The Fivel Solution: Training at 50% cost,
and higher effectiveness
Key Business Challenge
Centralized scheduling and training is a challenge for the US Air Force. Recently, they deployed and updated a new application to 155 bases globally. It was a new facility management system that monitored and controlled access to particular buildings on each base.
The facilities operate 24/7 and they are geographically dispersed around the world. In order for people to effectively learn and remember the system, they needed to know what is important and relevant to their specific tasks.
The standard documentation provided by the manufacturer was 600 pages long and didn’t allow for the users to know how to easily operate the technology. There was also a need for training to be available on-demand as new staff on-boarded. All staff were required to complete the training before operations began.
Learning Options Considered
The U.S. Air Force originally considered traditional in-class training where instructors would travel to all bases for minimal (1-2 hours) training supported by the user manual. However, scheduling staff to be in the same place at the same time would be very difficult.
In addition, high staff turnover meant this would be very difficult to maintain over the long term, and the complex 600 page user manual was likely to contribute to user error.
Solution
Fivel determined that 8 Learning Moments (5-Minute Videos) were required to ensure the staff were competent to operate the system in its full capacity. Users were invited online to access learning at their convenience and within their own schedules.
Staff turnover was easily accommodated and scheduled by a Fivel Learning Manager. Retention exercises associated with each Learning Moment offered a way for the Air Force to validate that users knew how to operate the system properly, and gave users the ability to review what they learned anytime.
Overall, the training coordination was much easier compared to traditional classroom training. Fivel eliminated the need for scheduling, travel, personnel resources, facility bookings, presentation materials and printed handouts.
Results
Training was delivered more efficiently with a 50% reduction in the cost to deliver the training. Users reported that it was easier to learn and use the system as compared to other deployments. New staff were able to get up to speed immediately without the need to coordinate or wait for other resources. Staff reported high retention levels for the training material.
The solution was later deployed in other branches of the U.S. military.