A Good RFID Education Can Boost Adoption and Payback

2. In the classroom, too much information is often imparted too soon.
Gaining foundational knowledge in a subject requires assimilating loads of information new to a person—that is, there's a steep learning curve. This is why five-day classes aimed at helping a person unfamiliar with RFID become an in-house expert can be problematical. An instructor must cram RFID basics into the first day or two of a course, in order to allow sufficient time to cover the advanced material. For many students, trying to learn the basics in this way is like attempting to drink from a fire hose. They have no opportunity to absorb the material before proceeding to more advanced instruction.

Some savvy companies use blended learning for employees who need to evolve from beginner to expert. That is, the workers first acquire foundational knowledge through online training, proceeding at their own pace until they attain a solid understanding before entering a classroom for more advanced instruction.

Is It Enough for Project Team Members and Other Stakeholders to Receive Training?
Seeing that all project team members and stakeholders gain RFID foundational knowledge through training early in the project does not ensure they will be effective. They must socialize that knowledge, by discussing what it means in the context of their organization and goals. To facilitate this, some e-learning programs include an online discussion forum. An in-house or outside expert can moderate the forum and post supplementary material. In addition to online communication, organizations can organize teleconferences or in-person meetings.

But even if the team and stakeholders share a common vision and get off to a good start, a project can go awry. Still, with a solid grounding in RFID fundamentals—which includes putting in place the metrics to evaluate the project—problems are more likely to be discovered in time for them to be corrected. If a project utterly falls short of expectations, then the team's shared knowledge will enable its members to better discern what went wrong, and to succeed the next time around. Chances are, they'll get it right.

Leslie Downey is the principal of RFID Revolution, a Silver Spring, Md., provider of Web-based training to end users of radio frequency identification technology. Customers of its RFID Essentials> e-learning course consist of a range of organizations, from IBM, Michelin and CHEP to the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Transportation Command. The company's channel partners include RFID Journal, the National Retail Federation (NRF) and the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG).