City of Chicago
"We've noticed that our employees get up to speed more rapidly. Because they work within our own data universe, within our own environment, they're not side-tracked with issues that don't relate to their jobs."
Darius Zyskowski
ad hoc reporting manager
City of Chicago
Challenge
Chicago, Ill. is the third largest city in the United States, and home to nearly 2.9 million people. To keep an urban center of this magnitude running smoothly and productively, the city government uses business intelligence (BI) products from Business Objects to access data from its numerous information universes. Business Objects products let users analyze and interpret raw data to produce valuable insights - actionable intelligence that can be shared and implemented to keep Chicago's infrastructure operating efficiently.
Virtually all aspects of the city's operations must address two challenges: containing costs and spending public funds wisely. These can be complicated tasks considering that Chicago has 42 different governmental departments and operates approximately 80 information universes, or data sources.
To ensure their cutting-edge BI implementation delivered a rapid return on investment, city officials asked Business Objects Education, the training division of Business Objects, to develop a customized instructional program that would:
- Enable 800 city employees to comprehend and embrace the capabilities of BI, which for many was an entirely new approach to working with governmental information.
- Create learning tools with custom-designed exercises that directly focused on the city’s unique information management needs by using real-world government databases.
- Implement the learning solution in a cost-effective, time-efficient manner while also meeting strict budgetary requirements.
Approach
From the initial stages of development, Business Objects recognized that government employees talk in their own city lingo. To address this, courseware was customized with information, designs, and terminology that were already familiar to them.
Working in tandem with Chicago government administrators, many aspects of traditional corporate training that didn’t apply to city management were eliminated from the learning plan. By rearranging the curriculum to focus on what really mattered to each employee's responsibilities, three days of traditional classroom instruction were effectively pared in half - saving the city both time and money.
Generally, the city holds two classes each month to train about 30 people - 15 per session. The courses are paced so users can learn at their own speed, and then go back to their desks to practice specific Business Objects applications to keep their new proficiencies fresh.
Results
City representatives agree that the overriding advantage of tailor-made training is the use of the city's own data. In fact, customized education from Business Objects has made a positive impact throughout Chicago's governmental organization in terms of end-user enthusiasm, timesavings, and independence from IT resources.
There has been much greater employee acceptance of and interest in Business Objects products because users are encouraged to play and experiment with the software to familiarize themselves with its capabilities and time-saving features.
Additionally, the city was able to develop an entirely new training manual based on courseware that Business Objects provided them. Since the city owned the rights to the material, they were able to tailor course files to their unique needs, incorporating their own screenshots and specific information that addressed topics unique to running a city, thereby ensuring greater instructional flexibility and effectiveness.
And while most organizations traditionally experience an increase in calls to the help desk following training, officials noticed that this particular customized classroom instruction actually helped reduce the reliance on tech support resources. The customized courseware from Business Objects lets you integrate new software enhancements into the curriculum so that new students can always train on the latest functionality.
Quick Facts
- Industry:
Government - Business pain:
The City of Chicago needed to deliver a fast return on investment on its BI education spending. - Why Business Objects?
Business Objects Education, the training division of Business Objects, developed a customized instructional program that lets 800 end users quickly comprehend and embrace newly implemented BI products. - For more info:
Visit the City of Chicago Web site www.ci.chi.il.us