As I shared in an earlier blog, our transformation in the IBM CIO's office to modern pipelines and source control for z/OS development depended on one essential approach: the Learn. Do. Teach. method. Today, I want to take a moment to recognize the people who made this training model not only possible, but genuinely successful across our global teams.
First, a huge thank you to Mirella Batista, whose vision, leadership, and relentless execution turned this program into a repeatable, scalable model. And thank you to David Rice and every participant who completed the training and then stepped up to teach others—you expanded the impact far beyond the initial classroom and built the foundation of a true community of practice.
Below is the agenda we used to kick off the program, along with an overview of the Learn. Do. Teach. model and the results we’ve achieved together.
Training Kickoff Agenda
Goals
- Test the model, then repeat in waves
- Enable and equip z/OS developers with the necessary hands-on expertise
- Begin migration of ten applications
Presentation of Proposed Training
- Explanation of the model
- Overview of topics
- Breakdown of activities into Learn. Do. Teach.
- Timeline
- Measures of success
- Reusable training material
- First ten application migrations underway
What We Needed From Leaders
- Prioritization and recruitment of participants
- Collaboration in creating and reviewing training materials
- Support in promotion and engagement with participant managers
- Support in recognizing participant accomplishments during the showcase
- General feedback
The Learn. Do. Teach. Method
This approach centers on instructor-led workshops combined with hands-on activities—and ultimately empowers participants to teach others. The training culminates in a showcase to celebrate achievements and recognize contributions.
Learn
Participants begin with pre-work and attend weekly instructor-led workshops that introduce a new technical topic each week.
Do
Hands-on assignments guide participants through real work related to their own applications. Daily engagement in Slack channels encourages collaboration, group problem-solving, and peer learning.
Teach
Participants teach concepts to others, reinforcing their knowledge through the act of sharing it. It’s the embodiment of “If you want to master something, teach it.”
Celebrate & Recognize
Recognition is essential. Showcases highlight participant accomplishments, offer visibility, and help build long-term pride and career growth.
Evaluate & Pivot
Each week, instructors, mentors, and organizers review progress, evaluate what’s working, and refine the training in real time—ensuring continuous improvement.
Program Plan
- Week 1: Migrating your source to GitHub — app migration begins
- Week 2: Configuring the pipeline — dev/test/prod setup and pipeline configuration
- Week 3: Using Git — fix issues, review pull requests, and merge
- Week 4: Dependency Based Build(DBB) User Build — setting up your specific build capabilities in DBB
- Week 5: Teach — lightning talks prepared and delivered by participants
- Showcase: Celebration of achievements and awarding of completion badges
Keys to Success
- Select highly motivated participants for the first wave
- Ensure strong manager support for time and engagement
Outcomes
- Increased knowledge
- Empowered and confident learners
- Strengthened community support
- Boosted application migration
- Reusable training resources for future waves
What does an image of armor have to do with the learn do teach methodology, it's my learning and doing process for creating custom embroidery. Still working on the doing so I can get to the teaching.