An automated training management solution allows organizations to implement more effective reporting systems for making data-driven decisions, so they can:
• Set targets related to training (e.g., improving on-time completion rates) and track progress against them
• Develop leading metrics to predict and prevent training-related problems
• Easily communicate with stakeholders in the organization about important training trends
Published April 4, 2024, by Assurx.
منبع: https://www.qualitydigest.com/inside/customer-care-article/guide-choosing-right-training-management-software-042424.html
Staying organized is one major benefit of adopting automated training management software. With the ability to store files and training records in one centralized repository, companies can:
• Have a complete record of training compliance
• Reduce the risk of losing important training-related files
• Keep employees up to date on training requirements
Post-training exams are critical to verify that employees have not only completed training, but also that they understand the information presented. This can also help gauge training effectiveness to guide future training updates and course improvements.
Training exams
Automated training assignments
An analysis of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning letters by the Food and Drug Law Institute reveals a perhaps not-so-surprising link between training gaps and FDA violations.
Download a free case study to learn how a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) of specialized biomedical polymers and additives for medical devices revolutionized its training management system.
It’s one of several factors motivating companies to switch to automated training management software. The underlying problem: Manual recordkeeping methods of the past simply can’t keep up with the pace of modern manufacturing.
Out-of-box functionality with flexibility
Achieving ROI requires a solution that addresses the fundamental challenges of training management and truly makes people’s jobs easier. In this guide to choosing the right training management software, we explore:
• Why companies implement training management software
• Key features and functions to look for in a training management solution
• Key integrations between training management and your QMS
Forward-thinking companies, on the other hand, stand to realize significant value by automating employee training management. This is true both in terms of direct cost savings from improved efficiency as well as in terms of avoiding mistakes and compliance issues. The right training management software allows companies to meet compliance with fewer manual tasks, helping teams improve productivity without putting quality at risk.
Supplemental documentation
With many training management software vendors, what you see is what you get. Making changes to forms and workflows can be difficult, requiring manufacturers to reach out to the vendor for help. In some cases, you may be forced to adapt your process to the software, which can hamstring you in the long run and hurt efforts to improve efficiency.
Any solution you choose should come with fully functional out-of-box workflows. This will allow you to get up and running quickly, and can be especially helpful if you’re looking to standardize your training workflow around industry best practices.
Completing training courses is rarely at the top of an employee’s list, especially in busy manufacturing environments where more immediate needs tend to take priority. Companies can leverage software to close the accountability gap by:
• Reminding employees when training due dates are approaching
• Providing easy access to training materials, records, and exams
• Escalating alerts to managers when staff haven’t completed training in the required time frame
Making data-driven decisions
That’s why it’s so important to choose a solution that can be easily configured without changing the source code and requiring additional validation. The software should make it simple to change:
• Training assignments
• Integration workflows and rules
• Forms and approval routing
• Reminders and escalation rules
Traditional approaches to training management can be burdensome and error-prone, driving up risks and costs to manufacturers. When records are lost or training is overlooked, it’s not long before you may find all of your operations under the compliance microscope.
Dashboarding capabilities
Remember, it’s not enough to say that you have a training program. The auditor will want to see evidence. With paper-based records, that’s harder to prove and much harder to provide those records quickly. With an automated system, you can access training records with just a few clicks, which also helps make a positive impression on auditors.
Centralizing recordkeeping
Choosing the right training management solution can catalyze your continuous improvement goals. If you choose an ineffective solution, however, you could be looking at thousands of dollars wasted on “shelfware.”
In many cases, companies have been able to replace their learning management system (LMS) with training management software that’s part of an integrated QMS.
Being able to create multiple dashboards is also something many production facilities might want to consider. For example, it can be helpful to have one dashboard for managers to view the status of direct reports, with separate dashboards for users to view their records and upcoming assignments.
Employee training nearly always comes up during audits. While companies may have initial training records for employees, one area where they tend to drop the ball is providing evidence of refresher training.
Strengthening accountability
Improving audit readiness
Bulk data import can prove helpful here, for instance when uploading existing training materials or other related documents.
Choosing the right training management software starts with an understanding of the business problems you’re trying to solve, and what your organization stands to gain. For many manufacturers, it’s about strengthening compliance while becoming more efficient to boost both productivity and quality. Below we explore in more detail.
Not knowing whether staff have completed required training creates significant quality and safety risks.
Built-in compliance
Here you want to look for a system built to support compliance with regulatory and standard requirements, including FDA and ISO compliance.
Being able to link supporting documentation within any training course, exam, or record is an important feature to look for. This could mean adding additional resources to coursework, as well as documenting qualifications for employees such as Six Sigma and other certifications.
Configurable dashboards give you an overview of your team’s training status at a glance, helping you more quickly find and fix gaps that lead to compliance problems.
At the same time, you also want a solution that will allow you to configure it to your needs so you can map it to your own process as it evolves. This flexibility is the key to accommodating organizational change over time and supporting the continuous improvement process.
The ability to automatically assign training requirements and tasks is a huge time-saver, particularly for large companies and production facilities. With that in mind, you should be able to:
• Assign training tasks by job title, group, or department
• Create alerts and escalation rules to improve training compliance and accountability
• Build training requirements based on process documentation and SOPs
• Link auto-generated training assignments to other related processes such as document management, change control, and CAPA
Reducing quality and safety risks
Employee training is part of an interdependent set of processes in the quality ecosystem. Any number of changes may require updating training, whether it’s training requirements for individuals or updating the training materials themselves.
A robust training management solution will come with built-in tools to ensure compliance, acting as a centralized repository for tracking:
• Comprehensive employee training histories
• Attachments such as certifications and licenses
• Post-training test results
• Time-stamped signatures and audit trails
With software, you can set training frequencies to provide automated reminders when refresher training is due. Automation reduces the chance of it slipping through the cracks while ensuring you aren’t caught without the proper records when auditors request them.
For example, any time that equipment, processes, or SOPs change, employee training will also be affected. An integrated quality management system (QMS) allows you to link these changes directly to employee training updates so people get the right information at the right time.
In many cases, companies have been able to replace their learning management system (LMS) with training management software that’s part of an integrated QMS. With this approach, forms, tasks, and workflows are standardized across multiple processes such as training, document management, audits, and CAPA. Teams only have to learn one tool, helping accelerate adoption and reduce IT costs.
In terms of exams, the software should provide flexible question types, including true/false, yes/no, multiple choice, and even free-text responses. You should also be able to specify the threshold for passing the exam to verify that employees have assimilated the material.
All-in-one integration
The key here is to find a vendor that offers a combination of robust out-of-box functionality and flexibility, with readily available vendor support for when you need it.
Choosing the right training management solution can catalyze your continuous improvement goals.
While companies may have initial training records for employees, one area where they tend to drop the ball is providing evidence of refresher training.
To help you make the right selection, let’s examine some of the top features and functions to look for as you gather requirements and evaluate vendors.
For example, imagine an employee is moved to a different production line but hasn’t received the required training to operate the process correctly. Hidden risks here create opportunities for problems ranging from defective products all the way up to serious safety incidents. Software reduces these risks by:
• Helping identify training gaps where people are overdue for training
• Allowing companies to monitor training effectiveness over time
• Ensuring that key changes (e.g., process changes or equipment changes) trigger new training requirements