There is an increasing number of our user community using DOTS as the portal to initiate, support and manage coaching in their organisations.  There are a number of ways this is being done and below I will highlight one.  Firstly, the coaching may be an independent initiative or linked to a Performance Review and/or Development Plan.

• Create competencies that are aligned with the objectives of the coaching program.  These need not be competencies in the formal sense but rather skills, behaviours, activities that are the focus of the coaching program.
• Set up a Course as a Coaching program.  There are numerous course settings but the one I use consistently permits the learner (coachee) to set up their own sessions.  You can also permit the coach to set up sessions as well.  You do not need to use this feature but I like it as a means of tracking the sessions and ensuring they are included in the Calendar so a manager may view the progress of the coaching.
• Link to Development Plans.  I always use the Development Plans so I have the most flexibility for the different actions and learning assignments included in the coaching program.  You can add anything to a Development Plan and the person being coached can record time spent and outcomes of the different actions.
• I use the 360 Profile tool to create and deliver self – assessments at various stages of the coaching program.
• I support my coaching with a specific Library for each person being coached.  This permits both parties to add materials and information in a central repository for collaboration and reference.
• The Assessment Builder in DOTS is great to get feedback from the persons being coached as well as providing a means to test new ideas and get feedback on tasks undertaken.
• The competencies are added to the persons profile as we progress in the coaching program.  This keeps an ongoing real time record of progress as well as great information for the Performance Reviews.  DOTS will include the competencies in the Performance Review dashboard so they can be discussed.
• Learning content is included in many coaching programs.  I create learning content that is both specific to the person being coached but also have a range of general courses that are applicable more widely.  For instance a recent addition to the courseware is a short course on creating ‘vision boards’ for strategic business and personal planning.
• I have recently been using the Course and Enrolment system in DOTS to canvass interest in coaching and permitting those with an interest to register.  The registration usually has an approval process so a manager or other interested person is aware of the interest and can approve or not approve the coaching program.