Structured on-the job Training(SOJIT)

Structured on-the job Training(SOJIT) - How Does it work?

Parag A. Parikh
Technical Product Manager CES International
11675 Rainwater Drive Suite 500 Alpharetta, GA 30004

Abstract
It is essential for an organization investing millions of dollars acquiring the latest technology to train and educate the employees who will become the end-users. Today most organizations are taking the approach of tightly integrating their geospatial applications to enterprise applications such as Outage Management Systems (OMS), and Customer Information Systems (CIS). Unlike in the past, when an end user needed to know only one system because the systems operated in an isolated island environment, the new paradigm of tight seamless integration between applications and data sharing requires end users to learn about more than one complex system. Due to the lack of structured on-thejob and classroom training for integrated systems, often money invested in acquiring complex systems does not bring the desired productivity and Return-on-Investment (ROI).

This paper presents the new approach of team-driven Structured On-the-Job Training (SOJT) in the context of integrated geospatial applications. SOJT could empower users to acquire skills effectively in a shorter time, which could benefit the organization as well as the employees. It explains the benefits of using SOJT, which is inexpensive, simple, fast and relies on practical case studies, by utilizing the knowledge of Subject Matter Experts (SME), experienced employees and training professionals.

Introduction
The days are gone when training was considered as an occasional necessity; required only when a new enterprise application was deployed. Lately the rise of new Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) strategies has made it possible to bridge the gap between various departments in an organization, which shifts the focus to the end users to take advantage of integrated systems. The integrated systems have a steep learning curve, so nowadays organizations consider training as a continuous necessity to maintain their competitive advantage and increase productivity. Managers are reluctant to “pull people away” from their daily tasks to engage in training due to the toll it takes in daily work pressure and the cost involved in off-site training. A slower economy, the rising cost of business travel, and productivity loss because of classroom training are the reasons to look for an alternative, which focuses on structured and well-managed “Just-In-Time” training delivered on-site.

Electric Utility's Integrated Application Architecture
Most major electric utility enterprise solution vendors provide a classroom training to train the endusers directly or via a train-the-trainer program. The classroom training provides an overview and introduction of a new system to users but often fails to provide in-depth knowledge about real world situations. In the days of big budget custom enterprise applications, it was possible to devote a good amount of time and allocate a big budget to formulate custom training sessions for end users. This approach worked well when applications were not tightly integrated.

Figure 1 shows various enterprise applications used by a distribution utility and the desired data flow between applications. [3] Traditionally, these applications were used by various departments with little or no application integration. As the focus shifted to application integration due to the obvious benefits of sharing data, utilities opted for rudimentary data exchange using relational databases with island tables or point-to-point interfaces. Some utilities preferred to use a suite of applications from the same vendor in hopes that it would provide a tightly integrated system, which prevented them from using “best of breed” solutions.

The recent standardization efforts undertaken by the MultiSpeak specification and IEC Working Group (14) standards will enable utilities to integrate applications more easily. It will not be exactly a “Plug-N-Play” approach but the cost of system integration or changing the vendor for a specific system application will drastically reduce. An Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) technology sets the framework for seamless integration between major systems in an organization. For example, GIS to OMS, CIS to OMS, and OMS to SCADA can be tightly integrated, and the data provided by one system can drive another system. For the end users, real-time seamless integration blurs the distinct boundaries between two systems. As integrated systems become more prevalent in the utility world, end-user frustration will increase unless companies come up with a better plan to provide training. Often multiple vendors and utility company departments are involved in EAI projects. The team defining integration and design requirements could be well familiar with the different aspects of the integration, but a little training and reference documentation may be available for end users. end up having to decipher the technical interface document in order to learn more about the integrated system and features, which decreases their productivity and increases their learning curve. The EAI approach enables co-op and small investor-owned utilities to deploy integrated software systems in the organization, but due to budget constraints resources are shared resulting in cases where cross functional teams maintain integrated applications, but often not every team member receives classroom training to use the integrated system. The lack of thorough classroom training leads to unstructured and informal on the job training, increasing the frustration of end users.

Traditional On-The-Job Training
Most utilities claim to have on-the-job training programs, which typically are not well structured, yet more than 90 percent of an employee’s skills and knowledge are learned through on-the-job training. This training occurs in one of two ways: a Buddy System, where old habits, short cuts, mistakes, confusion, inconsistency, and bias pass from employee to another; or, Traditional On-the-Job Training (OJT), a disciplined and well defined method, which often takes no input from real end users and has little to do with the way people “really” perform their jobs. It may work well when there are experienced people who have used the software applications for a number of years and provide training to new people on the team. However, when utilities acquire new applications or integrate existing enterprise applications, this approach is not effective because it puts novice and experienced people in the same category.

Problems with unstructured and informal ojt
After deploying enterprise-wide integrated systems, utility companies face the dilemma of how to get workers up-to-speed quickly. After the introductory classroom training and orientation for each specific system, end users may not feel proficient in using the complex integrated system. On-time completion and implementation of new software applications could be a major milestone for a company’s strategy to improve efficiency and worker output, but if the users are not trained thoroughly to use the implemented system, then on-time implementation of the integrated system will not bring the desired results. Often the end users count on supervisors, co-workers, and SME’s for additional help and use informal OJT to move forward. New employees or a new person in the project team gets help from the team lead until the employee is up to the speed. If the team lacks an organized approach to developing the skills of new employees then their abilities will be inconsistent. Long after a new application is implemented some employees may not feel comfortable with it, which could affect productivity as well employee job satisfaction. Possible scenarios where Structured OJT could help to empower users are:

You have deployed new GIS and OMS systems in your organization, your end users are trained to use the individual system, but there is no training provided to support the data integration between two systems. You add a new resource to expedite the data migration process, but due to lack of formal training the new resource depends on technical design documents written for developers or experienced co-workers.
New resources are added to a project team, which is behind schedule, but instead of meeting the target, the project falls behind further and productivity goes down. After analyzing the cause of this problem, you realize that the experienced employees’ productivity is low due to their use of work time to correct the work of new members on the team.

Team-Driven Structured On-The-Job Training(SOJT)
This paper introduces a third approach to OJT: team-driven Structured On-the-Job Training (SOJT), which is gaining popularity lately and is very well suited for utilities where complex enterprise applications are integrated. The SOJT could be the method of choice when specific tailored classroom training is not available for integrated enterprise. SOJT is one-on-one on-the-job-training that occurs at or near the actual work setting and is delivered by a designated trainer. The designated trainer is an “experienced and successful employee” who uses training material that follows specific guidelines, provides observable and measurable performance objectives. The trainer uses a company-standardized checklist of tasks and performance criteria to train and certify new employees. With SOJT, any experienced employee given minimal "trainer training" can train new employees. In a well-implemented and monitored SOJT program, all new employees receive consistent, effective, and efficient training, regardless of the trainer assigned to them.

SOJT is not a silver bullet or universal cure-all medicine, but it is one of the most cost-effective ways to provide job-task training for employees. Instead of using unplanned, unorganized and ineffective OJT programs, an organization can benefit greatly by implementing SOJT.

Traditional OJT versus structured OJT
Traditional OJT over traditional OJT program are listed below [1]

The advantages of Structured OJT over traditional OJT program are listed below [1]:

Table 1 - Traditional OJT vs. Structured OJT

Traditional OJT	Structured OJT
Task Analysis
Costly, complex, and time-consuming Usually conducted by a trainer who is not familiar with the job Input from only SMEs and they often leave out information which may be required by the trainee May not resemble “real” task Lacks employee ownership	Inexpensive, simple and fast Conducted by employees who perform the job Input from many workers with a wide range of knowledge and expertise, including trainees. Reflects actual tasks employees perform Team-driven program so employees buy into and support the results

Preparing the Training Material
Time consuming and expensive Writer usually does not know job first hand depends on observation and information from SME Training material may be irrelevant Training material is not updated often	Seldom is an outside training person held accountable for it Fast and low cost Written by employees who do the job, written in “language” of employees Written to the level of detail deemed necessary for the trainee Training material reflects “best practices” Continuously updated by design teams Team ownership ensures accountability
Involvement of Designated Trainer
Trainer not involved in design and development of software or training materials No process or procedure redesign involved in design and development of training materials External resource may provide process or procedure which may not always reflect the real world situation Often an uncoordinated effort without ownership or owned by a training department that is external to the work area Most training (in-class or OJT) does not set the performance standard OR it is set by someone external to the work area	Employee teams redesign the process and procedures as they design and develop training materials The team driven process makes it easier to update the process and procedures as required Teams of employees who do the job also control the training material, process, and various aspects of the program so assigned team members are accountable Designated coaches/trainers who are part of the work team define the performance standards so they are in the best position to define competencies

Why SOJT Works
In the absence of SOJT or formal introductory classroom training, employees struggle to learn new applications and business processes on their own. This could breed resentment and lower the productivity, resulting in low morale and high turnover. SOJT reduces the need for time-consuming, expensive, inflexible classroom training. Employees see how the job works and appreciate how the training relates to the job, so they learn more effectively. The training is Just-in-Time (JIT), the most effective kind because it is a well structured and monitored program.

SOJT is very effective because the goals are identified per project and based on organizational needs, where the most effective training method has been identified in advance and trainers are part of the team. Standards and expectations from the training programs are clear, maximizing the probability of desired outcomes. The most appropriate delivery method has been chosen in advance, and the trainers are themselves prepared to succeed.

SOJT Components
Traditional OJT addresses skills and the knowledge components of the training, but misses out on human factors such as attitude and encouraging the willingness to do the work. The team-driven SOJT uses three interactive components that are essential for the success; Skills, Knowledge and Attitude.

Skills: Team Job Task Analysis is the skill component of SOJT, where “skill” tasks for performing the jobs are identified. It also defines the content of the training material, which is defined at a later stage of the SOJT.

Knowledge: Job Instruction Training is the knowledge component of SOJT, which includes procedures for training employees one-on-one. It involves an orderly period of instruction provided by a designated trainer. The trainer lets the trainee observe the task and then the trainee performs the task with coaching from the trainer and gets immediate feedback.

Attitude: The human Factors component is the attitude component of SOJT, which is a unique feature of SOJT compared to other training methods. Human factors, such as communication, team development, decision-making, conflict resolution, and workload management are considered. Including an Attitude component in SOJT helps to increase employees’ feelings of belonging and importance. It raises their job satisfaction as they are given authority to make decisions affecting their jobs. It also helps them to feel like part of a team and see the bigger picture.

Eight Steps to Implement SOJT
As the name suggests, Structured OJT should be delivered in a structured, step-by-step approach.

Figure 2 gives an overview of the eight-step model to implement SOJT.
Step 1: Need Identification
Recognizing a problem is the first step toward the solution, so it should be determined whether there is a performance problem after integrated applications are deployed. If so, management needs to decide whether or not SOJT could fix this problem. Some of the major issues, which may require SOJT, are:

Introduction of new, complex integrated enterprise applications
Frequently changing vendors
No written procedures, or existing procedures are out of date or incomplete
No standard way to evaluate task performance
Best practices are not documented
Failure to seek direction and information from team members
Often people are stuck without proper guidance, more experienced people then have to rework tasks done by less experienced employees, and morale is poor

After the need for SOJT has been identified, the program manager needs to define the scope of the training program, the pilot area and program objective. This is not a one-time process but rather a constantly ongoing process to make the program better. The program objective could be upgraded as new needs are identified.

Step 2: Employee Orientation and Team Selection
After identifying the need and scope of the training, management needs to provide initial employee orientation and select the various team members. The size and type of team depends upon the need requirements. The management should explain how SOJT relates to an overall training program, the objectives of SOJT, and how the skills to be learned will help to improve the job performance.

Design Team: Members of the team perform job task analysis, write training modules, and cover sheets on the tasks. The design team has a SME to contribute technical knowledge, an experienced worker to provide special instructions, and a trainee to get the end user’s point of view.
Facilitator: This person could be an internal resource or an external consultant who knows the entire set of SOJT process steps and is responsible for teaching the team about SOJT.
Approval Team: The approval team reviews and approves all training modules for accuracy, completeness, and compatibility with current procedure and policies. Approval teams can have knowledgeable workers who are not on the design team, key supervisors, and technical experts.
Administrator: The administrator is responsible for compiling, tracking, and maintaining the training materials. The administrator is a member of the design team

SOJT Trainer: Excellent trainers are important for the success of any training program
The traditional OJT uses supervisors or experienced employees to train new people but very few receive proper preparation, so in the SOJT program experienced personnel are thoroughly prepared to give training to others. The SOJT trainers should have a high level of motivation, a positive attitude toward the job, mastery of the tasks they will be training, and an overall willingness and desire to share their job knowledge and experience. Also, well-developed interpersonal communication and coaching skills are very important qualities too.

Step 3: Conduct a Team Job Task Analysis
The training team defines what the SOJT program should accomplish by performing Team Job Task analysis. This is a process where design teams systematically break down job tasks into a set of smaller tasks or training modules. They do this by asking the following two questions: What do you need to know to be able to perform this task? Can you teach and can someone learn this task in 30 minutes? If the answer is “No” for the second question then they break the task into smaller tasks and repeat the procedure. This ensures that training modules are small, manageable chunks of information which are best suited for SOJT.

Step 4: Develop A Project Plan
Considering that SOJT is a structured environment, it requires a project plan to keep it on track and on time. The design team facilitator develops the project plan, which includes how many and what training modules the design team will write, and the methods for data collection, evaluation and performance measurements. The baseline for training, performance criteria, human factor measurements, and number of people to be trained are included in the project plan. The plans for evaluation of SOJT are based on the number of people trained, the number of errors reduced, improved productivity, and the training cost.

Step 5: Develop a Training Module
The design team writes a training module and coversheet for the training tasks identified in step 3. They write short, step-by-step easy-to-understand instructions based on existing training documents, technical reference documents and their work experience. The training module is an instructional guide for teaching and learning step-by-step procedures using practical case studies, tips and input given by experienced people. There are two basic types of training modules: Skill and Knowledge. The Skill module is written to present step-by-step instructions to perform a task such as using a software application. The Knowledge module provides reference information about the application, which includes facts, concepts, processes and principles for using the software application.

Step 6: Training Implementation Plan The design team, trainer, and supervisor create training implementation plans, which include information such as who needs training in which modules, who will provide the training, and by what dates. It also defines the trainer selection process and plans to train the trainer with the necessary skill set. The strategy to evaluate trainees, training plans, documentation strategies, and measures for evaluation is outlined in this phase.

Step 7: Evaluate and Modify Training & Evaluation Plan
After the training modules and cover sheets are developed, trainers, trainees and experienced workers verify and validate the modules. In this phase, the design team develops a maintenance plan, which defines a process to make sure changes in actual job processes are continually reflected in the training modules. It will ensure system integrity and continuous improvement. The evaluation plan identifies the feedback mechanism that will operate on a continuing basis to evaluate and renew the training program.

Step 8: Conduct SOJT
This is the most important step of the entire SOJT process, which includes pre-training preparation and the five-step SOJT cycle. Pre-training preparation includes reviewing applicable training material, meeting with the trainee to discuss the upcoming training tasks, practicing the skills to be taught, arranging the workstation and required software, and creating an encouraging environment. Following are the steps of the five-step SOJT cycle:

1. Rapport: In this step the trainer and trainee establish a shared mental model, identify the training module, and check for prior skills, knowledge and experiences of the trainee. The trainee is introduced to the training module, material and required software and hardware. The trainer tries to put the trainee at ease and keeps checking for the trainee’s understanding of the subject using both verbal and non-verbal cues.

2. Demonstration: In this step the trainer demonstrates the task as the trainee observes. The trainer walks through each step of the training module, explaining the procedure and knowledge associated with the procedure. The trainer demonstrates procedures slowly, one step at a time, explaining each step verbally. The trainer makes sure that the trainee understands what is being done, how to do it, and why is it done.

3. Coaching: In this step the trainer coaches the trainee during performance of the task. This step is not to point out mistakes or criticize, but foster improvement and prompt the user when needed. The trainer observes the trainee performing the task and provides suggestions and gives corrective feedback.

4. Perform: After the trainee’s acknowledged readiness to perform the task without coaching, the trainer watches the trainee perform the task without any suggestions unless trainee’s action could potentially harm the equipment or application. At the end of the task, the trainer gives immediate feedback on the trainee’s task performance.

5. Debriefing: A debriefing provides a summary of the training session and determines the next appropriate step. The trainer provides a summary of the task, and the importance of the task for the job. The trainer and trainee perform self-assessment and evaluate each other for feedback. The trainer identifies the area where trainee may need more training.

SOJT Risk
The success rate of the SOJT program is much higher when the training facilitator and design team make sure that the program follows the eight steps correctly. The SOJT uses experienced workers as trainers who are not professional trainers, so it is very important that SOJT trainers should be well trained to convey information. The quality of training can vary significantly based on the trainers' qualifications and skill.

Often new workers are added to a team during high-volume work periods but SOJT may not be available due to unavailability of the trainers. During the high volume of work, management needs to plan things well to make sure that the quality and effectiveness of the SOJT is not reduced due to unavailability of the trainers. Lack of management commitment: Management commitment and support is vital and required for a successful SOJT program. For structured SOJT to be successful, it requires management support at all levels. If there is a union affiliation in the organization, then union officials must share the same commitment to learning and be involved in the program from the beginning.

conclusion
Use of newly developed standards and data exchange specifications based on the recent EAI technologies such as Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) and Extensible Markup Language (XML) make it possible to have truly integrated, enterprise-wide applications. The integrated work environment requires practical, efficient and cheaper training alternatives. The structured On-the-Job Training (SOJT) is a not magic lamp that will resolve all training related issues, but it is a promising and proven way of empowering employees with required skills and knowledge.

During the past implementation of CES’ Outage Management Solutions, it was observed that utilities find it difficult to schedule classroom training for dispatchers working in shifts. To overcome this limitation, CES helped the utilities to implement the SOJT program by training experienced dispatchers as trainers during the pilot phase. The trained dispatchers trained other end-users at various sites bringing them up-to-the speed. The initial results of the pilot SOJT implementation are very positive, encouraging participating utilities to broaden the scope of the SOJT program. It proves that SOJT could help to achieve strategic goals of organizations and increase training efficiency. The Structured OJT should have the following characteristics:

Should be developed as a component of the overall training program
Based on written, agreed-upon, and measurable performance standards.
Designed and delivered in a systems framework that includes information presentation, demonstrations, practice, and evaluation.
Designed to provide initial, recurrent, and remedial training.
Used to standardize procedures and to provide consistent training among workers.
Conducted by experienced employees who have been trained in structured OJT techniques and adult learning principles.
Be audited annually to identify signs of obsolescence or new needs.

Reference

Walter, D, 2002 “Training On the Job, A New Team Driven Approach”, Diane Walter
Stricker, A, 1999 “An Enterprise Architecture For Distributed Learning And Intelligent Performance Support Systems” Cognition & Instructional Technologies Laboratory Texas A & M University
McNaughton G., 2001 “Development of Common Interfaces for Enterprise Integration– Experience with NRECA’S MultiSpeak? Specification”, DistribuTECH 2001