Elliot Jones | ISDeaX

Instructor-led Training and Support Materials

Background

WMATA was transitioning from one timekeeping and management software application to another one. They needed to train about 6,000 employees on the new system that incorporated new policies. There were 4 different types of employees that needed to be trained. After training several departments, many employees and managers were calling the help desk about tasks we taught them during class. Employees were used to calling tasks by the names used in the old system, so they found it difficult to find the quick reference guides they needed. Many people didn’t know where they could go to get the support materials.

Challenges

1) Learn the software well enough to teach it to others and develop the training materials in a short timeframe.

2) Develop training and teach others on a system that was constantly changing.

3) Learn the different policies and ways the various departments will use the system.

Common Mistakes

1) Teach all departments the same tasks even if they are irrelevant to them.

2) Mix different employee types into the same class sessions.

Approach

I proposed several ways to address the issues that we faced on the project, they included the following:

• Analyze help desk tickets and help desk call data to determine the tasks each department was having the most trouble with and create CBTs and quick reference guides based on the data.

• Display information about where to find available support materials on company monitors.

• Display videos on how to complete the tasks people are having the most trouble with.

• Email videos to employees on a weekly basis on the most difficult tasks.

• Offer virtual instructor-led training sessions with an instructor and someone else who monitors questions from students. The sessions could be recorded and anyone who missed them could access them on the LMS.

• Push information about where to get help to employee’s computers. It could be on their screensavers or a link on their desktops.

• Compare help desk data and system functions and screens to quick reference guides and update quick reference guides as needed.

• Title the quick reference guides based on what employees called tasks and explain the new name within the quick reference guide.

• Develop instructor-led training based on employee type and department. • Create CBTs that employees can access on demand.

My Role

Senior Instructional Design Consultant and Technical Trainer.