Your Training Plan

A s many companies purchase and implement a new CMMS this year, some training will be need to be done. The questions of who, what, when, where and how will need to be answered. If you follow our 4W& 1H planning strategy, you will be able to organize a successful CMMS training initiative for your staff.

A good training plan will make the difference between people who can navigate and the use the CMMS program or those who struggle with it every time they log on.

It’s been my experience that very little planning goes into the delivery of CMMS training. The training to use the software needs to be planned and delivered, just like other training programs needed by employees. For example, if our maintenance people need confined space entry training, the trainer is selected, date chosen, training room booked and employee schedules adjusted to ensure they can attend and someone is covering their shift.

Why don’t we treat CMMS training the same?

CMMS is a program people will use everyday, but yet training usually is thrown together at the last minute. During the training, there are always people who don’t show up. Others are called back to the plant floor to repair machines because no coverage was organized. Many times the training room is not booked in advance and the students have to move from room to room. If the trainers have computers available to do the training, which is typically seldom, then they need to set them up.

So what must be done to plan a successful CMMS training session?

First of all, decide the Who, then the What, When, Where and How.

Who: Who will be in charge of organizing the training and the training schedule? Who needs the training?

The organizer needs to determine who needs the training and what parts of the program they need to know and use. Once this is determined, you can develop a training agenda.

Tips: Determine how the program will be used. Will craft people simply use the program to look up parts and view their work orders or will they create and close work orders in the software. If they are going to enter data into the program then you need to take into consideration the computer skills of your maintenance staff.

In general you’ll find you’ll have some employees with marginal or no computer skills. In this case they’ll need extra help and you should assign someone as a source of help when they are back on the job.

What: What training do they need? What parts of the program will they use and how well will they need to use it?

As a general rule, basic training usually ranges from one to two days and advanced training from three to five days.

Tips: Training sessions can last from two hours to five days, so make them interactive, as maintenance people aren’t used to sitting around. Give them breaks often. Try to have training manuals designed specifically for the user; they also can be used as a reference when the trainees get back to work.

When: When will the training be done? Will it be completed before the CMMS is operational or some time after?

To get up and running, equipment records and preventive maintenance routines need to be created in the software. The people creating these CMMS records will need some up-front training to set up the software properly.

Tips: Will the training take place during regular working hours or will people be scheduled on their normal days off? Whether you schedule the training during regular work hours or on people’s days off, makes sure everyone knows when and where. If the training is on-site, make sure you have scheduled coverage for those employees. When people are being called to the shop floor to do repairs, it is frustrating for them and the instructor.

Where: Where will the training take place — on-site or off-site? Is there a training room available? If it is done on-site, will there be interruptions or room booking problems? Are there computers available?

Regardless of where the training takes place, it’s important that interruptions are kept to a minimum. Participants need to know that attendance is mandatory, not optional. It’s good to have a lunch brought in, as this saves a lot of time.

Tips: Check with your local college or adult education centre to see if they have a computer room available. This makes the training more effective in at least two ways. First, the employees are off-site, so there should be no interruptions. Second, the computers will be set up and multimedia equipment will be available for the instructor.

How: How will the training be delivered? Can several plants have one regional training seminar? Will a CMMS trainer be hired or will an in-house trainer be used?

Will there be separate sessions planned for each particular user group? How long will the sessions be? Will everyone have access to a computer terminal or will they share them?

Answering the How questions will probably take the most time when organizing the training. If you are going to hire a training consultant, then you need to find one and then get a quote for their services, and select dates for the training.

Obtaining and setting up computers will take some time, as will setting up the training schedule.

Tips: Design and customize the training the way the trainees will see and use the program back at work. Sessions focused on a particular user group are best.

As a general rule, training is effective with a minimum of two people per computer. Of course, it’s a bonus if people can have their own workstation but sharing works well, especially if you can team up an experienced computer person with someone who has never used one.

The training budget

Now that we have discussed the training and the planning, scheduling and other considerations, we need to think about the training budget.

When deciding to purchase a CMMS, a budget is put together for its purchase. Don’t overlook the cost of training at this stage.

Doing the 4W & 1H exercise will help you determine the time, resources and money you’ll need to implement effective training sessions.

Your CMMS can improve your maintenance activities significantly. But in order for it to do so, the training needs to be comprehensive and uninterrupted.

At many companies, training money is often spent on mandatory training programs imposed by regulatory agencies. Of course these training programs are important for the health and safety of your people. Yet CMMS software training is also important as it ensures the reliability and productivity of your equipment.

Money spent on CMMS training will show returns in both the short and long term. You’ll be glad you spent the time putting the training plan together.

Machinery & Equipment software editor Peter Phillips of Trailwalk Holdings, a CMMS consulting and training company based in Nova Scotia, can be reached at 902-798-3601 or by e-mail at peter@trailwalk.ca.