TACS: Time and Attendance Collection System …

1 DRAFT TACSTACS:Time and AttendanceCollection SystemSupervisor TrainingFacilitator s GuideCourse 31267-01 February 23, 2001 FinancePayrollDRAFT TACSUse of training MaterialsThese course materials are intended for training purposes only. They have been prepared in conformancewith existing USPS policies and standards and do not represent the establishment of new regulations 2001 by FinanceUnited States Postal Service, Washington DC 20260-5240 All rights part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission, in writing,from parts of this publication may contain copyrighted materials from other sources the reproduction ofwhich for this specific training use has been interpreted not to exceed the fair use clause of the copyrightregulation (Ref. ASM).DRAFT TACS TRAININGF acilitator s GuideiCONTENTSTACS training GUIDELINES3 MODULE ONE -- INTRODUCTION15 MODULE TWO - LOGGING IN AND NAVIGATING IN THETACS APPLICATION27 MODULE THREE THE CLOCK RING EDITOR39 MODULE FOUR -- USING TACS TO MONITOR EMPLOYEEPERFORMANCE78 MODULE FIVE -- TACS AND THE ELECTRONIC BADGEREADER96 APPENDICES130 DRAFT TACS TRAININGF acilitator s Guide2 DRAFT TACS TRAININGF acilitator s Guide3 TACS training GUIDELINESTime and Attendance Collection System (TACS) training isintended to facilitate the use of TACS once it has been training consists of 4 classes, each class delivered in acomputer lab and addressed to a particular group of technology provides an opportunity for supervisors to moreeasily monitor their employees work hour and leave usage and tomake necessary changes quickly.

2 TACS supervisor training ,course number 31267-01, is intended for supervisors and otherpersonnel who will need access to the Clock Ring Editor. Inaddition to showing particular reports that will provide them withnear real-time data that will facilitate supervision, TACSS upervisor training provides supervisors with practice in using theClock Ring Editor module, and in using the Electronic BadgeReader (EBR). It will also provide supervisors with informationabout TACS and changes to the EBR software that they will needto share with their employees. A training database is utilized sothat TACS exercises can be performed without recourse to thelocal TACS production training , course number 31267-02, is intended for userswho need to use only TACS reporting features. It introduces thetimekeeping System , explains how to log-on and navigate in theweb environment, and walks through some of the varied reportsavailable from TACS.

3 Users who will only print and read reports,and who will not need write access to TACS, will need onlyReports training . Reports training should be delivered soonafter conversion to TACS using the local TACS productiondatabase for examples rather than a training TACS TRAININGF acilitator s Guide4 TACS Time and Attendance Clerk training , course number31267-03, is intended for craft timekeeping employees. TheSupervisor training class, 31267-01, is a prerequisite forthis class. These users will have update access to other TACS modules in addition to the Clock Ring Editor, including EmployeeMaintenance and Badge Maintenance, so that they can continueto support performance cluster timekeeping Coordinator training , intended for district TACSC oordinators, encompasses the previous 3 classes plus someadditional time to learn all of the TACS modules, including how toset up user accounts, how to control access, etc.

4 During the 3 1/2day class, course number 31267-04, which is delivered byHeadquarters trainers approximately 14 weeks before the districtcuts over to TACS, Coordinators will also receive poller overviewtraining, training on the Cut Over Checklist and ImplementationGuide, and troubleshooting TrainingSince the TACS application is accessed from a personalcomputer using Internet Explorer, it is very important that traineeshave a fundamental understanding of how to navigate the intranetprior to TACS training . Many postal employees are computerliterate, and already possess this fundamental , it is recommended that prospective TACS users,especially in districts that are still supported by PSDS, be offeredan opportunity, based on self-assessment, to attend overviewtraining in Windows 95 and in Internet Explorer prior toattendance in TACS training . This training should be arrangedand paid for TACS TRAININGF acilitator s Guide5In addition to basic computer skills training , Course 21564-00, Time is Money: Time and Attendance for Supervisors, should bedelivered to supervisors prior to TACS training .

5 This 4-hour classdelineates supervisory responsibility for employee time andattendance and effectively provides a context for the supervisors assumption of TACS TrainingAfter the local TACS production database becomes available,and after the initial TACS training has been delivered to all TACS users, there will be a need for additional training . Some TACS users will need to receive additional training and coaching beforethey become proficient. Many, if not all, of the supervisors willneed training in time and Attendance rules and regulations so thatthe information entered into the TACS database is correct andreliable. Newly promoted individuals and detailed employees willneed to be trained both in TACS and Time and with the local PEDC, the TACS Coordinator must ensurethat training facilities remain available, perhaps scaled-down insize, to accomplish post-TACS implementation of Time and Attendance , currently underdevelopment and not yet assigned a course number, will be usedto record post-implementation TACS-related training , both in timeand Attendance regulations and policies as well as in the in pre-TACS training , this training is arranged and paid forlocally.

6 The time allocations in this post-TACS program will varyfrom site to site, according to local user TACS TRAININGF acilitator s Guide6 TACS TrainersTACS training , with the exceptions of District Coordinator andmaintenance training , is delivered by local trainers. These trainersshould be recruited primarily from the two large pools of users Customer Service (CS) and Processing & Distribution (P&D)Supervisors. Trainers should be selected using the followingcriteria: Instructional skills (as demonstrated by FIW certification) Computer proficiency (NO computer-phobic instructors) Knowledge of Time and Attendance policies & regulationsIt is desirable to select trainers from different tours and/or facilities,so that they can be an on-site resource for supervisors after theconversion to TACS. CS and P&D classes should be TACS training is to be delivered by two instructors: onedelivers the information while the other circulates around the roomassisting users.

7 Timekeeping expertise is helpful in all of thetraining, but it is critical in the TACS Time and Attendance Clerktraining. If PSDS Technicians are willing and have a positiveattitude, they may serve as a second instructor in any of the TACS training classes. Other employees who are strong on instructionalskills and computer proficiency ( , PEDC personnel, otherFinance personnel) may also instruct, but they must be partneredwith instructors strong on Time and Attendance . All local trainers(at least the ones who will be instructing and leading discussions)must be certified in the two-day Facilitative Instructor Workshop(FIW) local instructors are trained by Area-designated mastertrainers in a 4- to 5-day train-the-trainer class (course numberDRAFT TACS TRAININGF acilitator s Guide731267-99), usually delivered 4 weeks prior to conversion. Then thelocal users are trained by these local instructors.

8 An Area mastertrainer will return or stay to observe the first two classes of usertraining to ensure that the local trainers are comfortable with thematerials and are instructing first four days of the Train-the-Trainer focuses on TACSS upervisory training . One pair of local instructors will bedesignated as the Reports training Instructors. These individualswill teach back the Reports training while the rest of theparticipants teach back the supervisor training on days 3 and 4 ofthe pair of instructors, very knowledgeable of T&A rules, needto be designated as the TACS T&A Clerk training instructors. OnFriday of the TTT week, they will work with the Area MasterTrainers so they can deliver this 4-hour the TACS cut over, the trainers will be an important resourcefor the TACS users. They should be used as localcoaches/ambassadors, making sure that slower learners receivethe assistance they hours and travel expenses incurred in delivering andattending any of the TACS training (course 31267) may becharged to Headquarters finance number 66-0650, DA 19-0, LDC88 or 89.

9 However, expenses incurred in providing overviewtraining in Windows 95 and Internet Explorer, indelivering Time is Money training , in delivering TACS Follow-OnTraining, and in certifying instructors may not be charged to thatfinance TACS TRAININGF acilitator s Guide8 training Time AllotmentsTraining time in ETC sites will be shorter than in PSDS following matrix may be used to estimate training times. ETC PSDSR eports hoursSupervisory Training7 hours8 hoursTACS T&A Clerk Training2 hours4 hoursDistrict Coordinator Training28 hours28 hoursCourse SynopsesSupervisory training equips supervisors to use TACS todischarge their timekeeping responsibilities. The sequence oflearning is based on how supervisors should use TACS on a dailybasis. The supervisor s day normally will start with his generatingthe Clock Ring Error Report, and then fixing the errors. Afterfamiliarizing participants with logging in and navigating in theTACS application, the Clock Ring Editor is are led through exercises which demonstrate how toadd clock rings, change clock rings, add higher level, authorizeovertime, and add annual leave and sick leave.

10 Participants arethen introduced to the three reports they will run on a daily basis:the Clock Ring Error Report, the Hours Inquiry Report, and theUnauthorized Overtime Report. After completing additionalexercises designed to increase their skill in using the Clock RingEditor and the three reports, participants are shown some of theother reports and modules in TACS that they will find useful. Theyare finally shown how to enter data into TACS using an ElectronicBadge Reader, and are provided with information to share withtheir employees regarding changes to the TACS TRAININGF acilitator s Guide9 Reports training begins with a brief overview of TACS and whythe Postal Service is implementing it. Then, as it is explained tothem, participants will log on and navigate around the trainingdatabase, accessing Help and other key TACS screens. Differentreport parameters by which information can be sorted areidentified, and a few reports are examined in some detail.