The challenge
Kristin Zuzek, Quality Assurance Manager for the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (WVDL), understood how critical training was to the lab's overall success and had found the existing system a continuous challenge. During a self-audit of the training program, the team identified an opportunity for improvement in training record management.
Training records were kept in various locations and in various formats, which made searching for records very cumbersome.
The solution
After reviewing her options, Kristin selected ECL2, an Ideagen company, for its quality management system expertise within the life sciences sector and its software, Ideagen Quality Management. Kristin wasn't just looking for a way to track training, she wanted a system that could produce full training plans. Ideagen Quality Management went a step further, tying together job roles, the competencies required for each role and the requirements that train staff to become competent. She also wanted a system that would send reminders and escalations automatically.
WVDL uses the training and people modules within Ideagen Quality Management to manage training plans, including new employee orientation, schedule and record staff training, track competency activities and document training record reviews. For each new employee, a training plan is assigned within the system covering all orientation requirements.
Having a training plan helps keep training consistent, and the workload and automatic messaging features help keep us on track.
Orientation training events are scheduled within the system and completed by individual trainers. Once every orientation event is complete, the supervisor verifies that training has taken place and documents the review directly in the system.
Most of WVDL's procedural training is document based, and because the document module is linked to training, the system automatically flags whether staff have been trained on a procedure whenever it's revised, so the team can decide at the point of revision whether retraining is needed. Renewable training events can also be designated within the system, making recurring requirements easier to track.
After numerous product demos from other quality management software suppliers, it was obvious that ECL2 was passionate and knowledgeable about the product, and very interested in making our experience a successful one. They were able to offer more than just an introduction to the software, which was very attractive.
The results
Built-in reports, custom report creation and search filters make it easy to see who has completed a competency or requirement, and who hasn't.
- Centralized training plans: every new employee receives an orientation training plan within the system, keeping requirements consistent across staff.
- Fewer missed deadlines: automated reminders help the team stay ahead of upcoming training needs before they become overdue.
- Faster gap identification: staff can quickly find training records for any employee and identify gaps that need attention.
- Built-in reporting: numerous pre-built reports, plus the ability to create custom ones, make it easy to see who has and hasn't completed a requirement.
The use of Ideagen Quality Management reminders has helped us keep track of upcoming training needs. The system has also allowed us to easily find all training records for our employees and identify gaps in employee training. Use of the training and people modules has helped us successfully meet our training management needs.
ECL2 was instrumental in configuration of our system and continues to offer WVDL excellent product knowledge and support. We highly recommend ECL2, an Ideagen company, as a source for Ideagen Quality Management and related services.
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