As the Army lead and proponent for training management, the Training Management Directorate (TMD) is responsible for sustaining two of the key IT systems that enable training management in the Army: the Digital Training Management System (DTMS) and the Army’s training portal, the Army Training Network (ATN).
TMD routinely engages with Soldiers and Leaders to identify and resolve issues, update functionality, and improve user interface across the Army Training Management System and its associated tools. Over the last several years, TMD has introduced several innovations to improve accessibility to (and usefulness of) digital training records and planning tools in the Digital Training Management System (DTMS).
Digital Job Book
The Digital Job Book (DJB) was introduced to provide Soldiers access to their training and qualification information. The DJB provides Soldiers the ability to select between seven tabs (Physical Training / Weapons Qualification / Training Schedules / Army Warrior Tasks (AWT) / Individual Critical Task List (ICTL) / Expert Badge / Tasks) to view their individual training data that’s been recorded in DTMS. This “read only” function enables Soldiers to verify their training information for accuracy and eliminates the requirement for Soldiers to hand-carry training records when moving to a new unit.
Figure 1: The Digital Job Book is available to Soldiers throughout their career.
In 2020, TMD made the DJB accessible using personal computers as well as mobile devices with a username and password. Soldiers can review their training records anywhere they have access to an internet connection, not just from a CAC-enabled computer.
Small Unit Leader Tool
The Small Unit Leader Tool (SULT) is available for junior leaders to easily view and update the training status of their assigned Soldiers. When given the proper permissions and having the right subordinate personnel aligned to the leader by the unit's DTMS manager in DTMS, the SULT provides company level and below leaders the ability to manage and update their subordinate's training, qualification, and readiness data. The training data that is recorded in the SULT automatically populates in DTMS, which not only informs their command of the small unit’s training status but also shares the training information to other Army authoritative systems. The SULT helps leaders manage Soldier training and ensures the Soldiers’ records are up to date.
Figure 2: Leaders can update Soldier training records in DTMS through the Small Unit Leader Tool.
The SULT provides first line leaders the ability to record training data for each individual or en masse for their team/squad. The tool provides visibility for Course Registrations (Army Training Requirements and Resource System (ATRRS) courses their Soldiers are scheduled to attend), and tabs for Record Mass Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT), Record Mass Height and Weight, Record Mass Weapons Assignment, Record Mass Weapons Qualification, Record Mass ICTL, Record Mass Tasks, Record Mass Army Warrior Tasks, and Record Mass Expert Badge. Leaders can also easily export a subordinate's training and qualification information into an Excel Workbook that allows users to save, filter, or print the individual's last training data.
Digital Jump Record
The automated Jump Record tab in DTMS is an excellent example of effective collaboration between the Operational Force and TMD. In less than six months, this teaming approach took the Airborne unit requirement from a concept to an initial fielded solution available to Soldiers. This type of direct collaboration with input from the field enables the Army to quickly evolve and adapt to the needs of the Warfighter.
Fig 3. The Digital Jump Record also allows entries for Basic Airborne Refresher and Jump Master Refresher training.
The Jump Record tab in DTMS mirrors the DA Form 1307, familiar to Airborne Soldiers with drop-down menus to make data input easier. The menus include inputs for the Drop Zone, Jump Master Duties, Type of Jump, Aircraft, Parachute, and Jump Date. The Jump Record tab provides a detailed digital record for individual Soldiers that follows them throughout their career.
Expert Badge Tab
In October 2021, the TRADOC and CAC Command Sergeants Major asked to enhance the Digital Job Book and the Small Unit Leader’s Tool to allow Soldiers to view individual tasks associated with preparation for a proponent Expert Badge (Expert Infantryman Badge, Expert Field Medical Badge, Expert Soldier Badge). Additionally, the Command Sergeants Major wanted to allow leaders to record task training evaluations associated with the Expert Badges in the system. Within six months, the Training Management Directorate (TMD) at Fort Leavenworth developed an Expert Badge Tab for the DJB and SULT that Soldiers can access on their personal device (computer, tablet, phone). Soldiers and leaders can enter informal task evaluations during the train-up period and track test preparation prior to the actual badge testing event.
Fig 4. Leaders who record Expert Badge task completion enjoy a running estimate of their Soldiers preparation for Expert Badge testing.
The SULT dashboard includes a column displaying Expert Badge % Complete for the members of the unit. The Soldier’s completion percentage is hyperlinked to a detailed view of that Soldier’s training status and allows input of Expert Badge evaluations for that Soldier based on the Soldier’s Primary MOS.
The view defaults to the first lane in the Expert Badge testing list, but leaders can select other lanes using a drop-down menu selection. Leaders record task evaluations (Go or No Go) for their Soldiers and save the results into the Soldiers’ training records.
Fig. 5: Expert Badge lanes and tasks are grouped by Military Occupation Specialties (MOS) eligibility. The Expert Soldier Badge (shown) applies to most Soldiers, but leaders can access the lanes needed for the Expert Infantryman Badge or Expert Field Medical Badge if they have Soldiers with those MOSs assigned.
The Army Training Network also designed a page dedicated to Expert Badge training information. The ATN page provides a single point of entry allowing Soldiers and leaders to find proponent Expert Badge regulatory guidance, training support packages, and suggested training/testing timelines. The ATN page does not reproduce or replace the proponent pages for each badge.
Long Range Planning Tool (LRPT)
The LRPT enables Brigade, Battalion, and Company/ Troop/Battery leaders to plan and schedule prioritized collective tasks using proponent-developed and approved Combined Arms Training Strategies (CATS). Many users are unfamiliar with and have limited experience in using CATS for planning. The LRPT helps simplify the search for training events to achieve required proficiency levels in mission-essential tasks, weapons qualification, and collective live-fire tasks. Starting with their prioritized tasks, units select events in a progressive (crawl, walk, run) methodology. Companies, platoons, and squads can select tasks using the same unit task list (UTL) and add training events to the company calendar.
Fig 6. The Long-Range Planning Tool allows units to quickly find and schedule Combined Arms Training Strategies based training events as they develop their Annual Training Guidance
Part of the flexibility of the LRPT is the ability to edit the calendar using a simple drag-and-drop capability. Users can add, delete, or move events prior to obtaining calendar approval. Additionally, the LRPT allows users to create and save multiple plans, allowing the ability to create multiple courses of action to brief to the Commander for decision and to modify calendars if the commander chooses to blend courses of action. The unit publishes the plan and the calendar as training guidance once the commander two levels up approves the training plan and the training calendar.
Tutorials
TMD maintains tutorials and videos on ATN that explain how to use the innovations described in this article.
The tutorials include:
How to add ATN to your Personal Device
In addition, there are tutorials and videos to assist unit leaders in learning more about training management such as DTMS for Unit Leadership and how to conduct a company training meeting. The Unit Training Management page and the DTMS Knowledge Base are great resources for assistance.
Conclusion
TMD’s innovations in training management assist leaders and units in maintaining current training records as well as in planning for training. Soldiers can review their training records to ensure they are prepared for future training, missions, and promotions opportunities. Leaders can easily identify tasks on which their Soldiers need to train as part of unit level planning and preparation and then update the task evaluations rapidly following training execution. Simplifying the training management process allows leaders to focus on training their Soldiers and preparing to fight and win in the next conflict.
To learn more about Training Management Innovations, including tutorials on adding them to your personal devices and using them, visit the ATN homepage at https://atn.army.mil
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