DC Velocity - October 2014

techwatch

LEARNING THE INS AND OUTS OF SOFTWARE CAN BE A challenge for even the most computer-literate employees. That’s why learning management systems (LMS) were developed. These software programs are designed to provide interactive online training as well as courseware, documentation, and testing to help a worker master various software operations. A number of vendors provide this type of software, and these programs in many cases can be adapted to help, say, distribution center workers learn to use a logistics-related application like a warehouse management system.

But off-the-shelf programs aren’t the only computerized training
option available today. Many supply chain soft-
ware vendors have developed their own learning
software—software that’s specifically designed to
work in conjunction with their own applications,
such as their warehouse management or trans-
portation management systems. According to
these vendors, the customized programs offer a
quicker and more effective way of getting workers
up and running on their software. “Most LMS
applications try to be all things to all people, so
it’s not the right fit for the supply chain space,”
says Stephanie Crowe, senior director of global
learning and development at software developer
Manhattan Associates. On top of that, it’s not
efficient, she adds. “If you use an off-the-shelf
authoring tool to build courseware, it takes 10
times as long.”
Today’s computerized training systems typically include an
online course in how to use a software application as well as online
documentation. After users complete the course, they can take a test
to gauge their mastery of the material. The programs also handle
administrative functions, such as skills gap analysis, performance
tracking, and reporting. “The system can track that these folks have
[achieved a specified] level of proficiency, ” Crowe notes.

HighJump Software Inc., for instance, offers an online learning portal with a complete suite of educational materials that are available 24/7. The JDA Software Group also offers “e-learning courses” via the cloud. Thomas Kozenski, a vice president for industry strategy at JDA, says these courses provide an “orientation” for new and existing employees on how to use its solutions and provide ongoing reinforcement.

Manhattan has established a learning portal that comes with an authoring tool that allows clients to embed images and videos in the online training materials. The systems can also produce step-by-step instructions using the client’s own terminology for each process involved in the use of, say, a warehouse management system.

The biggest advantage to this approach is that people learn only what they need to know.

Video-based training and in-application training can be geared to a worker’s specific roles and tasks. “If you do it wisely, you [provide] just the right … training experience to the right people,” says Crowe.

This approach to training has been shown to have a huge payback. Crowe says that Manhattan has found that companies using its computer-based worker training system spend up to Above all, Crowe says, interactive learning systems are geared to the millennial work force coming into today’s distribution centers, a work force that grew up playing Nintendo, Wii, and Xbox games. The interactivity of these training programs mimics online game playing. “By 2017, 70 percent of the DC work force will be millennial,” she says. “The question is: How can we engage employees so they will do well every day without error in a way that motivates them?”