HUMAN PERFORMANCE TECHNOLOGY (HPT) - also known as Human Performance Improvement (HPI) "uses a wide range of interventions that are drawn from many other disciplines including, total quality management, process improvement, behavioral psychology, instructional systems design, organizational development, and human resources management" (ISPI, 2007).

HPT is a systematic approach to improving individual and organizational performance (Pershing, 2006). HPT (a.k.a Performance Technology) is a field of study which is related to Process Improvement, and is focused on improving performance at the organization, process and individual performer levels.

Below is a list of processes used to improve performance:

• Lean?
  • Lean Laboratory, one which is focused on testing products and materials to deliver results in the most efficient way
  • Lean manufacturing, process improvement discipline
  • Lean software development, a translation of lean manufacturing principles to software development (from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean)
• Six Sigma?
  • Six Sigma is a business management strategy, initially implemented by Motorola, that today enjoys widespread application in many sectors of industry.
  • Six Sigma seeks to improve the quality of process outputs by identifying and removing the causes of defects (errors) and variation in manufacturing and business processes.[1] It uses a set of quality management methods, including statistical methods, and creates a special infrastructure of people within the organization ("Black Belts" etc.) who are experts in these methods.[1] Each Six Sigma project carried out within an organization follows a defined sequence of steps and has quantified financial targets (cost reduction or profit increase).[1]
• Organizational Development?
  • Organization development" (OD) is a planned, top-down, organization-wide effort to increase the organization's effectiveness and health. OD is achieved through interventions in the organization's "processes," using behavioural science knowledge.[1
• Instructional Technology?
  • In education, instructional technology is "the theory and practice of design, development, utilization, management, and evaluation of processes and resources for learning," according to the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) Definitions and Terminology Committee. [1]
• Human Factors? a term that covers:
  • The science of understanding the properties of human capability (Human Factors Science).
  • The application of this understanding to the design, development and deployment of systems and services (Human Factors Engineering).
  • The art of ensuring successful application of Human Factors Engineering to a programme (sometimes referred to as Human Factors Integration).It can also be called ergonomics.
• Learning? acquiring new knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, preferences or understanding, and may involve synthesizing different types of information.
• Knowledge Management? (KM) comprises a range of practices used in an organisation to identify, create, represent, distribute and enable adoption of insights and experiences. Such insights and experiences comprise knowledge, either embodied in individuals or embedded in organizational processes or practice.
• Training? The term training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful competencies. It forms the core of apprenticeships and provides the backbone of content at technical colleges and polytechnics.

HPT stresses a rigorous analysis of the requirements of organization, process and human performance for new design and/or identifying the causes for performance gaps, and attempts to provide new designs and/or solutions to improve and sustain performance, and finally - to evaluate the results against the requirements.

Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_performance_technology#History_of_HPT, May 3, 2009.

A PERFORMANCE SUPPORT SYSTEM provides just-in-time, just enough training, information, tools, and help for users of a product or work environment, to enable optimum performance by those users when and where needed, thereby also enhancing the performance of the overall business. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_performance_support_systems, May 3, 2009.

• San Diego State University Educational Technology Professor, Allison Rossett, defines performance support as: a technology-based guidance system that wraps around people and helps them answer questions and make better decisions without going to school on the topic.
• Performance support helps us act as if we know more than we do. We must ask whether we want to invest in moving knowledge inside people or invest in assets (resources) that people use when in need. I see us moving from knowledge in the classroom to knowledge everywhere. Retrieved from: http://edweb.sdsu.edu/People/ARossett/TD_Feb08_Rossett_LEGEND.pdf, May 3, 2009.
• Performance support is anything that helps workers perform tasks.

Common forms of performance support:

• Training
• Documentation
• Help Desks

Retrieved from: http://www.eventsonline.com/eol/training5.htm?training_perform.htm~bodycopy May 2009.

• Performance is the result of activities which are both effective and efficient. In short this means doing the right things and doing them well.

The purpose of performance support is to enable segments of the organization to monitor certain aspects of their Solution-Centered Support adoption and determine areas where attention would be appropriate to enhance performance.

The desired results pursued by a support organization are in three specific areas, i.e., employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, and cost per resolution.

Retrieved from: http://www.systems-thinking.org/perfsup/perfsup.htm, May 2009.

Other types of performance support include:

• Maintenance
• Troubleshooting
• Servicing
• Operating
• Installing

Retrieved from: http://www.springerlink.com/content/q3156051u183n38l/fulltext.pdf?page=1, May 2009.

Books about Performance Support Tools]]

Books about Performance Technology

Journal Articles

Developing Performance-Centered Systems for Higher Education
Author: Ioan I. ANDONE ; Vasile Daniel PAVALOAIA Journal: Informatica Economica Journal Year: 2007 Vol: XI Issue: 3 Pages/record No.: 26-30

From the Editor
Author: Ugur DEMIRAY Journal: The Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education Year: 2006 Vol: 7 Issue: 2 Pages/record No.: 3-8

How Istanbul HSBC Bank Operators Use Lotus Notes within Electronic Performance Support Systems
Author: Servet BAYRAM Journal: The Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education Year: 2006 Vol: 7 Issue: 2 Pages/record No.: 32-45

From the Editor
Author: Ugur Demiray Journal: The Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education Year: 2005 Vol: 6 Issue: 4 Pages/record No.: 3-6

A Conceptual Framework for the Electronic Performance Support Systems within IBM Lotus Notes 6 (LN6) Example
Author: Servet BAYRAM Journal: The Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education Year: 2005 Vol: 6 Issue: 4 Pages/record No.: 42-58

Revisioning Theoretical Framework of Electronic Performance Support Systems (EPSS) within the Software Application Examples
Author: Dr. Servet BAYRAM, Journal: The Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education Year: 2004 Vol: 5 Issue: 2 Pages/record No.: 49-58

Success Drivers in an Electronic Performance Support Project
Author: Giovanni Giacometti CERONI Journal: The Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education Year: 2001 Vol: 2 Issue: 1 Pages/record No.: