problems in the future, they can employ critical thinking to quickly understand what could have gone wrong + how to possibly troubleshoot it—that's what truly saves time for the company and builds the confidence and experience of our trainees.

Segun mi experiencia cuando hacemos entrenamiento sin acompa?amiento pero sobre todo sin aplicacion inmediata en el dia a dia es una perdida de tiempo importante. La participacion en comunidad se una herramienta que funciona siempre y cuando en la comunidad se active y se genere dinamica que puede ser inspirada por varios lideres al tiempo! Apoyo en linea, empoderamiento y reconocimiento me parecen que son claves en esta etapa.

It is very important to establish the feedback mechanisms to gather input from trainees, supervisors, and stakeholders (in my case it is oil and gas clients) to assess the effectiveness of the training program and then make necessary adjustments to fine tune them. I used to Conduct periodic (Quarterly) performance OKR reviews to assess my new joinees for their understanding of the new technologies related to use of R & D characterisation tools, proficiency in conducting metallurgical failure analysis using those R & D machines like SEM EDS, and checking if output is in alignment with business goals.

Consider effective communication. It’s essential to have clear and comprehensible training materials tailored to the professionals’ unique requirements and proficiency levels. Moreover, facilitating practical interaction with the new technology and being available to assist with inquiries and problem-solving can significantly improve the educational experience. The ultimate objective is to enable the professionals to utilize the technology with assurance and effectiveness in their R&D endeavors.

Always be critical and ask yourself, do I need this new technology or do I want it? Only the first one will bring success. Trust me, I have been there...

It is important to foster a supportive and inclusive learning environment that encourages creativity, crucial thinking and collaboration.

To assess your results, before you need to get quantified your objectives: indicators clear and measurables for each one. Once you have this clear, methodology of the measurement should be firmly stablish and one of the keys in my opinion for comparisons: methodology dont change between comparisons!

To me, evaluate the result does not mean evaluate a quiz score! Evaluation to me quantifies whether or not the training resulted in more productivity in the R/D team. Did we learn something relevant? Are we using it on a problem that operations is facing? Have we added a product feature that enables more sales? Have we explored a market using the R/D technology that was not previously explored? R/D serves direct labor / direct sales. The ultimate metric is whether or not the knowledge gained by training directly (the training) or indirectly (using the new training) resulted in more revenue or higher profits. That's the only reason R/D exists.

Training the team to use the new technology is crucial, and incorporating an evaluation step is essential to assess every learning and process undertaken by the team. In the evaluation process, three points of evaluation are necessary. Firstly, identifying missed or imperfect steps in the process. Secondly, addressing any unfinished processes. Lastly, extracting lessons learned that can be applied to the next phase of the team's project.

Cultura por dise?o y no por defecto. En esta etapa de evaluación de resultados reconocemos los logros pero actuamos frente a desviaciones, retroalimentamos y creamos referentes y referencias que motiven al resto del equipo. Esta experiencia permitirá redise?ar las futuras implementaciones y entrenamientos.

Siempre es necesario llevar a cabo un monitoreo de los resultados que se van obteniendo, para que puedan ser afianzado y mejorados en el transcurso del tiempo.

Having worked as an R&D engineer for over a decade, I know first hand what it means to introduce new tech in a team of typically seasoned professionals ... and it's not about dealing with egos! When rattling calm waters, one needs to be cautious of the approach. When I tried to push new changes I failed. The lessons learned were "value" and "lead by example". You need to be mindful of how value is perceived by colleagues, co-workers, even subordinates. Unlock their perception of value and anything is possible. The best way to do this is lead by example, be clear about the value that is going to be lost if new tech is not introduced and drive the change forward yourself. Show the transformative value of change first, others will follow!

The key to successful implementation of a new technology in R&D teams is Status quo + Vision + Sustainable Goals 1. Status quo - R&D professionals possess core science, technology, etc. related skills that they have developed over years. There is a lot of pride and professional identification associated with it. The key to success is appropriate and sufficient acknowledgement of this reality. 2. Vision - the new technology must be defined and related around a vision that all the R&D team members can relate to and develop a sense of ownership. 3. Sustainable Goals - Once the above two are set in place properly, the execution needs to be shaped around sustainable and achievable goals that make meaningful sense to the R&D team.

Use of technology gives speed and accuracy to achieve targets in least possible time. It also enables to generate highly skilled team to perform the desired task efficiently.

Before starting a project to deploy new technology and to train your R&D team on using it, make sure you have your company/business objectives clear. Technology is a tool for your team to work with. Depending on how critical the utilization of new technology will be to run your business, i.e. how much of a risk it might be if implementation fails, you will have to secure the level of buy-in from all stakeholders. Make sure that everyone involved understands the path ahead and the reason why new technology is being deployed. Use a model like Knoster’s to identify weak points in the deployment before starting any kind of implementation and training.

R&D is both invention and hard work. There is no formula for invention. It comes from within and it only needs to be listened to. Creating a space where thought is allowed and does not need to be quantified goes long to create the quiet needed for ideas to come forth. Trying to quantify inspiration as some sort of commodity is not effective. Pursuing ideas is hard work, but the ideas need to come first, then the sweat and discipline to bring them to life. Make space for ideas.