CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Sustaining the Desired Future State and Training for Successful Workforce Asset Management

IN THIS CHAPTER, THE NEED for ongoing system and operational support after the workforce management (WFM) system goes live is examined. End-user adoption of a WFM system is essential to the organization. Managing and tracking system usability are described, including quantitative and qualitative metrics so the organization can see what is and is not working. Because WFM systems impact employees daily, it is imperative that a full training process be developed, to sustain usability, build employee confidence, and to ease help desk call volume. Role-based training helps support the different types of employees that will use the system, and organization needs will drive delivery methods and materials.

23.1 MANAGING SYSTEM USABILITY1

Organizations that have implemented a WFM system want to deliver the planned operational benefits and realize ROI as quickly as possible. Answering the following questions helps the organization understand where they are in terms of system success:

• Are the end users using the system as designed?
• Is the organization at the desired future state?

The key to being able to answer these questions during the stabilization and optimization phases is the emphasis on assessing readiness from the start of the project. Quantifiable benchmarks based on realistic metrics need to be identified based on the business case and success criteria identified in the visioning and planning phases. Key performance indicators (KPIs) identified in these phases should be used to assess where the implementation stands in relation to original goals. KPIs for a WFM system implementation may include:

• Specific financial targets such as reduced overtime.
• Operational benefits such as automating scheduling or turning on self-scheduling.
• Technical improvements such as offering attestation, enforcing policy, or reducing clocking errors and missed punches.

In addition to KPIs, organizations should measure performance against SLAs, both internally and externally. Track both KPIs and SLAs at multiple levels (i.e., department, division, and enterprise) to clearly identify who is and is not meeting ROI metrics.

(a) It Is Not Just about the Technology

WFM systems can provide a wealth of benefits to organizations, but only if they are used consistently within the bounds of designed work flows, policies, and processes. Although often considered an IT project, a WFM system implementation cannot be IT driven. The business operations of an organization should drive the design of the system and the corresponding work flows, processes, and policies. When operationally driven, the implementation supports the circumstances of the business and fits seamlessly into its day-to-day work. As a result, it is also more easily adopted. Critical to the results from a WFM system implementation is end-user adoption of the technology, processes, and policies. Strategies that encourage overall adoption include:

• Work flow, scenario-based training (including policies).
• Day-in-the-life job aids.
• Integrated work flow walk-throughs.
• Modified job descriptions and performance evaluations indicating system responsibilities and expected outcomes.

Adherence to policies and processes should be tracked as well to facilitate proper usage of the system. Proper system engagement by users is encouraged when workers understand that their use of the system will be factored into their job performance, impacting their pay and promotion.

(b) Tracking System Usability

WFM systems can be implemented with core system reports that track usage. These reports can often be customized to provide the metrics identified in the business case. The focus should be on continually assessing both quantitative metrics (user system activity, timecard errors, and calls to the help desk) and qualitative metrics (user data quality, number of corrections and manual check requests, work flow and policy compliance, communications, etc.).

Samples of quantitative metrics include:

• User login behavior. Percentage of active users logging in during last x days.
• Users not logging in. Compared against list of users with access.
• Open approvals. Number of open entries waiting for approval (i.e., timesheets, request for paid time off [PTO], etc.).
• Time lag between submissions/approvals. Number of days between submission and approval of item (i.e., time sheets).
• Quality/thoroughness of data entered into the system. Queries of sample data sets to determine quality of data entered into the system impacting outcomes.

In addition, tools can be deployed that monitor how an end user is interacting with the system and can reveal information concerning the end-user experience and the performance achieved by each end user. Tools such as stakeholder interviews, adoption surveys, and end-user satisfaction surveys can provide a whole host of qualitative data. (See Chapter 4, Section 4.3, for more information on benchmarking.)

Samples of qualitative metrics include:

• Change adoption data. How well is the system being adopted week over week? What should leadership focus on to drive adoption and realization of program benefits? For example: How many employees have up-to-date schedules in the system?
• Organizational support data. Does staff understand the value of the program to their jobs, their department, and the organization? Has leadership provided the guidance and resources needed for staff and managers to implement and sustain usage of the system and work flows? Have the organizational goals, policies, and performance metrics been updated to support the new system and work flows?
• End-user satisfaction data. Comfort level with new system, work flows, and policies; perception about quality/adequateness of training, communications, support, and so on.
• Collateral benefits data. Has the implementation and sustainment of the WFM system provided other benefits within the organization? For example: Activity in the system is supporting the goal of increased employee retention; leaders have greater visibility into labor budget excesses via WFM analytics.

Results are measured and tracked so that the organization can see and analyze what is working and what is not working. Continuous assessment of both quantitative and qualitative metrics is important to sustaining usability. With a continuous assessment process in place, quick responses and mitigation strategies can be deployed rapidly and help an organization achieve optimization more quickly.

(c) Top Challenges to Sustained Usability

The challenges to sustained usability are to a large degree people related, with the primary challenge being resistance to change. However, some can be caused by technology gaps. Common challenges include:

• Getting everyone on board—it is critical to the success of the WFM system to endeavor toward making certain that the entire organization understands the reasons and strategy for the implementation.
• Organizational integrity—full commitment to the system mission through adequate funding, resources, and prioritization (e.g., funding the development of an interface of important KPI to feed the WFM modules).
• Making sure there is able and engaged sponsorship and leadership for the implementation.
• Understanding the organizational culture and its historical response to change.
• Effective training, assistance, and resources for end users.
• Embedding the system into the operational flow.
• Adequately replacing operationally required functionality with new system features (e.g., failure to turn on WFM features as the organization evolves and grows in complexity).
• Sufficient system capacity to handle increasing volume or performance demands on the system, such as providing more time collection devices or running more WFM reports (the lack of which will force users to abandon the system for another workable solution).
• Having enough user licenses to effectively administer workforce activity and input data.

Organizations need to give users the tools and confidence to accept the change and understand the big picture (organizational benefits) and the little picture (changes to my role). Managing challenges to sustained usability is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Each organization needs to take its specific culture into account when developing mitigation strategies to identified challenges. Effective mitigation strategies include:

• Prepare the end user for the changes.
  • Provide work flow, scenario-based training.
  • Provide guidance to the end users even after go-live (i.e., super user program, help desk, etc.).
  • Prepare managers/supervisors to support their staff.
  • Provide job aids and system checklists.
• Make the department/unit responsible for sustained usability.
  • Share continuous assessment of success criteria to department managers/supervisors.
  • Reward adoption behaviors, competency, and those whose efforts lead to desired outcomes (i.e., identify levels of compliance to process, policy, and system usage, for example, bronze, silver, gold, and platinum).
  • Deliver disciplinary measures to bring resisters on board.
  • Inspect user activity and business unit outcomes for lack of adoption—enforce corrective actions if necessary.
  • Include system usage and business outcomes in periodic employee performance reviews
• Continue to educate the end users.
  • Provide refresher training.
  • Provide tips and tricks on how to use the system more efficiently now that users have the basics down.
  • Create user groups and recognize super users or mentor buddies.
  • Engage the entire organization in the expected outcomes from the program.
  • Communicate how the system is providing benefits to the organization and meeting the ROI goals.
  • Perform periodic integrity checks for system workability and leadership commitment.
  • Make sure the organization understands at every level where it is against the expected ROI.
  • Communicate both steps forward and back.

Remember, the main focus of the WFM system implementations is people. Adopt innovative ways to get end users at each level ready, trained for, and committed to change—not just the system changes, but the work flow, policies, and outcome changes as well. Be aggressive about leveraging the available policies, processes, and technology to identify issues with system usability. Whether the issues revolve around the system not working as designed, operational concerns with the work flows, end user preparedness, or something else, maintaining system usability is critical to user adoption during the implementation of the WFM system and achieving the business case and ROI. Even the leading WFM solutions will struggle to fulfill their mission if not adopted thoroughly by the organization. Suboptimal implementations leave business benefits underrealized.

23.2 WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY TRAINING2

WFM systems impact employees in an organization on an ongoing basis, either through direct use or indirectly from the information being collected and generated. Daily operational and financial impacts throughout the organization make the WFM system highly visible. WFM systems have evolved from highly process-oriented systems to include management support technologies influencing decisions and outcomes in real time. The introduction of a new WFM tool can send ripples through the organization due to changes in the processes, methods, and available information.

Note that the focus in this training discussion is on the technology. However, Workforce Asset Management, as revealed here in the WAMBOK, covers a wider spectrum of learning topics than just technology. Some of the planning and strategies outlined here can and should also be applied to other education and training programs. For example, those programs covering the business issues and practices which underlie these systems such as teaching employees how to read data in charts, federal and state wage and hour regulations, designing schedules, and enhancing workplace issues such as fatigue, flexible schedules, and compensation. By training on both the business practice and the technology, an organization avoids advancing one without the other and falling short of desired results.

When the new WFM system is implemented, employees involved with the WFM system need to learn about the new system and how it impacts the way they do business. A recommended approach for employees to learn the new WFM system is to have a well-defined education program designed to communicate, reinforce, and support the employees and the systems to achieve their full potential. Unfortunately many organizations downplay or do not have a training program for WFM systems. Companies should consider that effective and efficient use of the new system directly influences the return on investment.

In general, training for the new WFM technology calls for a progressive approach for the training to meet the different audiences' needs. It may be easier to teach people how to perform tasks and procedures than it is to educate and transform individuals to think and operate differently. Advanced training essentially reprograms people and serves not only to instruct the mind but also to change the behaviors and the results. Training should be interactive and include opportunities to compare competency and conversion, not simply present and presume that the information will produce desired change. As a final thought, many organizations have implemented new WFM systems with less-than-desired results. Usually when examining this problem it has been found that the real issue is not the WFM system; it is that the employees do not know how to use the system to its full potential.

(a) Training Audiences

There is a variety of audiences and positions with overlapping interests and responsibilities that need to be trained on the WFM system. This means that there may be varying objectives for each audience. In some cases the same employee may have multiple roles. However, a general training program with a defined training curriculum separated into discrete subject matters can be developed to address the objectives of each audience. The general categories of audiences are usually:

• End user. Enters and responds to information on a daily basis.
• Supervisor. Responds to information and makes immediate decisions and directives to employees.
• WFM analyst (or Workforce Asset Management Professional [WAM-Pro]). Analyzes information, creates reports for management, and makes recommendations for process improvements, changes in employee assignments, and other cost saving or business efficient changes; identifies problems that need management, intervention, discussion, and decisions.
• Executive management. Reviews information and reports created by the WFM system to assess reports, identify problems, and provide directions to resolve issues and problems.

If a general training program is not suitable for an organization, or an organization has matured to a position where general training is too basic, then an in-depth role-based training program may be the better approach. Role-based training is a focused approach for sets of employees using the system differently. For instance, nonexempt employees will use it to record work time, and employees will need training to use those features. Managers and executives will need to know how to extract and use the data in the system to make strategic, tactical, and operational decisions. System administrators and help desk support personnel will need technical training, and integration with different systems will need to be covered as well. Departments like human resources and payroll may also require specially designed training to direct the way they may use the new WFM system. Functional advisers who provide dedicated ongoing support for the new system will need specialized training on the system. Keep in mind that role-based training is specific to the role and requirements of each group. The following list shows some of the different types of roles for which training may be required:

• Nonexempt employees
• Supervisors and managers
• Timekeepers
• Schedulers
• Executives
• WFM training administrative team and IT help desk training
• Human resources and payroll
• Trainers
• WMO personnel

Each company will have different departments and roles that will be affected by the new WFM technology. Organizations will need to be sure to determine WFM training needs in a manner that best meets the needs of the different system users, both during the immediate project and to support ongoing operations.

(b) Training Planning, Design, and Delivery Tasks

A WFM technology implementation project should include an analysis for training requirements, design based on requirements, and steps for training delivery. Common training-related activities during the WFM implementation include:

• Analysis. The analysis identifies and evaluates requirements for training and includes determining:
  • How much training time is needed for each audience member.
  • How often training sessions will occur.
  • Roles of the audience members.
  • Format and delivery methods for the training sessions.
  • Content and materials to be developed or used.
  • Development tools to be used.
  • Who develops the training materials.
  • Who will do the training (in-house or contractor).
  • How employees will be credited for training (professional development units [PDUs]/continuing education units [CEUs]).
  • Profiling suitable trainers and identifying who is qualified to train
  • Selecting outside trainers (if required) and negotiating contracts
  • Training costs and budget (rollout and ongoing).
• Design. The design effort is used to create the training materials and includes:
  • Using the requirements to create and organize the training materials.
  • Reviews to ensure that the materials address the requirements.
  • Pilot testing to see how well the content and delivery work for training.
  • Create the strategy to train the trainers, including competency criteria (how to determine when the trainers are ready to train)
  • Adjustments to the design if needed.
• Implementation. The implementation is used to provide training to the audiences and includes:
  • Setting up an audience training database to track attendees and results.
  • Train-the-trainer sessions
  • Scheduling the training activities.
  • Audience sign-up.
  • Preparing the classroom or delivery session.
  • Creating the materials for the audience.
  • Completing the training sessions.
  • Follow-up evaluations.
  • Designating trainers or mentors for subsequent new hires or promoted managers

By following the approach listed, the organization will know whether the training program is appropriately developed and delivered to those in the organization that depend on the WFM system.

(c) Delivery Methods and Materials

Each organization has different training requirements for development and delivery. It will depend on the organization and size, type of WFM system, budget, and so forth. The general rule should be that training address a variety of learning styles to fit the organization. Table 23.1 lists some of the methods and materials commonly used to deliver training.

Table 23.1 Training Development and Delivery Options

(d) Tools for Designing Training

Careful planning and budgeting will help determine the tools needed to develop training delivery methods and materials, how to locate the appropriate persons to design the materials, and how to make it available to employees. In many cases the delivery will be by classroom or an online system. Some of the tools for developing training materials include: word processor, spreadsheets, PowerPoint slides, interactive training development software, and videos. An additional tool that may be used is a live WFM system with sample or demonstration database specifically used for training. Keep in mind that developing training materials is a skill. If there are no employees internally with the skills, external resources may need to be used. Vendors who sell WFM systems and consulting firms may have training tools and programs available. It is important to consider the delivery and tools for training material. Regardless of the type used, the tools and training materials need to be considered at the beginning of the project.

(e) Workforce and Technology Training Curriculum

The WFM training curriculum will be determined by numerous factors. These include: the type and complexity of the WFM system or device being implemented, whether it was an implementation or an upgrade, the types of roles of the employees using the solution, how the system is being supported, and the amount of funds budgeted for training. Some general guidelines for WFM training may include:

• Training should be close to the time frame where the WFM is released for operational use. If done too early the coursework will be forgotten. If done late the employees will not have time to absorb the lessons and understand the impacts of using the new system.
• The curriculum should reflect what the organization will use and how it is applied to the organization. Unfortunately many training programs spend a lot of time on features and functions that do not fit the organization's requirements.
• The curriculum should not be too aggressive. New users may not learn everything about the system in one training course. Only what is needed to become functional on the system should be taught with new WFM systems. Later training and in-service training can be used to expand the knowledge on system use.
• Training materials should be provided to the users so they can make notes and add supplemental comments to the handouts for personal use.

Some sample training programs follow. One is for end users and the other is for managers. These are samples only and each organization is responsible for designing their own training curriculum.

i. Employee WFM System Training

In this curriculum, there is minimal training for the end user. The goal of the training is to make sure that employees can log or clock into the systems and access information that they need related to their work and schedule. Some of the training items will include:

• Punch in and out.
• Report working in a nonhome department.
• Enter in a special activity such as call-in duty.
• Request, change, and/or document paid time off.
• Enter time spent on project work.
• Inquire about total hours worked week to date or tomorrow's schedule.
• Submit request for change to time sheet.
• Reset own password.
• Use the identification badge.

ii. Manager WFM System Training

In this curriculum, it is assumed that the manager may provide some guidance to employees to help them use the WFM system. The organization has decided that exempt employees will use the system to document paid time off and project work, so this example manager does need to know how to execute those tasks in the system. The manager user may also be providing advanced system support such as system administration and interpreting business data and reconciling data between systems. Some of the training items might include:

• Navigation within a new software application, including everything from login to sign-off.
• Performing managerial functions, including reviewing and editing timecards, creating and entering schedules, approving time of requests, running reports.
• Analytical duties, which may include reviewing audit trails and system alerts to performing advanced data analysis, interpreting charts and reports, correcting system information.
• System support responsibilities, including managing user accounts and setup, maintaining the data and security, troubleshooting application problems, executing contingency plans in an emergency, archiving and purging data, and so on.
• Reconciliation functions, including balancing WFM data with payroll information, comparing data sets between human resources and WFM systems, making adjustments for payroll corrections in historical WFM records.
• Help desk duties, including interpreting WFM information and answering employee questions, escalating potential problems, and so on.

(f) Maintenance

Once the system is implemented and training is complete, a plan for updating and revising training should be considered. The business will need to decide if the functional adviser, the WMO, or in-house technical training department will edit and maintain the WFM training materials and continue to deliver training after go-live. A plan is needed for making minor edits to the materials and for regular updates when patches are installed or major upgrades occur. Employee turnover is inevitable, and a training schedule and pool of trainers or mentors are also needed to deliver training to new employees, managers, and support personnel.

At times it may be necessary for employees to retake training. Refresher courses that remind employees of company policy and procedures are recommended on a recurring basis. An employee promoted to a managerial position will need to be trained on the functionality that is available to managers in the WFM training. And managers are often moved to other departments with different functionality. An employee, manager, or executive may also be interested in obtaining or refreshing WAM certification. Retaking the company WFM training can help with preparing to take the examination. It is in the company's interest to help support employees' career advancement by making up-to-date classroom and online training available.

Implementing a new WFM application, device, module, or even extending the sharing of business information between a WFM system and other applications will typically include some type of training. There are many approaches available to design and develop general and role-based training, including classroom and online instruction. Plans for designing and delivering training should be included in the initial project plan. There needs to be a determination about which delivery methods and materials meet the organization's requirements and training budget. Depending on the training approach, technical support may be needed and a regular maintenance schedule for editing and revising training should be determined. Training is an elemental and ongoing key to success—an organization cannot expect positive results without investing in and supporting the people who use WFM technologies, and applying new business practices within those systems.

Closing out the discussion on workforce management systems with training is an appropriate reminder that Workforce Asset Management is not a project or a one-time activity, just as learning and training are continuing and iterative processes. New business problems will arise, new technologies will emerge, and new solutions will be applied. Riding this continuum of change, WAM-Pros will be leaders in the industry and teachers in their organizations. The WAM-Pro is needed to guide organizations and people through the crowded maze of workplace issues toward eventual organizational maturity and success.

1. This section was contributed by Elizabeth Murphy.

2. This section was contributed by Natalie Sword.