Case Study
Army Family Team Building NetTrainer
Army Family Team Building (AFTB) is a volunteer-led organization with a central tenet: provide training and knowledge to spouses and family members to support the total Army effort. AFTB's mission is to educate and train all of America's Army in knowledge, skills, and behaviors designed to prepare our Army families to move successfully into the future.
AFTB required a more supportive and cost-effective method of training staff and their families that did not have direct access to traditional classroom training, such as those in the National Guard or U.S. Army Reserves. In addition, the AFTB wanted to further educate Army staff, their families, and the public of its mission.
DefenseWeb developed the AFTB NetTrainer system, which serves as the AFTB's single centralized Internet and intranet information management system. The system also provides trainer support and an online training system for all AFTB personnel. DefenseWeb coordinated with AFTB personnel at all levels (e.g., installation, Core, Master, and DA) to develop the system, which supports current and future development NetTrainer needs in a flexible and cost-effective manner. Its features include:
- An interactive AFTB Overview section open to the public to help educate all visitors about the mission of AFTB.
- An integrated suite of Web-based applications to support AFTB trainers and program managers at all levels. A "My AFTB" component was incorporated to allow visitors to customize the NetTrainer front page to include quick access to specific modules that enhanced use of the AFTB system (e.g., the Training Center, InSite Messenger, Directories, Newsletters, etc.).
- An interactive, multimedia online training system that provides training to family members who do not have access to traditional, classroom-based AFTB training.
- Nine Level I training modules (available in both English and Spanish) and nineteen Level II training modules integrated into the NetTrainer system and also available in Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat PDF format for downloading.
- Instructor material converted to MS Word and Adobe Acrobat PDF format to allow local Program Managers and AFTB Trainers to download training material directly from the NetTrainer site.
- An online Information Paper component designed to allow registered AFTB Program Managers to create, store and edit information papers as per DA formatting guidelines.
- A local Web page generator incorporated to allow registered AFTB Program Managers to create, store and edit informational local program Web pages.
- An online registration enrollment component incorporated allow AFTB trainers to enroll for AFTB CORE and Master training as per HQ, AFTB staff guidelines.
As both the Web interface and application developers, DefenseWeb worked closely with the AFTB to design, develop and deploy the Web site while routinely incorporating modifications and developing new functionality. DefenseWeb utilized rapid prototyping in the development of these enhancements to quickly focus and test new concepts on an ongoing basis to ensure that the system completely satisfied the customer's requirements.
Throughout the project, DefenseWeb was responsible for project documentation, requirements analysis, organizational concept analysis, systems analysis, technical evaluations, software and database engineering, instructional design, briefings and meeting preparation/attendance, systems integration planning and implementation, rapid prototype development, and evaluation and development of online training techniques.
The highly successful and functional NetTrainer system demonstrates DefenseWeb's expertise at focused, results oriented rapid prototyping of Web systems. The system has proved highly successful in meeting the AFTB's initial challenges, while the site's modules and user applications have increased use of AFTB services. In addition, DefenseWeb developed the system on schedule and within the initial cost estimates.
