Selecting the Best Application Training Methods for Your AM/FM/GIS Project

Training is one of the most critical and most often overlooked elements of an automated mapping and facilities management, geographic information systems (AM/FM/GIS) implementation project. The introduction of AM/FM/GIS into a business or organization brings change. At an operational level, it changes the way people work. At a management level, it changes the way decisions are made. Changes in business processes lead to changes in organizational structure, but they are not always accompanied by sustained changes in the attitudes, knowledge, skills, and behaviors of the people charged with implementing the change itself. Hence, the organization faces a number of staff-related problems. Furthermore, the training and education needs of every organization are different. With a program that is suited to both the individual and the organization, training programs for AM/FM/GIS address the range of problems triggered by the changes.

In the business world, companies are cautiously exploring the margins of successful ventures and attempting to gain a competitive edge. While AM/FM/GIS technology offers the potential to achieve a strategic advantage over the competition, the implementation of AM/FM/GIS projects involves major shifts in working practices. A major misconception is often that the majority of these shifts are similar to those associated with the adoption of Information Technology (IT) practices. The impact of integrating AM/FM/GIS hardware and software into an organization is comparable to the integration of database management software, as both these software tools have been developed in response to the need to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of well-defined manual tasks. AM/FM/GIS is also, in part, a responsive technology — the role of AM/FM/GIS is to encourage new spatial approaches to problem solving and providing information. This reactive role differs substantially from the roles associated with other IT strategies. Therefore, it is important to take into account the existing GIS skills of staff when designing the training programs for an AM/FM/GIS project.