Building a Training Team

Set up training in your business the right way the first time: the roles, job descriptions, starter procedures, tools, measures and a 90-day plan, with every template filled in once so you can see what good looks like.

Who it is for

• HR people who have been asked to "take on training" with no training department behind them.

• Small-business owners and co-owners who train every new hire themselves and want a system that works without them.

• Operations managers and general managers opening a new site, launching a new system or hiring in groups.

• Newly hired training managers and coordinators who need to build a function from nothing.

• Supervisors and shift leads who have become the go-to person for training and need structure and support.

The problem it solves

Most businesses train people informally. A new hire shadows whoever is free, each manager teaches a different version, the same mistakes keep coming back and nobody can prove who completed the required safety training. When the business decides to fix this, there is no clear place to start: Who should own training? Do we need to hire? What processes and tools do we need? How do we show it is working?

This playbook answers those questions in order. It explains each part of a training function in plain words, why it matters and how to set it up on a small budget, and it follows three example companies (a 15-person service business, a 120-person multi-site retailer and a growing corporate team) through every step, so you can see how the advice applies at your size.

What is inside

Part 1: The guide (11 sections)

• How to use this playbook and the three example companies (1 page)

• 1. Why and when to build a training function (signs you need one, when training is not the answer, making the case to leadership) (4 pages)

• 2. Training basics in plain words (key terms, delivery methods, how adults learn at work) (3 pages)

• 3. Roles and how they work together (training manager, instructional designer, facilitator, virtual producer, the part-time lead who does it all, preparing on-the-job trainers) (5 pages)

• 4. Sample job descriptions (five complete descriptions with success measures and interview questions) (4 pages)

• 5. How work flows: from request to launch to maintenance (the eight-stage work cycle, service levels, urgent requests) (4 pages)

• 6. Starter SOPs: intake, build, review, delivery and records (five complete procedures) (4 pages)

• 7. Tools you need on a small budget (what to use first, when to upgrade, choosing a learning management system) (2 pages)

• 8. Measuring results simply (four plain checks, an observation checklist, a one-page quarterly report) (3 pages)

• 9. Working with outside vendors (buy or build, briefing, questions to ask, comparing proposals) (3 pages)

• 10. Your 90-day setup plan (week by week, your first onboarding plan, versions for three company sizes) (3 pages)

• 11. Frequently asked questions (16 questions) (2 pages)

Part 2: Templates (each with a how-to, prompts, tips, size variations and a filled-in example)

• T1 Training org chart (2 pages, Word)

• T2 Role description (2 pages, Word)

• T3 Training request intake form (3 pages, Word)

• T4 Training project tracker (2 pages, Excel (printable in Word))

• T5 SOP template (3 pages, Word)

• T6 Training calendar (2 pages, Excel (printable in Word))

• T7 Training records log (2 pages, Excel (printable in Word))

• T8 90-day setup plan (2 pages, Word and Excel)

How to use it

1. Read Section 1 and decide why you need training and where it should report.

2. Use Section 3 to choose your setup: a part-time lead, one coordinator or a small team. Use Section 4 and template T2 if you are hiring.

3. Start the 90-day plan in Section 10 using template T8. Set up the intake form, tracker and records log in the first month.

4. Add the starter SOPs in Section 6 as you run each process a few times.

5. Report results to leadership at day 90 using the simple checks in Section 8.

Formats and file types

• PDF playbook (60 pages, US Letter, print-ready)

• Word file (.docx) with all eight templates, ready to type into, each with guidance and a filled-in example

• Excel workbook (.xlsx) with the project tracker, training calendar, training records log (expiry dates calculate and overdue renewals turn red) and 90-day plan tracker, with drop-down lists and example rows

• Licensed for use within your organization. Adapt the templates freely for internal use.

Frequently asked questions