Over the past year, I've discussed a number of ways to protect and effectively use your computer system--often one of your most expensive budget items. We've discussed a number of ways to protect and effectively use your computer system--often one of your most expensive budget items. We've discussed tape backup strategies, anti-virus programs, and site metering software, among other topics. Now it's time to take a look at another major cost area--payroll--to see how you can most effectively employ your "human resources" when it comes to using computers in your organization. Of course, I'm talking about the biggest investment in your people you can make--training. On this topic, I really only have three words, train, train, train! Training secures your investment in technology and in your people by ensuring that your systems are utilized in their fullest capacity.

Generally, I have found that effective computer training for an association occurs on three distinct levels, executive, administrator, and end-user. Each of these areas requires its own training plan to most effectively exercise your investment in automation technology. Each fulfills a specific need for your organization. Besides providing these distinct "levels" of training, I also recommend "full-staff" training sessions as they provide benefits beyond the teaching of basic computer skills.

Executive Level Training
It's 1996. Look around you. Technology is everywhere. Your kids write reports using CD-ROM encyclopedias. Your friends are on the Internet. Your staff and members are sending Email to one another. As the leader of an organization dedicated to providing services and spreading a unique "body of knowledge" to its members, you can no longer rely on your staff alone to use today's technology. This is the information age and you are running an in information business! To do this effectively, you must understand the basic concepts of computer technology. IN addition, you need to be very familiar with the types of information available to you and the steps you and your staff have to take to get it. I am not suggesting you become a database expert or be able to create web pages. I am suggesting that you must be familiar with the tools available to you to manage your association, your staff, and your board.

Getting this training does not have to mean days away from the office. There are several options available to busy professionals, including seminars, one-on-one consultations, or special classes targeted at executives. Recently, when I needed some advanced database training, I arranged for a trainer to meet with me for two hours in my office. In that time, we covered what I needed from a two-day class, and it cost about the same. I was grateful to get the information needed in a much abbreviated amount of time. While I usually do not recommend that executives attend training at the local computer store, it may be worthwhile to contact them regarding your special training needs.

System Level Training
Whether you are a large organization with an MISS department or a small organization where computers are someone's additional responsibility, it is very important that those responsible for day-to-day management and use of your systems be trained to do their jobs. This position requires someone who knows how computers are set up, how they share information with other computers (on the network or via modem), and how end-users can best access and manage that information--including file and directory structure maintenance. Proper staff training in these areas can save you thousands of dollars otherwise sent on outside consultants. Save that money for the difficult jobs (e.g., server crashes, database development strategy support, and long-range planning assistance). Your systems administrator is usually trusted to recommend new technologies, train the remainder of the staff, field questions from the members, and manage your computer assets. This takes more than a user-level knowledge of technology and this staff should be trained appropriately.

End-user Training
Fully 90 percent of all "computer training" you will find is targeted at this audience. This is generally application-specific training on the major "packages" available today. It is usually offered in multiple levels that can be taken over time and generally costs around $100 per student per day. If you have a key person that is adept at a particular program, I encourage you to send them for advanced training instead of considering yourself lucky to avoid that expense. I have read that the average user probably uses less than 30 percent of the capabilities of any given software program. By sending your best users to advanced training, you gain a tremendous amount of productivity as they learn to apply the most advanced features of your software.

Full-staff Training Sessions
An important element of your overall computer training strategy should be the full-staff training sessions. Conducted either by an outside consultant or an in-house "expert," these sessions can be tremendously useful. By providing a forum for your staff to share shortcuts, ideas, and tips gained in both formal training and the day-to-day use of your systems, you are helping them to grow their computer skills together, as a team. Held regularly, they can also provide an excellent method of identifying and grooming your up-and-coming "expert" users. You never know when you might need to call on them to take over in a pinch as staff changes occur-which they frequently do. I am often asked to put together sessions targeted specifically for this audience and have found them to be a very successful way of providing a forum to establish guidelines and procedures, giving everyone a base understanding of the system, and keeping everyone involved in your computer system investment.

What other avenues are available besides classroom training or a consultant?
As an association leader, you have several opportunities to find training. These include attending user groups in the area, putting together your own brown-bag lunch meeting to discuss new techniques, reading from a myriad of magazines, or sharing information with your colleagues through one of CSAE's many programs. Whatever road you choose, remember that training is the most important budget item related to your system. It protects your investment and software, it invests in your people, and it assures your members that you are using your time and system as best as possible in meeting their growing demands on a shrinking budget.

- Jaculin Thompson