DEVELOPMENT OF A LEARNING TOOL FOR METHOD TRAINING IN THE FIELD OF PROCESS MANAGEMENT

For small and medium-sized companies in Germany high educated skilled workers are an essential factor of success. Competencies for production organisation and especially for pro-cess management on skilled worker level play a decisive role. For the corresponding areas of operations, an active shaping, as well as a continuous optimisation of work processes and a conscious reflection of developments inside the company are necessary. Due to these re-quirements, they prominently have to possess extensive knowledge in project and process management and in particular the ability to select and use specifically the right methods from both fields of management.

Especially process managers on skilled worker level can usually revert to practical experi-ence from their occupation in production, but they often lack in the required method knowledge to process their job specifically and effectively. At the beginning of their employ-ment they are hardly able to select and use suitable methods for their problem situation. Most workers concerned are hardly or not able to acquire the required methods self-educated.

Therefore it is necessary, to give unexperienced process managers an opportunity to appro-priate the essential method knowledge within the process of work. To this, a practical learning tool will be developed, which supports the operator in making problem situations accessible, in selecting and using suitable methods for the solution/realisation process, as well as in reflecting his decisions and actions. The development of this learning tool will be presented in this paper.

The theoretical basis for the learning tool is deduced from a constructivist approach of learn-ing through prestructured materials. Based on it guiding questions were posed to the learner and, as a result of answering them, he is able to make his problem situation accessible on its own. By answering further guiding questions, he is also in the position to select suitable methods for his specific problem situation. In consequence of answering this questions and the involving access of the problem and method selection, the learner is able to justify and reflect his decisions. This process of complete action qualifies process managers on skilled worker level for an autonomous, professional proper and method headed handling of problem situations. As a result of this process, he learns new methods and knows how to assign them to certain problem situations. The knowledge about already known methods can be extended. Using the learning tool facilitates the development of professional competence and accordingly the action competence of process managers.