U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program Executive Summary eLearning Business Case August 7, 2015

U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program 2 Business Case Team Roster Background and Context Business Requirements and eLearning Benefits Alternatives Analyzed Recommendation: Contract out the eLearning Solution Timeline & Milestones Summary of Costs & Benefits Next Steps Agenda

U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program 3 Business Case Team Roster The following people assisted in the development of this business case:

U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program 4 For the past 90 days, cross-Agency teams have been working to define the eLearning business case.  The business case includes all sections required by the CPIC process  The process the teams followed to complete the business case is as follows: Form cross- Agency teams Define business requirements Finalize business requirements from all Agencies Review, modify, and deliver final business case Review and iterate business requirements Complete remaining business case documents 1. Met with Agency key contacts and received names of participants. 2. Facilitated breakout sessions with functional teams to define Agency business requirements. 3. After vetting with teams and with other Agency staff, the requirements were completed. 4. Driven by business requirements, teams completed remaining documents. (included demos, visiting SME’s, understanding best practices and surveys) 5. Business case ready for formal review Complete overall technology approach Our Approach

U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program 5 Our Approach The following are the major sections of the business case:  Overview Introduction Executive Summary Concept of Operations  Business Profile Performance Measures Functional Requirements  Risk Profile Risk Management Plan Early Adopters Plan  Financial Profile Cost Benefit and Alternatives Analysis  Technological Profile Technical Requirements Security Plan Telecommunications Plan Analysis of Existing Systems Technical Architecture Plan  Management and Planning Profile Project Plan Acquisition Plan These documents are now posted on the USDA eGovernment website.

U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program 6 What is a Learning Management System?  An LMS allows individuals and groups of users to: Manage classrooms, learning assets, instructors, schedules, learning paths, and all of the necessary components to deliver training; View complete course listings and course information; Register, schedule, and track training sessions; Create, edit, manage and deliver content; Track competency and certification progress; Personalize training and development plans; and Manage payments. A Learning Management System (LMS) is a software application that enables the delivery and management of all facets of training.

U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program 7 Learning Management Lifecycle Plan, assemble, & develop courses Define & customize curriculums Personalize through skill assessments Enroll and administer online Provide online course catalogs Automate payments Schedule sessions & logistics Support all delivery forms Web-based Live web conferencing Classroom CD-ROM Track events, completion, skills profiles Certify completion Certify compliance Measure usage Evaluate training Integrate with business apps (ERP, HR, Financial) Tie to business results and performance measures PlanRegisterDeliverCertify Measure A learning management solution provides support in every phase of the learning management life cycle, transforming learning from an event to a continuous process

U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program 8 Current Learning Management Environment Several Agencies are using an LMS on a limited basis. Cross-agency resource sharing is not part of the current environment…  Agencies are already using an abundance of eLearning courses.  Agencies are only sharing purchased training on a limited basis. Limited economies of scale purchasing; and Limited shared resources for incremental improvements.  Staff dedicated to training and defining curriculum already exist in most Agencies.  Few Agencies maintain a computer-based learning management system. Few Agency offers the full functionality of leading eLearning solutions.  Paper is now used for most learning management processes.

U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program 9 Current Learning Management Environment Agencies use three online systems, following are highlights of those systems…  Internet Combined Administrative Management System (I-CAMS) Web-based integrated human resources information system in use by the county based Agencies, FSA, NRCS, RD and AMS that allows employees to access employment information, career plans, training requests, and history. Provides the ability to process personnel actions, manages and tracks learning, provides automatic workflow, creates automatic reminders, and enables online evaluation for non-catalog training.  mGen “Off the shelf” third-party learning management system used by APHIS, OC, RMA, and RD with course content available from Learn2, SmartForce, NETg, and ElementK. Provides built-in content management system, content authoring tools, assessment tools for quizzes and exams, skills gap analysis.  Training Integrated Personnel System (TIPS) /Virtual Training Assistant (VTA) TIPS system, utilized by the Forest Service, allows students to evaluate themselves against competencies while completing their Individual Development Plan. Included in the Forest Service’s system is an off-the-shelf learning management system called Virtual Training Assistant (VTA) that has administration, training delivery, and evaluation tools; The Food Safety and Inspection Service uses the VTA system without TIPS, but they are only using it for tracking purposes, not its full learning management capabilities.

U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program 10 Business Requirements A world-class enterprise solution will be established with these capabilities:  Multiple online delivery platforms, such as web, video, audio, and videoconferencing, to augment or replace classroom-based training. Some face to face training classes will always need to remain in use since they maximize interactions. Robust suite of collaborative tools to allow learners to work with one another to better solve real- world problems and simulate conversation in real situations.  Online administration of curriculum by trainers, such as automatically adding and removing courses to an online course catalog.  Individualized training capabilities and online registration allowing employees to structure curriculums based on training needs and self-register for the courses online.  HR systems are automatically updated with an employee’s training; Department financial systems are automatically updated based on activity in the LMS.  Common content management capability to easily update and customize course content. Provide access to expertise and support for developing courses and modules to help the users learn  Partnering with other Government Agencies to maximize new contracting mechanisms.  Full integration with the Presidential Initiative, eTraining, and

U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program 11 Enterprise-Wide eLearning Benefits An Enterprise-wide eLearning solution will reap financial benefits while at the same time increase the quality and access of training at USDA.  Strategic Benefits Enhance the skill development of USDA employees by providing access to a wide array of training not previously available; and Coordinate management, and promote interagency collaboration, of Federal eLearning services. Utilize common soft skill content from Presidential eTraining initiative.  Financial Benefits Eliminate redundancies among training offered within the enterprise; Allow for economies of scale in the enterprise-wide purchase of eLearning products and services; and Reduce travel expenses, training delivery costs, and training administration costs.  Operational Benefits Transform the learning experience to include more online courses, in lieu of costly traditional training methods; Link the competencies to courseware and individual development plans to reach other government agencies and tie them to their Agency strategic plans; Encourage agencies without eLearning strategies to adopt this capability as the basis for their eLearning products and services; and Agency trainers will be able to devote their time to what they do best--training--rather than administration of IT systems.

U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program 12 Enterprise-Wide eLearning Solution Intangible Benefits An Enterprise-wide solution will also provide many intangible benefits…  Improving training effectiveness, resulting in a better-educated and more knowledgeable workforce characterized by improved judgment and decision-making;  Enabling a single, web-based access point for class registration and the training catalog eases administration processes associated with training provided by outside partner institutions;  Allowing employees access to training content, class registration, and course catalogs from any location at any time using a web browser;  Automating administrative tasks, which allows administrators to focus on value added functions like course preparation, course review, and performance review.  Enabling on-line help and support menus result in fewer training related support inquiries and reduce the amount of time employees spend waiting for responses on common questions;  Allowing instantaneous, on-line student feedback for replacement of courses receiving low user effectiveness ratings enabling administrators to eliminate and replace ineffective courses; and  Gathering aggregate, enterprise-wide training data to increase the ability of executives to track and report learning progress from a consolidated, Department-wide perspective.

U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program 13 Alternatives Analyzed Three implementation alternatives were considered.  Allowing each Agency to build its own eLearning solution – “Status Quo” Grants the most flexibility and alleviates the need to work through culture barriers; and Does not allow the enterprise to leverage training across all Agencies or take advantage of economies of scale pricing. Consistency across training and skills will not be achieved.  Leveraging an existing learning system within USDA to create an Enterprise-wide eLearning solution Utilizes investments in existing systems to decrease costs and system training needs; Requires capital outlay for new hardware and software; and Requires implementation time and customization for individual Agencies.  Contract out the eLearning solution - Recommended Leverages all soft skill content from GoLearn.gov; Provides the same benefits as leveraging an existing system plus decreased implementation time and reduced need for skilled Agency resources; Requires vendor management to ensure compliance by vendor; USDA can concentrate on the business of training versus managing a large IT infrastructure; and Economies of scale can be leveraged to purchase excellent training that is “standardized” across the Enterprise.

U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program 14 Recommendation: Contact Out the eLearning Solution  Solution can be implemented and running with early adopters in a matter of months vs. years with building a solution.  USDA can concentrate on the business of training versus managing a large IT infrastructure.  Economies of scale can be leveraged to purchase excellent training that is “standardized” across the Enterprise.  Manual training administration processes will be replaced by a robust toolset available to employees, trainers, and administrators enabling them to refocus their efforts on delivering training.  Employees will have access to an unprecedented amount of training, with a greater emphasis on online learning, as opposed to traditional classroom-based courses. An Agency’s training curriculum make the Enterprise-wide catalog much more valuable All training will follow current 508, AICC, and SCORM standards. This eLearning solution provides self-paced and collaborative learning experiences designed to promote comprehension and retention across the Enterprise…

U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program 15 Timeline and Milestones Enterprise-wide adoption of an outsourced eLearning solution will proceed based on a schedule the makes functionality available gradually over three releases. MilestoneDescriptionSchedule 1Pre-Implementation Tasks – Tasks that must be performed prior to implementation. These initial tasks include the vendor analysis and selection process as well as creating and configuring the technology infrastructure and the physical network required for implementation. Q2 FY03 – Q2 FY03 2Early Adopter Implementation – A full online implementation of eLearning services for early adopter Agencies, including project planning, design, deployment, content conversion, and training activities. This functionality available in this implementation is called Release 1. Before this full release is ready, a baseline LMS with no configuration or content conversion will be made available for general early adopter use during Q3 of FY2003. Q2 FY03 – Q1 FY04 3Enterprise-wide Implementation – Similar set of tasks as the Early Adopter Implementation and with the same Release 1 functionality. During this time, remaining USDA Agencies will receive a full online implementation of eLearning services. Q1 FY04 – Q1 FY05 4Additional Functionality Releases – Additional functionality for the eLearning solution. After refining application requirements during the previous year, additional functionality will be added to the system. These additional functionality releases are called Release 2 and Release 3 and will be implemented for Agency use during FY05 and FY06 respectively. Q4 FY04 – Q4 FY05 Q4 FY05 – Q4 FY06

U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program 16 Timeline and Milestones Enterprise-wide adoption of an eLearning solution will proceed by phases and require oversight management.

U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program 17 Proposed Early Adopters A request was sent to all of the Agencies to determine Agencies interested in participating as an early adopter of the eLearning solution.  The following Agencies are interested in being early adopters of the outsourced eLearning solution: APHIS; ARS; DA; FSA; FSIS; NASS; NRCS; OCIO; OHRM; and RD. All Agencies will be requested to begin using GoLearn.gov for any content that is currently available through Government-wide contracts…

U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program 18 Summary of Costs and Benefits An enterprise-wide eLearning program offers several quantitative benefits and a 131% ROI. Benefits accrue from:  Reduced travel expenses  Reduced training delivery costs  Reduced training administration costs  Economies of scale purchasing  Consolidation of business processes * Assumptions are documented in the business case document

U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program 19 Lifecycle Costs Under this arrangement, the provider assumes all costs with a yearly fee charged to the purchaser for the lifecycle of the arrangement.  Services are typically purchased on a per employee per year basis, depending on the level of service purchased. Arrangements near the upper end of the range generally outsource all training functions.  Other costs of the arrangement are internal project management and oversight, process change management.  Access to Content Development services will be available to Agencies. * Assumes only 6 months of services in FY 2003

U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program 20 Lifecycle Benefits Measurable financial benefits include the following:  Cost savings from reduced travel expense;  Cost savings from reduced training delivery costs; and  Cost savings from reduced training administration costs.

U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program 21 Benefit: Reduced Training Trips Cost Savings Calculation of cost savings from reduced travel expense utilizes the following information from USDA Agency surveys:  Average training trips for an employee take 4.4 days and cost approximately $140 per day for transportation, lodging, and per diem. This equates to an average expense of $646 per employee.  Travel-related expenses account for more than 20% of training expenditures at USDA and indicated a low estimate average of 20,000 training related trips per year.  Savings estimates of the number of training trips avoided is determined by multiplying the total number of training trips by percent reduced detailed each year in the table below.  Calculation of reduced travel expense is determined by multiplying the number of training trips avoided by the cost per trip.

U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program 22 Benefit: Reduced Training Delivery Cost Savings Calculation of cost savings from reduced training delivery costs utilizes the following information from USDA Agency Surveys:  Over 20% of USDA employees take a class that can be shortened by eLearning;  The average number of students per class is ten;  Learning Voyage, a classroom-training vendor, indicates that this cost is approximately $313 per class per day. This is slightly below the average cost of $400 indicated from our USDA survey and the OPM survey, but the lower figure was used to give a more conservative estimate;  Reduction in training days is determined by multiplying total number of classroom days per year by reduction in classroom time; and  Reduced Training Delivery Cost Savings are calculated by multiplying reduction in training days by the cost per day of in-class training.

U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program 23 Benefit: Reduced Training Administration Cost Savings Training administration costs are calculated using the following information:  Eleven hours per employee per year are spent on training-related administration;  Full benefits are realized by year three; and  Since the average cost rate of USDA training administration employees is not available, this projection assumes the cost rate for USDA administration personnel is equal to that of an average government employee.

U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program 24 Next Steps The Next Steps to begin the eLearning initiative are:  USDA Funding and Sponsorship Secure executive and project sponsorship for the eLearning initiative; and Secure initial USDA funding for eLearning project.  OMB Approval Incorporate review comments into eLearning business case; and Secure approval for eLearning initiative from OMB.  Project Establishment and Kick Off Create team to support eLearning initiative; and Incorporate support functions into the Enterprise Solution Center.  Start Pre-Implementation Tasks Refine application requirements; Develop Request for Proposal; and Conduct vendor analysis and select vendor.