Training compliance is critical for life sciences organizations regulated by GCP, GMP, and other GxP standards. That means training management should probably appear somewhere on your Quality team’s annual goals. (Need help figuring out which goals to set this year? Check out this guide for creating achievable quality management goals.)
But while training is one of the most important functions for Quality teams to manage, it’s also one of the trickiest categories to tackle during goal setting season.
That said, setting – and more importantly, achieving – impactful training management goals is possible. There are just a few tips Quality Management teams need to follow.
1. Get buy-in on training management goals from other departments
Though training management falls under the remit of the Quality department, training completion is a company-wide responsibility. The Quality team can set clear completion goals, but meeting those goals ultimately relies on others actually doing the assignments.
Ideally, you wouldn’t set goals where success rides on forces outside of your control. But when it comes to training management goals, it’s pretty unavoidable. The key is getting outside support.
Start by collaborating with other department leaders within your organization to review your training compliance goals. Work together to understand the reason behind the goal, what’s required from a regulatory standpoint, what’s realistic, and the role they can play in enforcement.
It can be hard to get others to dedicate time to training, especially when they see it as a distraction from their own lengthy to-do lists. But when other leaders in the organization feel like they have a real stake in training – and that it’s not just another box to check – you’ll find it much easier to hit your training goals.
2. Create a process for accountability
Yes, it’s ultimately up to each individual employee to press “submit” on their training assignments, but there’s still a lot the Quality team can do to make it more likely training goals are met.
Most importantly, make sure you have a process in place for compliance check-ins and training reminders before assignments are overdue. (Sounds tedious? Well, it usually is… unless you have an eQMS that automates the reminder process and sends notifications directly to email.)
Don’t forget to also set an escalation policy for non-compliance. For example, after 3 days past due, they get a personal reminder from the Quality team. After 5 days past due, perhaps the relevant department head gets notified. In extreme cases, consistent, repetitive training non-compliance may even be an HR issue.
Training is truly a non-negotiable in life sciences organizations. Regulatory bodies require it because of the incredible role it plays in consumer safety, so don’t be afraid to hold your teams accountable.
3. Use a quality management tool to more easily track training
Measurement is a critical part of goal setting. You have to check in on your goal progress often to ensure your efforts are actually paying off. But if your training matrix is housed in an overloaded spreadsheet and/or your training data is spread across different files in multiple locations, those check-ins are easier said than done.
That’s where an eQMS can help.
If you’re struggling to meet your training goals – or simply spending too much time pulling training reports – prioritize a QMS software platform that provides easy-to-read dashboards.
An example of an easy-to-read training dashboard within the ZenQMS platform.
For example, the ZenQMS platform allows you to pull training reports by individual, course, or group, making it easy to see who’s compliant and who’s behind without sifting through stacks of dossiers.
As an added bonus, these at-a-glance dashboards can actually encourage on-time training completion from your employees by putting upcoming and past-due assignments front and center immediately after login.
Another key feature to prioritize when picking a quality management software to track training? The capability to log on-the-job training. Without this feature, you’re still stuck storing training information in separate locations, which defeats the purpose of moving to an eQMS all together.
4. Get more in-depth training data
With better data, you can set better goals – which is why you may want to look beyond the “read and understand” training model.
To get more in-depth information and to exert more control over training, the SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) training model is a useful standard. SCORM allows you to incorporate a wider range of training content and track stats beyond “complete/not complete.”
If you utilize an eQMS with SCORM capabilities, your training courses can actually include interactive videos, fill-in-the-blank responses, multiple choice selections, etc. Not only do these types of quizzes truly test a user's comprehension of the content, it also gives you data like pass/fail status, test score percentage, number of attempts made, time spent on a given assignment, and more. This kind of detailed data is invaluable for knowing if your training courses are actually working, allowing you to set more impactful improvement goals in the future.
5. Dive into the “why” behind training noncompliance
It’s unlikely you’ll always have a 100% on-time training completion rate, but if a significant portion of your organization is often non-compliant, it’s time to figure out why. It could be they simply don’t understand the importance of on-time training completion… or it could be something deeper.
This is where a training effectiveness survey could come in handy. To find the root cause of the issue, ask your employees questions like:
- Do you feel like your required training is relevant to your job?
- Are training materials clear, accurate, and easy to understand?
- How easy is it to find your required training assignments?
- Do you feel confident logging into the training management system?
- Do you receive training reminders from your supervisor?
- Do you feel you have a reasonable amount of time to complete your required training?
Based on the responses, you may find areas to improve within your training management process that could ultimately boost compliance – and help you hit your goals.
Training Management Goal Setting FAQ
What are examples of training management goals in life sciences?
Different organizations will have different training priorities (a CROs training goals will likely be different than those at a biopharma organization) but there are some common training goals many life sciences organizations may share, such as:
- Maintain a benchmark training completion rate: For example, “Maintain a 90% or higher training rate at all times.”
- Create an annual training material review plan: If you don’t have one already, it’s important to create an annual review process for the training materials you define as “critical.” This review should check if the material is still effective, if format updates are needed, if it’s still relevant to your organization and the standards required, etc.
- All staff passes training at or above a specific competency threshold: If you’re using a tool like SCORM that allows you to see training scores, set a target pass score percentage threshold.
What tools can quality management leaders use to track training?
An eLMS and eQMS are the most common tools to track training within life sciences organizations.
- eLMS: An eLMS (electronic learning management system) is a platform specifically designed to assign, track, and manage employee training. It automates much of the process and helps quality teams keep employees accountable and compliant.
- eQMS: An eQMS (electronic quality management system) typically includes all of the training management capabilities of an eLMS. The key difference is its ability to connect training to your other quality activities, keeping everything streamlined and in a single source of truth. With an eQMS, you can update SOPs, request signatures, retire old versions, assign training on the latest version, and report out on compliance all within the same platform.
What features should a training management tool have?
- Easy-to-read dashboards: With clear charts and dashboards, Quality leaders can see training status at a glance and pull detailed reports for stakeholders in minutes.
- Ability to assign training by group: Some training management platforms require you to individually assign training materials to every single employee. To save time and reduce the risk of error, look for an eQMS that allows you to assign training materials to preset employee groups.
- SCORM capabilities: With SCORM capabilities, Quality leaders can get a better understanding of training effectiveness and get added assurance that employees have fully absorbed the necessary knowledge for their role.