Lockheed Martin SWFPAC Metrology Training Management A Case Study

Transcription

1 Lockheed Martin SWFPAC Metrology Training Management A Case Study Speaker/Author: Steve McNally Lockheed Martin Mission Services Strategic Weapons Facility Pacific PO Box 6429, Silverdale, Washington steve.mcnally@lmco.com Abstract The need for training management to ensure technical personnel are competent is instinctive to a calibration service provider. Without technical training management there are few ways to prove calibrations are conducted by competent personnel and that competency is maintained. As we know, lack of technical competence can lead to loss of technical capability, customer complaints, and possible loss of business. Accordingly, training management is essential for calibration laboratories seeking compliance with national and international standards. This paper will provide a case study of the evolution and management of a training plan, how it evolved from a paper based training folder system to a robust on-line database application. The training management application includes reporting capability with web links for technicians and leadership to easily see what work they are qualified to perform, what education and training has been completed and future training needs. A well designed training management application also serves the auditor who is eager to determine if you are qualified to perform the work you just completed as well as provide a view into your organization s training program. 1.0 Introduction This need for training management use to go without saying. Now with calibration laboratories seeking compliance with national and international standards, such as ANSI/NCSL Z540 or ISO/IEC 17025, they need to demonstrate how training is managed. ISO/IEC Final Draft (2000) paragraph states The laboratory management shall ensure the competence of all who operate specific equipment, perform tests and/or calibrations, evaluate results, and sign test reports and calibration certificates. When using staff who are undergoing training, appropriate supervision shall be provided. Personnel performing specific tasks shall be qualified on the basis of appropriate education, training, experience and/ or demonstrated skills, as required. Paragraph gets more specific on personnel authorization and the requirements for keeping training records. Paragraph states The management shall authorize specific personnel to perform particular types of sampling, test and/or calibration, to issue test reports and calibration certificates, to give opinions and interpretations and to operate particular types of equipment. The laboratory shall maintain records of the relevant authorization(s), competence, educational and professional qualifications training, skills and experience of all technical personnel, including contracted personnel. This information shall be readily available and shall include date on which authorization and/or competence is confirmed.

2 In this case study I will describe how our training program meets these requirements. It is not intended to endorse our particular program, method, or products used. It simply details our experience and the training program that works for our organization. 2.0 Training Plan The cornerstone of a training program is a well documented training plan. The training plan should describe the training path for a new employee as well as details of how the completion of training is recorded. Our training plan was developed by LM (Lockheed Martin) and approved by our Government contract monitors (the customer). This initial training plan met all the requirements of the time and was implemented without much difficulty. Prospective employees are screened, interviewed and are selected based on their experience and background. Fortunately for our company, we select applicants that have basic fundamental calibration knowledge. Previous training, vender training, and education is recorded in the employee s personnel records. Therefore, our plan only addressed specific calibration technician training and not basic electronics or physics. Our plan has a training path that consisted of four parts or phases. Phase 1 New employee orientation. In this phase the employee is introduced to the team, has general facility orientation, safety briefing, and reads the general department procedures. This is performed one time only for new technicians. Phase 2 Workstation familiarization. In this phase the new technician learns the operation of the workstation calibration standards and equipment as well as safety issues related to the workstation. This is performed one-time only for new technicians and for technicians that have returned after a long absence or when new laboratory capability is established. Phase 3 - OJT (On-the-job-training). During OJT the technician will be paired up with another qualified technician who serves as the trainer. The trainee will work with the trainer and actually perform a calibration on equipment under the guidance of the trainer. Phase 4 Performance demonstration. The trainee will demonstrate he/she can perform the calibration. This can be witnessed by another qualified technician or by their supervision. After the demonstration of his capability and completion of the documentation, the trainee is considered qualified for the skill. We evaluated each workstation or lab and chose representative equipment from our customer s workload that would be used as qualification candidates. These candidates or workload item models are selected for their function and calibration methods. A concerted effort is made to select an item for each capability of the lab. A training package is put together for each trainee. The training package consists of a Calibration Lesson Guide and a Calibration Training Record. The Calibration Lesson Guide lists the general training requirements for the prospective trainee. The Calibration Training Record lists the specific qualification candidates for each workstation or lab that the technician would be working in. A trained and qualified technician serves as the trainer when a new technician is assigned to a work area. The trainer discusses the operation and safety aspects of the calibration standards and

3 workstation equipment as well as provides OJT. When the trainee has developed sufficient proficiency for calibration of workload items, a performance demonstration for each skill is performed. Once the skill is satisfactorily demonstrated to the trainer, he stamps the trainee s calibration record.. The actual mechanics to make a change was not easy to work with. This was a time before desktop computers and all its tools were available to make life easier. The forms used for recording skill completion were typed on a typewriter. When changes were needed, the entire form had to be typed out or a revised form was added as an addendum. The individual skills items that were used for Technician qualification were hard coded into the plan. That meant every time a new skill was identified, a change to the plan with formal review was required. Customer concurrence requirement of the individual plan details was relaxed over time. That allowed for some pretty significant changes to make the plan more manageable. We broke out the individual skills from the plan to a separate list for each workstation. The skills could now be managed in almost real time. This allowed the training to be adaptable to the current and relevant skills required for the workstation. Another problem with our original plan was that a technician was considered qualified for life. That worked fine for quite a few years. But eventually, technology changed. When technicians moved to different disciplines and back again, their original skill and qualifications needed to be refreshed. Our current plan allows for assignment of a renewal period. The period is assigned based on the complexity of each individual skill and is monitored and adjusted when necessary. 3.0 Records Documentation of OJT and qualification was originally accomplished through paper forms. The paper forms have a list of skills for each calibration workstation with columns for the trainer to sign or stamp and date completion of the training and qualification. These forms were kept in a master notebook as well as a copy for a technician working notebook. As changes to the skills were identified, a new revision to the form was created and added to the master notebook. This records management process worked quite well for a number of years, but eventually became a nightmare to manage. Some technicians that had worked in the lab for twenty-plus years had so many versions of their training records that it took considerable effort to sort through them. This did not provide an easy package to present to internal QA or an auditor. When reviewing our training records during initial preparation for accreditation it became clear that another training records management solution was needed. Twenty five years had passed while using our original paper management system. Desktop computers and database servers had now been integrated into most all other management systems. It was only logical that a database solution was required. As it turned out, there was a solution already available. LM had a database application implemented for tracking and managing training records for its other services at SWFPAC. For a few years LM had been using a COTS (commercial-off-the-shelf) training management database application. That application was OnTrack for Training produced by DK Systems. LM has a training organization that served the other groups and manages general employee training but does not get involved with metrology training. Fortunately, cooperation with the training and information technology organizations was received and a test database was setup. This allowed us to evaluate the application s usability for managing metrology training records.

4 Our options were narrowed quickly to two choices. Developing our own training management database application or using OnTrack. It didn t take long to conclude that a COTS application designed specifically for tracking training was the preferred option. OnTrack had all the elements we were looking for. These elements were: A means of recording accomplishment of each element of on-the-job-training and qualification [see Figure 1] A means of managing a training curriculum for new technicians [see Figure 2] An easy means of assigning skills for workstations and job function A means of managing renewal of skills [see Figure 1] A means of managing revisions of skills [ see Figure 3] Auditable transaction logging [see Figure 1] Robust reporting features OnTrack was chosen for our metrology training records management system. It took a considerable amount of time to sort through all the paper records and transfer all of the existing data into OnTrack. After several years of using OnTrack, we consider it a reliable and valuable system for training records management. OJT Audit Trail Figure 1 - Example of skill training record.

5 Figure 2 Example of development program Figure 3 Example of skill definition and version screens

6 4.0 Reports To maintain data integrity and security access to the database application itself is limited. Reports are used to provide information to the technicians, Managers, QA and Auditors. The technicians use an on-demand report to show the status of their skills [Figure 4]. The skill definition report provides details of the skills that are needed for a work station. [Figure 5]. Figure 4 Example of skill completion report 5.0 Training Process Figure 5 Example of skill definitions As shown in Figure 6, when a technician begins a calibration job he looks at the skill completion report. If the report indicates he is qualified for that item, he can proceed to cal and turn out that item. If the skill is expired, he will mate up with another qualified technician for refresher training and to check his work. If the technician has not been trained for the skill he will work with another qualified technician to obtain on-the-job (OJT) training and qualification. An interim skill completion worksheet is used to record the technicians activity and obtain managements approval for the training completed. This also serves as a data entry worksheet for OnTrack and paper receipt of training recorded.

7 Tech. looks at skill completion report to see if he is qualified in the skill Yes Trained? No need OJT No need Qual Work with trainer to get on-the-job training Work with trainer to observe performance demonstration Complete Skill Completion worksheet Calibrate item stamped by trainer Submit Skill completion worksheet for management or delegate approval Calibrate item stamped by tech OnTrack training coordinator (usually group lead) enters data from the skill completion worksheet QA observes skill completion report to see if tech has been qualified Figure 6 Technician Skills Management Flow Diagram.

8 6.0 Conclusion Our training plan has provided the foundation for conducting and managing training. It has evolved over the years from a rigid plan to one that is flexible and dynamic, allowing for adjustment of skills and renewal of skills. Through the availability of skill completion reports, we can readily provide detailed records of training and qualification activity to our techs, management, and internal and external auditors. Comments on our training management system from external auditors have been quite favorable and we feel that we have a good system that works well for us. Our training management system is not without challenges and threats. There is some thought to centralize technical training across the company and develop a system that uses a one-size-fitsall approach. This has some benefit and the economy of scale, however, the loss of local control often results in the inability to adapt to changing local conditions. Also there is always a treat of loss of support when using a commercial-off-the-shelf application. In our case, the product we are using, OnTrack for Training, has changed hands twice and its long term viability is unknown. With periodic training plan reviews we hope to adapt and overcome these challenges and maintain our well respected training management system.