What is Human Performance Improvement: An Overview

Lucid Business Strategies uses Human Performance Improvement as the basis of our consulting practice. Unfortunately, since very few of our clients or potential clients know what HPI is, it is difficult to explain in lay terms.  It is my hope that a series of blog posts will help prospective and current clients understand there is a specific methodology to our consulting practice – it is not based purely on opinions or what our consultants “feel” is the best approach to solving a problem.

The shortest explanation I can give about HPI is that it is a process of analyzing a performance problem within an organization (this can be the organization as a whole, a specific business practice, an individual department, a process or procedure, or even the performance of a specific individual) based on data and evidence gathered from a methodical study of the performance problem.  Once there is conclusive evidence about the root cause of the performance problem, very specific solutions (i.e. – interventions), are proposed to solve each of the root causes of the problem.

The practice of HPI goes a step further, however.  HPI practitioners design, develop and implement the interventions that are proposed, and evaluate whether those interventions are successful in eliminating the problem or not. Revisions are made based on the evaluation data until the performance problem is completely solved. So, as you can see, HPI is a consulting methodology based on evidence, measurement and evaluation, and working until the original performance problem is solved.

While it takes a considerable amount of expertise to be successful at this methodology, we believe (based on our experience) that it provides a road map for consulting success that separates us from others that would provide advice based purely on their experience or education.  Don’t get me wrong – I do not want to imply that consultants that rely purely on their experience or education are wrong in their approach.  We simply believe that our approach is superior.

Other Articles of Interest
What is Human Performance Improvement? Part One: “An Overview”
What is Human Performance Improvement? Part Two: “Finding the Problem”
What is Human Performance Improvement? Part Three: “Identifying Specific Solutions”
What is Human Performance Improvement? Part Four: “Designing and Developing the Right Solutions”
What is Human Performance Improvement? Part Five: “Measuring and Revising”
What is Human Performance Improvement? Part Six: “Does it Matter?” 

To Learn More about Human Performance Improvement (HPI):
International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI)
Michigan Chapter of ISPI