Training records like you've never seen!
June 13, 2017
Training records like you've never seen!
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with PowerDMS
PowerDMS is used by the Orlando Police Department to implement and track training; for policy review; and for accreditation purposes. In regards to training, personnel enroll in training sessions via PowerDMS, and instructors print out attendance sheets for personnel to sign. These attendance sheets and all other hard copy training documentation are uploaded into PowerDMS personnel files, making it very easy to find documents and proof of training for litigation purposes. Training courses and tests are created in PowerDMS, and then taken by employees via PowerDMS. PowerDMS automatically awards training, making grading easy and accurate. The policy review process, ensures that personnel have read and signed off on all PowerDMS. The recording of this action is used for litigation, internal affairs and supervisory purposes. Through the ability to create reports, I am able to see what training has completed, and our accreditation specialist is able to ensure we are in compliance. The home page makes it very easy for personnel to see what mandatory training they need to complete, ensuring personnel are meeting all training requirements.
- PowerDMS allows law enforcement agencies the ability to create a course with specific dates/times for personnel to enroll in. The enrollment list is easily printed out for instructors to provide for personnel to sign.
- PowerDMS makes it easy to create courses (Material, PowerPoint, Test, etc.) for personnel to complete at their convenience, thus freeing up more time for hands-on training.
- Tests are easily created in PowerDMS. The tracking of tests is easy and lets the agency see where personnel stand in relation to understanding the material, and completing the testing.
- Certificates are easily awarded in PowerDMS for training, and the training history compiled is assembled in an organized manner.
- Certificate (training) history is only able to be printed, using the "printer icon" by someone's supervisor or an administrator; up uploaded to Excel, Word or PDF. The "printer" option looks much nicer. This feature should be available to all PowerDMS users.
- Currently old training histories from a previous system are uploaded as a PDF under each individual's file tab. Unfortunately, only administrators can view file tabs and their contents. It would be a nice enhancement, if we could give rights to the file tabs to all employees.
- Currently, sergeants are unable to enroll their employees in training, which they were able to do in our previous system. This is the sergeant's biggest gripe. We tried using workflows, but found that sergeants were not approving their officer's training requests in a timely manner. This is an issue when you have 770 officers, and instructors have to approve them before they can award the training. Currently officers are enrolling themselves with no approval.
- Our department conducts the same training every year for Firearms, Defensive Tactics, Driver's Training, etc. It would be a nice enhancement, if the system allowed the administrator the capability of cloning courses and certificates; instead of having to recreate them every year.
- PowerDMS has streamlined my position as a training coordinator, freeing up a great deal of time for other things. It allows you to keep all your training documentation very organized and at your fingertips at a moment's notice.
- PowerDMS holds employees accountable for completing mandatory training. The home screen of each employee has a "To Do" list, so their is no excuse for missing training, failing to complete tests or failing to sign off on policies. Supervisors are able to monitor their employees' training status.
- The negative impact of PowerDMS, was at the time we implemented it, you were unable to upload individual training certificates to employee files. That has seen been changed. But, unfortunately, at the time, we had to make the decision to return all certificates to each employee after awarding the training, and now it is too late to go back.
- AS400
The AS400 database was very old and did not offer the capability of uploading policies and having them signed off and recorded. This was the main reason the Orlando Police Department purchased PowerDMS. There were some things in the AS400 we could do for training, that we can not do in PowerDMS, and vice-versa.