* Dr. Christopher R. Bennett HTC Infrastructure Management Ltd. 07/16/96 Developing a Training Programme for a National Pavement Management System Dr. Christopher R. Bennett HTC Infrastructure Management Ltd. *

New Zealand’s PMS In 1999 NZ adopted a national PMS * 07/16/96 New Zealand’s PMS In 1999 NZ adopted a national PMS Used dTIMS from Deighton Associates Ltd. of Canada Ultimately will be used by all Road Controlling Authorities (RCAs) Has been applied on all road types and classes The size and scope of the implementation necessitated a major training exercise Purpose of this slide and the next slide is simply to give the audience an understanding of the nature of our network *

Importance of Training Many PMS system implementations fail because of: Do not meet technical needs Do not fit in with the ‘culture’ of the organisation Staff do not have the necessary training to make full use of the system At the onset of the NZ project the need for training was recognised It was included in all elements of the project’s design

Development Expectation

Approach Adopted Undertake a ‘Training Needs Assessment’ to establish potential training demands and skill levels Develop a preliminary training programme Test the training programme in pilot studies Get feedback from the participants Refine the programme Fully implement training

Training Needs Assessment Purpose Was to Establish: Who needed training Training demand Levels of training required Available resources Training locations and dates Training cost

Training Questionnaire Results Wanted hands on workshops Preferred training manuals to multi-media Many interested in training were at a management as opposed to technical level Periods identified when training should not be held Identified maximum number of participants as high as 500

Key Conclusions Self funding with high initial costs recouped over 2 years Develop training manuals Participants wanted paper based manuals - not electronic Have seminars and workshops at different locations around the country Needed to run training with hands on computer work

Training Model Have four levels: Management Technical 1 (General use of system) Technical 2 (Detailed use of system) Technical 3 (Calibration and model development) Only first three required initially

Issues Technical Levels 1 and 2 would be the bulk of training Management training designed to be an introduction so all had to attend Required proficiency at one level before going to next -- not rigidly enforced Management done with presentations; Technical 1 and 2 with hands-on work Management half-day; Technical 1 and 2 full-day

Training Materials Developed three manuals 1: Reference Detailed discussion of theory and system 2: Software Users Guide How to use supporting software 3: Using the Systems and Tutorials Referred to as the ‘dTIMS for Dummies’ book Most popular and widely used volume

Management Training Purpose was to ‘sell the project’ Answered the question ‘what is in it for me’ Introduced managers to PMS concepts Showed samples of the typical outputs

Technical 1 Overview of the modelling process Introduction to supporting software Theory of dTIMS Discussion of: treatments triggers resets

Technical 2 More detailed discussions on theory and basis for system Strategies Optimisation Modelling Issues Running dTIMS

Training Programme Required a team of management and support staff Had to be flexible for locations due to national coverage Dependable over long term Not dependent on one or two specialists Financially self sustaining Linked to universities and research programmes

Structure HTC Infrastructure Management Ltd. appointed as manager and to develop materials Adminstered all aspects of the training (very time consuming!) Ran courses Ultimately will ‘train the trainers’ to expand the pool of expertise

Training Venues Started off using universities but had to fit in with their holidays so training constrained Commercial computer training companies very expensive Also took a great deal of time to setup for each course Purchased (used) notebook computers which freed us from venue problems and only required setup once

1999/2000 Training Programme Ran 11 courses and had 381 person-days of training 28% Management only 20% Technical 1 only 52% All three

Training Feedback Questionnaire Pre-announcement and registration process; Training venue and catering; Use of the training aids (e.g. computer presentations, white board etc); The ability of the presenters to facilitate the learning; Feedback on the understanding of technical topics and material covered; and Space for further comments.

Feedback Ratings from Participants

Success Factors Both the course and the course materials need to be informative (teach what the participants want to learn); The courses need to have a balanced mix of materials to keep interest levels high; The course must be interesting and have an element of enjoyment for the attendees to want to attend; The administration and support for attendees must be efficient and effective; and, The breaks for refreshments and lunches must be timely, well organised, an enjoyable experience and cater for varied tastes.

Conclusions Don’t underestimate the need for training Do a full training needs assessment BEFORE starting Invest sufficient funds to develop proper materials Keep the materials relevant and simple Be flexible with your plans and delivery Get feedback AND LISTEN TO IT