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Subject:RE: Documentation and Training From:"Rahn, Tim W." <tim -dot- rahn -at- landis-us -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 1 Jul 2004 17:08:42 -0400
John:
We integrated our documentation and training department more than ten years
ago. When we started, we used a full-time trainer, but through restructuring
and layoffs, we now use our service technicians to deliver any formal
training. So I would say that our situation somewhat mirrors what you may be
thinking of doing.
The key for us was to realize that our final documentation deliverable
needed to be the training manual if formal training was delivered. (Not all
installations of our products, machine tools, require formal training.) We
just don't have the time to create a separate training manual and our
customers generally will not pay to have this contracted. We've been able to
do this and meet customer specs while keeping a fairly stable document
format. (In other words, we don't create a different format for each spec.)
The spec issue is important to us because our customers give us a spec to
initiate the RFQ. Specs may not be important to you.
Several other elements are important to our scheme: A generic description of
our customer training policy, generic course descriptions and outlines, and
application specific task certification lists.
The customer training policy just describes the different ways we can
deliver training and what they mean in terms of time and commitment. This
can be given to potential customers as an explanation of our capabilities.
The course descriptions and outlines are tailored for specific target
audiences. Our products are used in manufacturing environments so we have
courses for operators, setup technicians, and mechanical and electrical
maintenance trades. The descriptions and outlines describe duration,
classroom requirements, prerequisites and other niceties as well as a
syllabus.
The task certification lists are generated for specific sites and are based
on the course description and outline of the training to be delivered. In
our business these are a requirement and are used by the customer to record
that their employees attended training and were instructed to perform the
tasks required for a given application. The lists generally follow the
procedural content in the appropriate manual. The technician-trainer can use
the task list and manual to present the class.
I hope this helps. Ask questions if you need any more information. Good luck
if you take on the additional responsibility.
Tim Rahn
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