Another NVQ meeting today, they're happening every 2 weeks at the moment which is really keeping me focussed and busy.  Dawn (my NVQ assessor) told me that my first 2 modules were with the External Verifier today (they'd previously been passed by the Internal Verifier), so I should get final confirmation next time she visits.  Over the last couple of weeks I have gathered and written all the remaining pieces of evidence needed for UNIT A2 - Manage your own resources and professional development and so this has now all gone with Dawn to be mapped and finally cross referenced in preparation for submission.  Next up is UNIT E6 - Ensure health and safety requirements are met in your area of responsibility which sounds like a barrel of laughs! The plan is to prepare this as if it was another Professional Discussion, but without it having to be recorded this time. So, over the next couple of weeks I'm going to be getting out my mind mapping tool again, and putting together the framework for a conversation about Health & Safety within my team. I think that these meetings happening more often, fortnightly as opposed to monthly, is really working well for me and helping me to keep on top of the tasks as it is more frequently on my mind. I realised today during my meeting that I'm actually starting to enjoy this process, and it has stopped feeling quite like such an evidence gathering exercise and more useful and relevant.

Another meeting with Dawn, my NVQ assessor today.  I'd completely forgotten about it until 15 minutes before she was due to arrive so spent a frantic 10 minutes formatting and printing out the reflective accounts and descriptions I'd written - thankfully I'd spent a couple of hours the other week doing some preparation so I didn't have to write things on the fly.  She greeted me with some great news - the first 2 of my modules D1 and D6 have been approved and are officially completed.  Hurrah!

My evidence for module A2 is amassing, and apart from the fact that I forgot to print out one of my descriptions, and didn't finish another I'm well on the way to getting that completed.  With a bit of luck, and another few hours work I should be able to send another one if for assessing.  The most useful aspect of this module was sitting down and doing a SWOT analysis.  I've never been very good at setting myself goals, and haven't prioritised it so being forced/encouraged to do one was really good.  No big surprises in it really, but good to see all of it down on paper to help me to improve myself to get over my weaknesses and play to my strengths.  As Dawn said it comes in really handy in an interview situation to have a really well thought out answer to the inevitable "what are your biggest strengths and weaknesses" question.  It'll stop me having to fall back on my age old, answer of "biggest weakness is interviews".

All in all, a really positive meeting.

As part of my work for unit A2 I recently completed the Honey and Mumford's Learning Styles Questionnaire to determine what my learning style is.

The style that came out the strongest for me was Pragmatist, described on the questionnaire I completed as

A preference here indicates an orientation towards relevance between subject matter and one's own position. "If it works, it's good" is the motto, and they look for the earliest opportunity to implement what has been offered. They are practical, down-to-earth individuals who enjoy problem solving and making practical decisions. The focus is very strongly on implementation and output.

The sentence "They are practical, down-to-earth individuals who enjoy problem solving and making practical decisions" seems to describe me pretty well, so I guess it is in the right area. Now I just need to work out how to apply this.

A quick NVQ update:

Yesterday I met with my assessor for the first time this year, and we reviewed my progress. It looks like I'm very close to having everything in place for my first 2 units - D1 and D6. My evidence for both of these units is now with the assessor to catalogue and cross reference and bring back for me to append any notes and signatures that she thinks the Internal Verifier will want to see. That leaves me with 5 to go, and a target date of August which feels a bit on the ambitious side.

Next up is Unit A2: Manage your own resources and professional development and I have quite a lot of evidence, personal statements and the like to produce before my next meeting on the 18th February so the pace has definitely just been upped.

A year ago I bought and completed the StrengthsFinder 2.0 test.

It told me that my Top 5 themes were:

• Responsibility
• Input
• Learner
• Harmony
• Adaptability

Responsibility

The standard theme description for this is:

People who are especially talented in the Responsibility theme take psychological ownership of what they say they will do. They are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty.

and my personalized strengths insights is:

Chances are good that you sometimes work hard to do things properly and ethically. Maybe you blame yourself when you fall short of your high standards. Perhaps being a solo performer frees you to work at a task until you decide it perfectly meets the specifications or aligns with your moral principles. By nature, you may wish to have a broader range of control and accountability on the job
or in your personal life. Because of your strengths, you sometimes volunteer to do things rather than wait to be asked to assume more duties. Driven by your talents, you may strive to be a dependable person. Maybe you please people by being reliable. You might enjoy assuming accountability for certain tasks, projects, assignments, or commitments. Perhaps you accept these additional duties without making a fuss. Instinctively, you are held in high regard because of your dependability and
consistent values. You are someone upon whom others often rely. Why? You do exactly what you said you would do.

Input

The standard theme description for this is:

People who are especially talented in the Input theme have a craving to know more. Often they like to collect and archive all kinds of information.

and my personalized strengths insights is:

Chances are good that you give yourself credit for reducing elaborate procedures, ideas, regulations, or systems to their fundamental parts. This explains why people ask you to tell them how things function and why other things malfunction. It’s very likely that you revel in the sensation of having
done something at a high level of excellence, such as public speaking, writing, designing, sailing, gardening, investing, selling, hunting, or yoga. Your hunger for more knowledge about a skill or a subject is customarily satisfied through reading. Undoubtedly, you integrate what you already understand with the fresh insights you glean from books, journals, correspondence, or the Internet. Instinctively, you usually give good advice. Often people's questions dictate your choice of reading
materials. Whether you are studying something for the first time or revisiting a topic to refresh your memory, you enjoy reading. Making discoveries that can help others brings you much joy. By nature, you yearn to dedicate sufficient time and energy to all the important parts of your life, such as
personal growth, professional responsibilities, family obligations, friends, health, and mental stimulation. Reading about topics that interest you or fiction that spellbinds -- that is, fascinates -- you is apt to be a factor in your quality-of-life equation. Driven by your talents, you are willing to spend some time sharing your ideas with certain individuals, especially those you perceive as especially
intelligent. Maybe you want them to tell you their latest thinking. To some extent, conversations that involve questions and answers stimulate your mind. Perhaps you decide your time was wisely spent when you have a few new ideas, theories, or concepts to somehow file away or remember for future use.

Learner

The standard theme description for this is:

People who are especially talented in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.

and my personalized strengths insights is:

Chances are good that you may ignore distractions to concentrate on your assignments. Sometimes you keep reading, researching, experimenting, or writing until you know all you need to know about a particular subject. You might not rest until you have mastered certain concepts, committed important information to memory, or completed specific course requirements. Because of your strengths, you may prefer to be an individual performer, especially when you can direct your mental or physical
energies to tasks that intrigue you. Driven by your talents, you may be an individual performer who signs up for tough classes. Perhaps your desire to excel is amplified when the only path to a good grade is a steep one. By nature, you sometimes engage in academic pursuits for extended periods of time. You may be less inclined than some people to join a study group to absorb new information or
reinforce what you already know. Instinctively, you might offer assistance to people when the predicament in which they find themselves fascinates you. Maybe you come to the aid of others when they ask you to study an intriguing problem, unanswered question, or unfamiliar subject. Occasionally you are delighted to report back to them your discoveries and conclusions.

Harmony

The standard theme description for this is:

People who are especially talented in the Harmony theme look for consensus. They don’t enjoy conflict; rather, they seek areas of agreement.

and my personalized strengths insights is:

It’s very likely that you turn to specialists when you are searching for the best ideas. You are comfortable admitting they understand more than you do about special topics. You refuse to pretend you know everything in every situation. You avoid describing yourself as humble. You prefer to be regarded as realistic and practical. By nature, you now and then create an environment where people
can speak and be heard without interruption. Your ability to help certain individuals feel valued and respected may explain why some of them describe you as congenial, helpful, friendly, or nice. Because of your strengths, you sometimes welcome opportunities to acquire additional knowledge or new skills. From a practical perspective, ongoing education might allow you to take advantage of
experiences or engage in activities for the first time. You may want others to be informed about these training sessions. Perhaps it strikes you as unjust or elitist -- that is, snobbish -- not to make this news available to everyone. Instinctively, you may get people to like you by finding something everyone can agree on. Perhaps this is one way you reduce conflict between yourself and others. Driven by your
talents, you enjoy helping certain individuals discover what they may have in common. When people realize they are more alike than different, they may start collaborating on projects, solving problems, or sharing resources. From time to time, you are the one who makes several people aware of the way things really are. Straightforward and objective, perhaps you lay out some facts so those involved
might agree to move forward together in one direction.

Adaptability

The standard theme description for this is:

People who are especially talented in the Adaptability theme prefer to “go with the flow.” They tend to be “now” people who take things as they come and discover the future one day at a time.

and my personalized strengths insights is:

By nature, you picture yourself handling situations and issues that could arise in the coming months, years, or decades. You mentally rehearse what you plan to do in various worst-case and best-case scenarios. Your forethought prepares you to deal with whatever happens. You are a flexible person. You are not easily flustered by unexpected events, problems, or opportunities. Chances are good that
you are impelled to coordinate the many details of your life. You consciously avoid chaotic situations. Often you mentally rehearse how you will maneuver around expected and unexpected situations. First, you outline steps for reaching goals. Second, you make whatever adjustments are needed as conditions change. You rarely lose sight of what you want to accomplish in the coming months, years, or decades. Because of your strengths, you surround yourself with lovely things. These have the
power to soothe, calm, energize, and inspire you. The arts or nature itself enhances your sense of well-being. You probably pay attention to your environment because you choose to live each moment to its fullest. It’s very likely that you realize that each day offers its own surprises. You trust you can handle whatever occurs. Even when you do not know exactly what to do, you probably know someone who does. You have an uncanny ability to easily and cooperatively proceed in the direction in which other people and processes are moving. Driven by your talents, you live in a state of hope-filled expectancy. You eagerly await what will come next. You probably feel your life is a lot more interesting when you are not forced to follow set routines, rigid rules, and/or predictable plans.

As part of my NVQ work I've been asked to find this, and any other similar tests I've done to work towards module A2 - Manage your own resources and professional development. The outcomes for my StrengthFinder came with some Ideas for Action, which I must confess, I haven't even looked at between then and now and I certainly didn't produce a "Strengths-Based Action Plan". Something else for the "to do in 2010" list I suspect!

The NVQ meetings are now happening more frequently, theoretically every 2 weeks, although this last one slipped by a week as I'd failed to make enough progress to make it worthwhile my assessor coming in to the office.

I am now working on unit D6 - Allocate and monitor the progress and quality of work in your area of responsibility which is being handled via evidence and statements - i.e. emails, policy documents, supporting material and written statements by myself where necessary and appropriate. Chris, the other Development Team Leader, is also working on this unit so we've put our heads together on this one. Chris created us a table at google docs to store our initial thoughts on how we could show the required outcomes, and between us we filled in what we could before getting advice. Our assessor seemed a bit too impressed by this - I believe that they tend to do this NVQ a lot for the hospitality industry who I guess are a bit less addicted to/embracing of technology.

I remain concerned that I'm demonstrating outcomes rather than learning alternative ways of doing things via structured learning methods. I'm still reading those blogs I mentioned last time and have bought a motivation related book to add to my reading pile so I'm attempting to read around the subject.

Anyways, enough blogging, I've got 4 or 5 statements to write so I'd better head off and get scribbling...

Today I had another appointment with Dawn, my assessor. I'd done pretty well at doing most of the tasks I'd set myself last time, and so after talking through my plan I started my professional discussion for unit D1 (Develop productive working relationships with colleagues). The professional discussion was a lot less daunting than I'd originally thought, and was more of a guided discussion with Dawn introducing me, and asking me questions that she knew were key to where I wanted to take the discussion. After 35 minutes of rambling, and one pause for me to go and refill my glass, it was done, and we'd covered everything for that module bar a couple of supporting pieces of evidence to be included in my file (i.e. an organisation chart and a couple of emails printed out which I'd referred to during the discussion).

I rather foolishly haven't tracked how much time I've spent preparing for this unit, but I think it is in the order of 8 to 10 hours. Of this I would say half of it has been in my time, and half in Madgex's. The photograph below shows some of the preparation I did - a mind map in iBlueSky, which evolved into one in Free Mind and which then became prompt cards for the discussion.

Next up is unit D6 (Allocate and monitor the progress and quality of work in your area of responsibility), which I was supposed to start thinking about last time, but found myself concentrating on the rather more imminent unit D1. This unit will be a combination of evidence collection and a question and answer session. My tasks for this unit are:

• Read and understand the unit
• Think about what activities I have done that show the outcomes, behaviours and knowledge for the unit
• Work out which of these are items where evidence is going to be required - project plans, emails etc - and prepare those
• Work out which of these are items where a question and answer format will work better

My next appointment is in 2 weeks time, so not a lot of time available for navel-gazing or yak shaving.

Overall, I've found the NVQ process so far different to what I'd envisaged. At this point it seems to be focussed around showing how I display the qualities required for management, rather than training me to be a manager. I'm glad that whilst I was at Glass's I had the opportunity to have 6 day-long training sessions on management and leadership covering topics such as recruitment, selection, development, motivation, employment law and leadership. I have done some background reading, and have joined the Institute of Leadership and Management (who run this NVQ qualification) in order to take this as an opportunity to refresh my skills and to find out about alternative ways of working as I know I still have a lot to learn about management and leadership. I have added a couple of leadership related blogs [1][2] to my feedreader and an iTunesU subscription to my iPod.

I had my 3rd meeting with my NVQ Assessor yesterday. First she hit me with the bad news, she's dropping all the Madgex learners. She has taken on a new set of learners who do an evening shift, so she's moving to evenings. She brought along her replacement who seemed to be an equally capable assessor and who seemed to have a much emptier diary - this may or may not be a good thing - more frequent meetings mean more work to do!

We reviewed my work so far, firstly, going through some more of the questions I've answered on the ERR. My inability to find a Regulatory Authority for Web Development raised a few eyebrows, but neither searching google nor asking peers came up with much. It was a very similar story with trade unions too - a few that software development is on the fringe off, but nothing that is a really good, clear fit. Then we went through my progress on my Professional Discussion for Unit D1. So far, I've created a whole heap of mind maps (using iBlueSky and FreeMind - because I can transfer maps between the two), gathered some documents I want to take information from (company policies, forms etc) and got a structure in place on how I want the discussion to go.

My planned structure is:

• Introduction - covering the types of colleagues I currently have (or could have), what I think a productive working relationship with colleages is and how I'm going to structure the rest of the discussion
• I'm then going to use a scenario based approach looking at the different relationships I have on a day to day basis - as a line manager, as a line report, as a resource on a proect etc. This is where I will be referencing some company processes and procedures and legal procedures (which I'm told is fine, and can be included as "evidence" in my NVQ file)
• Summary - what my key themes have been, reiterating what I think a productive working relationship is

So, my next tasks for this unit are:

• Take my mind map, and Unit D1 and cross reference all of the outcomes, behaviours and knowledge items against the items on the map
• Select the best examples of the outcomes and work those into the plan
• Select the best examples of the behaviours and work those into the plan
• Select the best examples of the knowledge and work those in too
• Prepare any supporting documents for these areas, and organise those that are sensitive so that my assessor can see them, and conform their existence
• Produce key cards for each section of my discussion
• Practice - the talk needs to be 20 - 30 minutes long
• Deliver the discussion - scheduled for October 20th

If that wasn't enough, I am also going to start looking at Unit D6 - Allocate and monitor the progress and quality of work in your area of responsibility and continue answering the questions in the ERR.

I've found the mind-mapping activity for D1 really useful, and a great way to get ideas out on paper in a not-too-structured manner and I'm pretty sure that I'm likely to start D6 the same way. I was much more prepared for this meeting than the last one and got some good comments back from my (original) assessor so I feel that I'm heading along the right track. Finding the time to do the work hasn't been easy, and it has mostly come out of my own time - I've managed to grab a few pomodoro sized chunks during work time but spent quite a bit of time last weekend, and on Monday evening pulling everything together. Now, back on to that task list...

I had my first meeting with my NVQ assessor earlier in the week. I was totally unprepared really, having not managed to complete everything I'd been asked to do. I hadn't really prioritised these tasks sufficiently, and I really need to spend some time each week focussing on this. We've chosen my 3 optional units, or at least a shortlist of 4:

• B11 - Promote equality of opportunity and diversity in your area of responsibility
• C2 - Encourage innovation in your area of responsibility
• D1 - Develop productive working relationships with colleagues
• D7 - Provide learning opportunities for colleagues

The first unit I'm going to tackle is D1 - Develop productive working relationships with colleagues.

This unit is about developing working relationships with colleagues, within your own organisation and within other organisations that are productive in terms of supporting and delivering your work and that of the overall organisation.

This will be presented, marked, assessed, whatever through the medium of Professional Discussion. This is going to involve a 20 minute one-sided conversation which is recorded. Hmm, fun. My next meeting with my assessor is going to be a run through of this. Now what is concerning me, is that I usually do my presentations etc surrounded by a lovely slide deck. Without the slide deck, I know I'm going to end up relying way too heavily on paper based notes.

So, where do I go from here? Well, my first concern is working out what a "Professional Discussion" consists of and how structured I should be. Next up is working out how I can structure my discussion enough to demonstrate my knowledge and understanding of the outcomes, behaviours for this unit without it being too forced. I feel a mind-map coming on...

Madgex and the Train to Gain scheme run by City College Brighton and Hove are kindly helping me, and my fellow team leaders, to work towards our Level 3 NVQ in Management. I haven't studied for any qualification since 1993 when I graduated from university, so this whole learning thing is a bit overwhelming. However, this is a vocational qualification rather than academic and so should be more relevant to what I actually do/should do (I hope!)

The information tells me that this is suitable for me if:

you are a practising first line manager who has:

• a tightly defined area of responsibility
• some limited opportunity for taking decisions and managing budgets
• responsibility for achieving specific results by using resources effectively
• responsibility for allocating work to team members, colleagues and contractors

Well, I don't have any budgetary control, and I'm not sure my area of responsibility is tightly defined but the rest is a pretty good fit...

There are 7 units to complete - 4 are mandatory and the remaining 3 are taken from a choice of 11 based on relevance to the current role. The mandatory ones are:

• Manage your own resources and professional development
• Provide leadership in your area of responsibility
• Allocate and monitor the progress and quality of work in your area of responsibility
• Ensure health and safety requirements are met in your area of responsibility

I met with my assessor yesterday and had a good overview of where we start and what I need to do. I'll be meeting with her on a monthly basis, and will also have one of the Senior Managers from Madgex on hand to give advice and support. My first homework for this month is to

• update my CV
• dig out my job description
• read the definitions of all the mandatory units
• read the definitions for all the optional units and work out which I believe to be most relevant and discuss them with both my line manager and my Senior Manager mentor
• complete the worksheet with questions relating to our industry

Wish me luck!