A case study of IT training assessment and evaluation: Reengineering one company's IT support services

In order to successfully support corporate business processes with adequate Information Technology (IT) services, a well trained IT support staff is required. There are a variety of ways in which the individuals that make up the IT staff are educated and trained to provide these support services. The purpose of this study was to examine the “as-is” state of IT staff skills and training at the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC), in order to provide greater context and clarity of the case. The study looked at the phenomenon in the context of corporate sponsored IT training, which is intended to maintain the necessary level of intellectual capital such that reliance on contracted IT human resources would be minimized. Though the study focuses on a single company, the case has wider implications and could well represent similar scenarios in many corporate IT departments. Data collection involved various methods of interviews, personal observation, and document analysis. The interviews were recorded where approved by the participant and written notes were taken. Though questions and themes were identified prior to the interviews, flexibility was needed in order to cover unforeseen issues raised by the participants. The results of the study determined that while training budgets tripled in a two-year period, the value of this increase, as represented by demonstrable knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies, could not be established or quantified. Additionally, no metrics were in place to measure the return on investment of the IT training initiatives. No formal or informal process existed to perform IT training program evaluations or to assess training outcomes. IT training was nearly universally perceived to be ad-hoc in nature and there were cited examples of not having immediate practical application for the IT training received. No specific and methodical plan existed to match the IT knowledge needs with any overall organizational strategic objectives. It was concluded that the lack of a comprehensive managed training plan has significantly impacted the WSSC IT Team's ability to effectively perform the services with which they have been tasked. The IT training strategies should be aligned with the overall corporate strategic imperatives. An IT strategic plan should include the basis for how IT training will support the WSSC IT goals of supporting the enterprise wide mission with initiatives designed to produce a plan for evaluation of training, and assessment of the results. The training strategies should incorporate the strengths of various learning theories in a way that support real-world workplace experiences. The instructional designs should combine exercises group activities that create social involvement and encourage team building.