| Course | HRM 326 Employee Development (HRM/326) |
|---|---|
| Week | 3 |
| Paper type | Development program design paper |
| Length | about 1,041 words, 4 double-spaced pages plus title page and references |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | University of Phoenix |
| Program | BS in Business |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HRM 326 Week 3
Twelve Months From Lead to Supervisor: Designing Practice-Heavy Sessions, a Supervisory Rotation and Mentoring for Crossroads Fulfillment's First Cohort
[Student Name]
University of Phoenix
HRM/326: Employee Development
Week 3 Assignment
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
Crossroads Fulfillment and all program details are composites written for a model paper; design principles and research findings come from the sources listed and are stated generally.
Crossroads Fulfillment, the composite Indianapolis logistics company, completed its needs assessment in Week 2 and found four priority gaps for future supervisors: labor planning, corrective feedback, consistent documentation and running start-up meetings. Sixteen leads from four warehouses and three shifts were selected. The program must teach skills they will use immediately, and it must fit around a warehouse that runs 20 hours a day (Noe, 2020). A program that looks good on paper but pulls leads off the floor during peak hours or teaches skills they never practice will not produce supervisors. This paper designs one that will.
Design Principles From Research
Across many leadership training studies, Lacerenza et al. (2017) showed that programs were more effective when they were based on a needs analysis, included practice, provided feedback, were delivered in multiple sessions over time and were held face to face for interpersonal skills. Blume et al. (2010) found that support from supervisors and peers predicted whether trained skills were used on the job. Crossroads' design follows these findings.
Adult Learners
Participants are experienced adults who learn best when content solves problems they recognize. Each session therefore begins with a situation drawn from their own warehouses, such as a forecast that doubles at 2 p.m., and draws on participants' experience before introducing tools.
Module One: Labor Planning
Four sessions of 90 minutes teach the forecasting tool, productivity standards and reassignment rules. Each session ends with a simulation: participants receive a forecast, a roster with absences and a mid-shift volume change, and build and adjust a labor plan. A senior supervisor reviews the plans and gives feedback against the objective of meeting productivity targets within 5 percent.
Module Two: Feedback and Coaching
Three sessions teach a simple feedback model: describe the behavior, explain its effect, ask for the employee's view and agree on next steps. Participants practice in role plays based on real situations, including giving corrective feedback to a former coworker. Each role play is observed and scored, and participants repeat the exercise until they meet the standard.
Module Three: Documentation and Policy
Two sessions cover attendance, safety and discipline policies, with exercises documenting realistic cases. HR reviews each participant's documentation for accuracy and consistency, the skill most likely to prevent legal problems later.
Module Four: Start-Up Meetings
Two sessions teach a ten-minute meeting format covering safety, volume, goals and recognition. Participants then lead start-up meetings on their own shifts, observed by their mentor using a short checklist.
Spacing and Schedule
Sessions run every two weeks over the first five months, scheduled during the overlap between first and second shifts so participants miss as little production time as possible. Spacing sessions lets participants try skills between them and bring back questions. Site managers arrange coverage for participants' regular duties during sessions, budgeted as part of the program cost.
The Supervisory Rotation
In months six to eight, each participant serves three months as acting supervisor on a shift other than their own, with a current supervisor available for guidance. The rotation provides the challenging job experience that development research identifies as a powerful teacher, and it lets participants lead people who did not know them as peers.
Mentoring
Each participant is paired with an experienced supervisor or operations manager from a different building, who meets them every two weeks for the full year to discuss challenges, review metrics and plan development. Mentors receive a short orientation on coaching and are recognized in their own performance goals.
Preparing Participants' Managers
Before the program starts, each participant's manager meets with the development manager to review the objectives and agree on how they will give the participant chances to practice, such as leading a section or a start-up meeting. Managers check in monthly using a one-page guide.
Practice That Feels Real
Simulations work only if they feel like the real job. The labor planning exercises use actual forecasts and rosters from past shifts, with names removed, and include the messy details supervisors face: two call-offs, a forklift down for repair and a customer service request to rush a late order. Role plays use scripts written from incidents supervisors described in the needs assessment, played by experienced associates who know how a frustrated coworker really sounds. Realistic practice makes the jump to the floor smaller, which is the point of transfer.
Feedback Loops Within the Program
Participants receive feedback in three ways: scores and comments from facilitators during role plays and simulations, observations from mentors on the floor and a short self-review after each module comparing their performance with the objective. The facilitators also review participants' early labor plans from their own shifts, turning real work into another round of feedback. Repeated feedback over months matters more than any single session.
Accommodating Different Learners
Some participants are more comfortable with the forecasting software than others, and a few speak English as a second language. The program offers optional open lab hours before labor planning sessions and provides written job aids in English and Spanish, ensuring that differences in background do not keep capable leads from succeeding.
Trainers
Sessions are led by two internal facilitators, a senior operations manager and the HR development manager, who completed a train-the-trainer course, with top supervisors joining sessions as guest coaches.
E-Learning Where It Fits
Short online modules cover background knowledge, such as policy details and system navigation, completed before sessions so classroom time can focus on practice.
Program Calendar
Months one to five: eleven classroom sessions and online modules. Months six to eight: supervisory rotation. Months nine to twelve: return to home shift with expanded responsibilities and final assessments. Mentoring runs throughout.
Cost
Facilitator time, materials, online modules, mentors' recognition and participants' paid training time and shift coverage come to about $104,000 for 16 participants, about $6,500 each, matching the estimate in Week 1.
Conclusion
Crossroads' supervisor program follows research on effective leadership training: practice-heavy sessions spaced over time, a supervisory rotation for real experience, mentoring and managers prepared to support new skills. Scheduling around shifts and planning coverage make it workable in a warehouse that never stops, at a cost well below the turnover it is meant to prevent.
References
Blume, B. D., Ford, J. K., Baldwin, T. T., & Huang, J. L. (2010). Transfer of training: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Management, 36(4), 1065-1105. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206309352880
Lacerenza, C. N., Reyes, D. L., Marlow, S. L., Joseph, D. L., & Salas, E. (2017). Leadership training design, delivery, and implementation: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(12), 1686-1718. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000241
Noe, R. A. (2020). Employee training and development (8th ed.). McGraw Hill Education.
What the HRM 326 Week 3 instructions ask
The third HRM 326 assignment typically centers on designing and delivering a training or development program. Common requirements include applying adult learning principles, selecting methods such as lectures, case studies, simulations, role plays, e-learning, on-the-job training and mentoring, sequencing content, creating a positive learning environment, preparing trainers, scheduling delivery and planning for transfer of training. Many prompts ask students to design a program based on a needs assessment. Tie each method to an objective, justify choices with research and describe logistics realistically, including who covers participants' work while they train. Explain how managers will support the use of new skills afterward. Document sources in APA format, and include a calendar and a cost estimate so the plan could be approved and scheduled.
How this HRM 326 Week 3 example is built
A program for warehouse leads must fit around shift work and teach skills people use the next day, so the paper designs for both. It starts with principles from research on leadership training and transfer: practice, feedback, spaced sessions and support back on the job. Four modules follow, one for each priority from the needs assessment, each with short instruction, demonstration and practice. A three-month rotation as acting supervisor gives participants real experience. Mentors meet participants every two weeks. Sessions are scheduled at shift overlaps, with production coverage planned. Managers are prepared to support new skills. The paper closes with the program calendar and cost.
HRM 326 Week 3 grading rubric: where the points go
Strong papers in this week tie each design choice to a learning objective and to evidence about what makes training work. Instructors look for methods matched to the type of skill, practice and feedback for behavioral skills, attention to how adults learn, realistic scheduling and logistics and specific plans to support transfer through managers and job assignments. Including trainers' preparation and participants' readiness shows thoroughness. A program calendar, a cost estimate and APA references complete a strong paper. Showing how the design would adapt if early sessions reveal problems adds a practical touch. Papers that explain why each method suits a particular skill, rather than listing methods generally, demonstrate real design judgment. A clear picture of what a participant experiences week by week helps readers judge whether the program is realistic.
HRM 326 Week 3 help: mistakes to avoid
A frequent weakness in HRM 326 Week 3 papers is designing programs around lectures and slides when the skills require practice. Build in role plays, simulations and on-the-job assignments. Another common gap is ignoring logistics, such as covering participants' shifts, which can sink a well-designed program. Plan them. Students also leave out managers' roles in transfer. Prepare managers to coach. Avoid long single-day sessions that overload learners. Space practice over time. Match each method to an objective. Finally, estimate the cost so the plan can be approved. Include participants' paid time and the cost of covering their work, which are often the largest items. Note what you would change after the first cohort.
Related HRM 326 sample papers
Other HRM 326 week samples
- HRM 326 Week 1: Employee Development and Strategy
- HRM 326 Week 2: Training Needs Assessment
- HRM 326 Week 4: Legal Issues and Motivation
- HRM 326 Week 5: Evaluating Development Programs
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HRM 326 Week 3 questions, answered
What does HRM 326 Week 3 usually cover?
It usually covers designing and delivering development programs, including adult learning principles, methods such as simulations, role plays and mentoring, sequencing, scheduling, trainer preparation and support for transfer.
Where can I find a free HRM 326 Week 3 sample paper?
A complete design for a year-long supervisor development program at a logistics company, with modules, a rotation and mentoring explained beside the text, is open to read here. Request a free draft for your own program.
What makes leadership training effective?
Research finds that leadership training works best when it includes practice and feedback, is spread over multiple sessions, is based on a needs analysis and is delivered with attention to transfer back on the job.
What are adult learning principles?
Adults learn best when content is relevant to their work, builds on their experience, involves them actively and lets them apply what they learn to real problems.
How can managers support training transfer?
By discussing goals before training, giving employees chances to use new skills soon afterward, providing feedback and recognizing improvement.
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