PATS training By Carla LaRocque Vice President of Human Resource & Quality Advancement, Bramco, LLC The Process Activated Training System (PATS) is up and running within Bramco. PATS is a system used to document processes and create learning session plans that allow employees to teach other employees how to do those processes. The eventual goal is to look for best practices and standardize those best practices across the branches as much as we can so that we serve our customers as efficiently and effectively as possible. Once that is accomplished, we will measure those processes with an eye to improving processes that don't meet our customers' needs or the standards that we have set. This is how the system works. Employees are certified as Subject Matter Experts (SME)s. The SMEs will work with teams of employees to get their processes documented and into PATS. The SMEs report to the certified Group Training Leaders (GTL)s. Each GTL is responsible for three to five (3 - 5) SMEs. Once the processes are documented and learning session plans created, the SMEs will teach new employees how to do their work based on the learning session plan in the process documentation. They will also use the system to teach current employees who are cross-training in other jobs. Employees taught how to do processes are referred to as Process Activated Learners (PAL)s. Program Managers oversee the system, and a Certification Board is responsible for approving processes and standardization. At this point, the SME and GTL teams are one and the same. They are as follows: Bramco- Cindy Boggess - Accounting- Ann Campbell - General Office- Brandeis- Sharon Anderson - Paducah- Rick Johnson - Stanville- Jake Fraley - Stanville- Terry Sargent - Lexington- Lorie Van Hook - Evansville- Nichole Smith - Indianapolis- Power- Lisa Heylin - Tupelo- Alex Richardson - Nashville- Mike Hunter - Memphis- Billy Maples - Knoxville- Todd Nelson - Knoxville- Grace Smith - Corporate- While not certified as of yet, Mark Holley - Power, Tupelo Phyllis Walton - Power, Memphis, and Barbara Kalb - Brandeis, Corporate are part of the team as well. The program managers are Dean McMahan in Knoxville and Carla LaRocque at Bramco. The Certification Board is chaired by the program managers and consists of vice presidents and departmental managers, depending on which processes are being reviewed. As the system is deployed further this year, the team will develop and certify more SMEs. It is also our goal to have one GTL per branch. The team developed its mission, vision and core value statements: Mission The mission of Bramco's Process Activated Training System (PATS) is to standardize and continually improve those processes by which we sell, rent and service construction and mining type products from facilities in Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee and northern Mississippi. Vision Bramco will be the industry leader in continually improving and bringing innovation to those processes that serve our stakeholders. We will achieve process excellence by developing and deploying "Best Practices" in a learning environment supported and understood by all employees. Core Values * Meet or exceed customer expectations through employee knowledge * Mutual respect of co-worker knowledge * Shared focus and teamwork among employees who support continuous learning and performance improvement * A work environment that supports personal and professional growth and excellence through life-long learning The team also developed a work plan to accomplish governance of the PATS system and its deployment to all branches. If you have an interest in joining the team as a SME or GTL, please contact anyone involved with PATS. We welcome volunteers and look for your cooperation with this team to get our processes documented and standardized so that we may improve them to better serve our customers. GTLs at a recent planning meeting. From left to right: Carla LaRocque, Nichole Smith, Barbara Kalb, Sharon Anderson, Lisa Heylin, Lorie Van Hook, Dean McMahan, Ann Campbell, Grace Smith, Mike Hunter, Todd Nelson, Rick Johnson, Jake Fraley, and Cindy Boggess. (Reprinted from corporate newsletter)